Trailer for The Lone Ranger Fails to Impress
Perhaps I’m just a jaded, empty, shell of a man, but when I first saw the news of Gore Verbinski tackling a remake of The Lone Ranger, I was skeptical. And now that the trailer is out, I have to say, my opinion hasn’t changed. The film stars Johnny Depp and some other guy (poor Armie Hammer, being upstaged by his co-star) with Helena Bonham Carter. Is she legally obligated to be in any film that features Depp? Is it some bizarre clause written into his contract? Is there some internal movie studio study that shows Helena and Johnny together increase movie revenue? I just don’t understand.
The funniest thing to me is hearing that The Lone Ranger has gone woefully over-budget, reportedly in the $250 million dollar range. I know Verbinski has had some mega-hits like Pirates of the Caribbean, but I’m not sure how the studio let him get away with that one, especially for a western. Rather than use existing trains, he built his own, just for this movie. I’m sorry, but no matter how much the train is supposed to be the focal point, this still seems over-the-top. Perhaps once we see the film, we’ll all be proven wrong and the trains will be magnificent pieces of art that astound audiences… but I think most will just be watching Depp, hoping for a Native American version of Captain Jack Sparrow.