Director Gore Verbinski's Pirates of the Caribbean breathed
unexpected new life into swashbucklers with its modern action and
compelling adventure narrative. With Lone Ranger, Verbinski tries to set
a new standard for westerns in much the same way -- and if not for a weak script, he may have succeeded.
To date, critics worldwide have panned The Lone Ranger for its generic plot and overdose of an unnecessarily wacky Tonto (Johnny Depp). I completely understand a lot
of the criticism, yet I still find myself very attracted to the film all
the same. In terms of photography, score, visual effects, and art
direction, Lone Ranger is
one of the best films of 2013. It invigorates the stale western genre
by infusing modern style, all the while not sacrificing the props,
costumes, and real set pieces that make the old westerns great.