But as his brother tells him, he’s a long way from civilization, and his insistence on logic and society's reasoning is a recurring source of conflict for him. This sets the tone for his character: when presented with the spiritual, he goes for the logical.
He's in a train car with a group of spiritually-inclined people, and yet turns down their offer of inclusion in favor of John Locke's writings. Within the first few minutes, John Reid - the eventual Lone Ranger - is established as the representative of the logical. RELATED: Star Wars Fans Are Right: Disney NEEDS To Make Solo 2 Happen But, upon closer examination of the story, a more familiar narrative becomes known: that of the logical versus the fantastical, of humanity versus nature.
We see John Reid's and Tonto's first interactions together and get a The Odd Couple vibe. Once the story kicks off, we see all important characters within the first five minutes and learn important information about them, including little details only gleaned on a second viewing. The general rule of thumb with writing screenplays is that the reader must be hooked within ten pages, and by starting in media res, that almost guarantees that hook. In opening with the scene of the Lone Ranger and Tonto robbing the bank, the hook is there, the audience question that the kid voices - why would the good guys do this? To find out, we need to stick around and learn more. RELATED: Disney+'S Plan Includes First Look At Marvel's 616 SeriesĪnother important storytelling technique present in this first interaction is the use of in media res, or rather, starting off with the action and then backtracking to explain how we got there. In this way, not only do we have the means to discuss and acknowledge hiccups in the story, but also a way to bump the plot along should it hit a slow spot. Our young audience surrogate has the questions we have, but if we were to stop and explain them it would slow the story down or give away later plot points. This is a very important storytelling technique, called a framing device - and in its use, the plot is continually nudged along while also acknowledging the holes in the story. And when the kid is in disbelief over letting the bad guy get away, he and the audience both get a beat to recall the bridge - or rather, lack of a bridge. When asked about the train tracks, the kid points out that Tonto said they were in Indian territory. How does Tonto get out of jail? It's anyone's guess, and when the kid calls Tonto out on this issue he ignores it, feeding the crow on his head until the kid comments - which then leads to the next plot point. The kid himself acts as an audience surrogate, asking the questions that the theater has. RELATED: Johnny Depp Dressed as Jack Sparrow to Virtually Visit Hospitalized KidsĪnd then Tonto enters, introducing us to the story and acting as a somewhat unreliable narrator. Texas doesn't have the strange rock formations of Utah shown, as anyone who lives there can tell you - the portrayal is as the exhibit sets up, images of the wild west, introduced to us first through a carnival where you expect exaggeration.
This exhibit sets up the tone of the story -"witness the wild west as it really was." The movie, of course, does not concern itself with backbreaking accuracy, but with sweeping vistas, evoking what people think when they think of the Old West, as the classical westerns of yore did.
The movie starts off following a kid in 1920s San Francisco, who meets Tonto in a carnival exhibit. Despite what the critics say, The Lone Ranger is an excellent piece of media - and here's why.
And yet this movie has not just wandered off into the desert to die - it still shows on the TV regularly, is still a talking point on the internet and a guilty pleasure for some while being a proud favorite for others.