Review of 'Cowboys & Aliens'

cowboys_and_aliens.jpg A man (Daniel Craig) awakes in the desert in the old west not knowing who he is or where he is but with an odd metal object attached to his arm. Wandering into a local town that has it's own problems they are all then attacked (and many kidnapped) by aliens. Hence the title - Cowboys & Aliens. It is up to the people from the town and the stranger to defeat the aliens who, as it turns out, are just the scouts for a much larger fleet.

The story focuses around the stranger and a local entrepreneur, Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrisson Ford), whose belligerent son has been kidnapped by the aliens. As the story progresses the rough exterior of Woodrow is slowly eroded away by some of the truths he learns about himself and those around him which I found to be one of the key attractions of this film: The humanity of it all. Here the characters are critical to the story which is often missing from modern cinema. The film is not afraid to take it's time telling the story to ensure the characters express themselves. Having said that, there are a good number of exciting set pieces and it is never entirely clear what is going to happen next (though, admittedly, there are some clich�s, as might be expected). Great special effects (though the aliens are a bit unbelievable).

Harrisson Ford never really came across as the big baddie he proports to be and Daniel Craig is as wooden as ever (despite his tragic losses). Having said that, the film's treatment of character makes up for this and I found it very reasonable to watch.

Some may say it was awful, but it is good fun with a bit of poignancy which is good to see in a summer blockbuster.

Rating: “It is OK but I have some issues”

Review Date: 2011-09-16


Directed by: Jon Favreau

Studio: Universal Pictures

Year: 2011

Length: 118 minutes

Genre: Science Fiction

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0409847/


Other reviewed films by Jon Favreau: