The Lone Ranger

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So, I finally made it to the theater to see the Lone Ranger last night and I have to say, I don't understand why everyone seems to have a problem with this movie. Admittedly, it is a little slow to start, and the action can be very intense, but I enjoyed it. I liked the story, I didn't mind the flashbacks from past to future, and I felt that they handled the aspects of what was a rather ugly time in our history with the respect it deserved. And besides I love Johnny Depp and the unexpected lunacy he can bring to a role.

My mom, sister, Bean and I all watched the Lone Ranger together. My mom grew up watching the Lone Ranger and westerns, and she loved this movie. She said she'd love to get it for Christmas, but she wasn't sure she could wait that long to see it again. (The Lone Ranger is scheduled to be released on Blu-ray/DVD on October 15.) My sister and I grew up watching John Wayne westerns with our Grandfather and the occasional rerun of Bonanza, Zorro, or the Lone Ranger. We felt that this new Lone Ranger seemed to fit into that old, kind of silly, over-the-top western that we used to watch. (Two of my favorite John Wayne movies are Rio Bravo and McLintock.) Bean has never watched those old westerns, although I'm sure it won't be long before we get her started on a few. As a result, I'm not sure she quite knew what to expect from the Lone Ranger, but she's a total Johnny Depp fan, so she really wanted to watch it.

Having seen the movie, I would recommend parents watch it before taking kids to see it. I read several reviews online and my sister and I discussed it repeatedly before deciding to take Bean. However, after weighing all of the different opinions, we decided that we would take her. I'm glad we did. Bean, who is 8 and has been watching Pirates of the Caribbean movies since she was 2, enjoyed the movie. She found the deaths sad, but not overly upsetting, and we turned it into more of a talking point after the film. I feel strongly that it is up to parents to decide what is acceptable for their child to watch. After all, we've let Bean watch PG-13 movies that we have watched beforehand and decided were acceptable, but there are some PG movies we won't let her watch until she's older. Each child is different and you have to decide what works for you and your family.