Cowboys & Aliens

Having seen the trailers, I was really looking forward to this movie. And now that I have seen it, I can honestly say that I wasn't disappointed. However, the concept of cowboys and aliens thrown together into one pot still does seem a bit odd to me.

The story in "Cowboys & Aliens" is pretty easy to follow; Jake Lonergan finds himself without his memory and a pretty neat-looking bracelet around his wrist. Thrown into a desperate fight against a far superior species, Jake, the people of Absolution and the native Americans find themselves in a showdown for supremacy.

I must admit that the story is fairly much on the 'no-brainer' side of the storyboard. This is the type of movie where you can switch off your brain and just run on the adrenaline alone. There is action from the start of the movie and right up to the end of it. The fight scenes were really nice to look at, lots of guns blazing (both archaic and future guns), explosions and in-your-face action scenes.

The movie is making good use of make-up effects and CGI effects. The aliens look awesome, and they look so life-like that it is bordering on being too real. Thumbs way up for the effects team on "Cowboys & Aliens", they sure did a great job.

As for the cast, then I think they got a good group of people together for the movie. And I must say that Daniel Craig (playing Jake Lonergan) is more cut out for something like this, rather than playing James Bond. And it was really good to see Harrison Ford (playing Woodrow Dolarhyde) in this movie. He is in top shape here and putting on a really good performance, both in acting and action scenes.

"Cowboys & Aliens" is a good movie for an evening of mindless action entertainment. If not for the action sequences, then for the effects and CGI. Compared to some of the recent movies that make heavy use of CGI effects, "Cowboys & Aliens" came off as more than just a shallow story trying to stay afloat by effects alone.

Cowboys & Aliens is a testament to how quickly the medium of cinema shifts because this would never be made now. A genre bending blockbuster that's unlike anything else even if it's still based on existing IP. It doesn't entirely cohere and is way more self serious than you'd expect this concept to be but the collision of a western and science fiction keeps it entertaining.

Daniel Craig was born to play a man with no name. The strong silent type is a natural fit for him and considering the overly serious tone, his performance makes for the ideal lead. As a gruff rancher with a heart of gold, Harrison Ford is also playing squarely to his strengths and Olivia Wilde does her best with the weakest character who the script completely mishandled.

Jon Favreau's direction struggles with the logistics of staging action involving cowboys, aliens and spaceships but he's really good at using the cinematic language of the western. In that first half hour, the film commits wholeheartedly to being a stereotypical western which makes the hard pivot into sci-fi (and a pretty nasty one at that) all the more effective.

I put off watching this movie for some time, for the simple reason - it sounded like a slightly spoof or comedy sci-fi/western due to the name. In fact this is nothing of the sort (thankfully) and is actually a very decent shot at combining typical western fare with an alien element. From the first (quite violent)and bloody fist fight you'll realise this isn't silly kids stuff. Too often these days, a movie like this would have been dumbed down and littered with comedic or slapstick scenes. The story such as it is, is basic, but believable. The way the movie plays, at no point do you question the believability of having cowboys fighting aliens with their obviously superior technology. It was something that concerned me before watching but it works out right and makes sense. No issues with any of the acting, or the effects. Overall a decent effort, worth watching especially for sci-fi fans.

Wow i enjoyed this, partially due to the negative reviews here on IMDb (thanks guys) and in part due to Harrison Ford clearly having more fun with a character than he has in a long time.

Its not a perfect film and there are questions that could be asked of some of the plot points, but the questions, such as they are, would require irrelevant exposition, which would only serve to hobble the pace of what is essentially a "Men (and Woman) on a mission" movie.

What really stands out for me were the scenes at the beginning of the film, Jon Favreau introduces the characters, locations and situations in such a manner that when the real threat manifests itself, despite the films title, it catches you as off guard as the characters are.

The cast are all great, some nice character work from Clancy Brown and Keith Carradine. Daniel Craig brings the stoic, no nonsense aspects of his Bond to Jake and as i said earlier Harrison Ford obviously relishes the role of Dolarhyde.

It reminds me of the films i used to enjoy about twenty years ago, that had lively pace, but were'nt frantic. The effects are special, but not overblown or overwhelming to the point where they become the focus thereby obviating any interest in the characters stories.

I don't want to talk about the story too much and spoil it, i'd just urge you to go and watch it, because this movie is an honest attempt to try something a little different. Its not Superheroes, its not a TV show, its not a line of toys and its not cute animated whatevers. Its an unlikely, but successful fusion of two genres to produce a film with humour, drama, action and a refreshing amount of practical effects work. Give it a chance, i really was surprised how much i enjoyed it.

I see no way possible of giving this movie under a 7. I read other people talking about the actors seeming bored and I finally see it and I don't see that at all. I guess the story was kinda random but a lot of it made sense. The cast was great and the acting was great. If you are looking for a Jon Favorue or however you spell it, this didn't seem like it, but it was still really good. If you enjoy movies involving the old west, which have been popping up, and you like sci-fi this is good for either of you. The trailers didn't give a lot away so a lot of things are discovered in the movie that you were not expecting. All in all, the story was probably a 7/10, the acting a 9/10, and the cast a 9/10. I give this movie an 8/10 and hope to see more movies like this.