![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
The Lone Ranger
Jul. 7th, 2013 02:12 amHere is my professional article:
http://www.yourhighwayinthesky.com/2013/07/outside-the-parks/the-lone-ranger-fun-yet-familiar/
So, I liked it. I did. I'm not about to see it again in the theatre but I would definitely watch it again if it was on the television. There were some problems as I mentioned in the article. I realize that females in the original series were virtually non-existent but modern day audiences expect more especially audiences who remember Elizabeth Swann...
Come on, hadn't they seen Luther? Didn't they know what Ruth Wilson was capable of?
I have to admit between revealing that John and her character used to be an item and naming off exactly how many years since they last saw each other...I did wonder whether the kid was actually his. However, I remembered A Christmas Story... "The Lone Ranger's nephew's horse?" "Yeah, his name is Victor." so obviously, the kid is supposed to be his nephew.
Did you know that the Green Hornet is the Lone Ranger's great nephew? I had no idea but it makes sense. They both become sort of super heroes with the help of stereotypical minorities by their side. I learned it on IMDB because it pointed out how Tom Wilkinson is in both films. My mom didn't recognize him in this one which is pretty amazing.
So yeah, my mom liked it, too, BUT she didn't like how stupid they made The Lone Ranger be. They made him really dependent on Tonto and basically into a Will Turner character but I saw some hope towards the end. It would be cool to have a western hero who's smart like Sherlock Holmes but with better people skills.
There were some mixed messages with the film. John goes from a believer of justice and resolving matters without guns to being outside the law and becoming more like Batman. The film almost seemed to justify the need for groups like Anonymous to even out the balance between regular citizens and governments that are being manipulated by corporations. Of course, "sometimes piracy is the best course of action" was a constant theme in POTC.
The historian in me noticed how no one called them "Injuns". At that point in time? MOST would have called them that. However, historically accurate, this is not. Modern audiences demand modern sensibilities even in period pieces. Thus, no one uses any of the words that get Huck Finn into trouble and several characters are sympathetic to the Indians. Compare this with Back to the Future, Part 3 where "Injun" is said, Indians only appear in one scene and nothing nice is ever said of them.
And why wasn't there a decent little scene at the very end of the credits? Dammit, I know I shouldn't expect Shawarma or a dog being a cannibal king, but give us something!
I used "Native American" in the article because that's what everyone is using even though many say they prefer the term, "Indian". Sherman Alexie has not commented on the film which makes me sad. He's the one person whose opinion I would care about since I absolutely adored his "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven". My mom called him a coward.
*Insert clever .gif about Anya and bunnies because it's 2 AM and I'm too tired*
http://www.yourhighwayinthesky.com/2013/07/outside-the-parks/the-lone-ranger-fun-yet-familiar/
So, I liked it. I did. I'm not about to see it again in the theatre but I would definitely watch it again if it was on the television. There were some problems as I mentioned in the article. I realize that females in the original series were virtually non-existent but modern day audiences expect more especially audiences who remember Elizabeth Swann...
Come on, hadn't they seen Luther? Didn't they know what Ruth Wilson was capable of?
I have to admit between revealing that John and her character used to be an item and naming off exactly how many years since they last saw each other...I did wonder whether the kid was actually his. However, I remembered A Christmas Story... "The Lone Ranger's nephew's horse?" "Yeah, his name is Victor." so obviously, the kid is supposed to be his nephew.
Did you know that the Green Hornet is the Lone Ranger's great nephew? I had no idea but it makes sense. They both become sort of super heroes with the help of stereotypical minorities by their side. I learned it on IMDB because it pointed out how Tom Wilkinson is in both films. My mom didn't recognize him in this one which is pretty amazing.
So yeah, my mom liked it, too, BUT she didn't like how stupid they made The Lone Ranger be. They made him really dependent on Tonto and basically into a Will Turner character but I saw some hope towards the end. It would be cool to have a western hero who's smart like Sherlock Holmes but with better people skills.
There were some mixed messages with the film. John goes from a believer of justice and resolving matters without guns to being outside the law and becoming more like Batman. The film almost seemed to justify the need for groups like Anonymous to even out the balance between regular citizens and governments that are being manipulated by corporations. Of course, "sometimes piracy is the best course of action" was a constant theme in POTC.
The historian in me noticed how no one called them "Injuns". At that point in time? MOST would have called them that. However, historically accurate, this is not. Modern audiences demand modern sensibilities even in period pieces. Thus, no one uses any of the words that get Huck Finn into trouble and several characters are sympathetic to the Indians. Compare this with Back to the Future, Part 3 where "Injun" is said, Indians only appear in one scene and nothing nice is ever said of them.
And why wasn't there a decent little scene at the very end of the credits? Dammit, I know I shouldn't expect Shawarma or a dog being a cannibal king, but give us something!
I used "Native American" in the article because that's what everyone is using even though many say they prefer the term, "Indian". Sherman Alexie has not commented on the film which makes me sad. He's the one person whose opinion I would care about since I absolutely adored his "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven". My mom called him a coward.
*Insert clever .gif about Anya and bunnies because it's 2 AM and I'm too tired*
