The Verdict
---------------
As summer 2011 comes to a close Cowboys & Aliens stands alone as the last blockbuster of the season. If you were somehow unable to glean from its title, C&A strives to blend the best elements of both the Western and Sci-fi genres while trying to maintain a serious tone through it all. Expect as much surprise in the plot department as when you saw the "& Aliens" next to "Cowboys" in the title of the movie; the plot is sadly dull and predictable and limps along with the fast-paced action hoping to throw out some redeeming twists and turns, but nothing heals a fractured story once it's out there. Nonetheless, I can't say I didn't enjoy the movie! It was an entertaining and ridiculously action-packed ride that successfully relied on the meeting point between Sci-fi and Western to keep things interesting. C&A is the most thrilling movie of the summer, and a worthy blockbuster to close out the season, but there's nothing in the script that will change your life.
The Rationale
-----------------
Aliens' first layover on their way to conquer the world is the American wild west, so they abduct the loved ones of everyone in sight, and in turn the lovers of the loved ones unite to track down the extraterrestrials and get them back. That's the entire story in one sentence. Was it a spoiler? No, but that does give you an idea of how one-dimensional the premise is. Cowboys & Aliens takes its name and core idea from an earlier graphic novel made in 2006. Director Jon Favreau argues all other content is original. The film does not claim to have made the ultimate cross-category combination but instead revels in the fact there are both aliens and cowboys, two all-time Hollywood staples, on the screen at the same time. So is C&A simply original, or originally simple? I'll have to take the latter route. C&A mushes together the old west and invaders from outer space, but does nothing spectacular beyond that. The only plot twist in the film is completely expected and is merely a spark from a dying fire. While flaws in the plot are a shame, the blend of the two genres is amazingly seamless. Favreau was absolutely right when he said western and sci-fi just nicely fit together when both are taken seriously. I thought the only possible way I would enjoy this film would require a massive suspension of disbelief on my part, but to my great delight the movie was mostly very fluid. Unfortunately I can't shake the comparison to this summer's earlier film Super 8, also a genre-bending movie of sorts. I can't deny that the sci-fi aspect of the film looked and behaved exactly as it would under JJ Abram's command; even the aliens look like the ungodly offspring of a beetle, crab, and the Super 8 monster. This is why I came to the conclusion that the Western half C&A was crafted much more solidly and carries the weight of the film.
Now if anyone can make an on screen battle of revolvers and laser- blasters happen, it's Olivia Wilde, Daniel Craig, and Harrison Ford as a team under Favreau's watchful eye. As a whole the acting is fine and the directing impressive – the blemishes come from elsewhere. Daniel Craig's character wakes up at the start of the film and suffers from amnesia, an interesting propellant right into the heart of the action and a way to keep things interesting. But his intermittent flashbacks develop his character so blandly that by the time he's ready to remember his identity, no one really cares. Everyone knows Ford is no stranger to the cowboy hat either, so here the script is to blame. Ford's character is supposed to have an inner struggle with who he is and how he acts from scene-to-scene but rather, he flops back and forth so bluntly from sympathetic-but-aloof, noble warrior to cold-blooded killer that he appears to have a drastic case of bipolar disorder instead of a complex character. Everyone else, be it the adopted Indian tracker or the gang of trainrobbers or the gunslingin' preacher man, fall into their respective, heavily stereotypical Western roles. In some cases that would make a film mundane, however I think it adds some good strength to the Western part of C&A.
Where Cowboys & Aliens really shines is the action, and if you're intent on seeing it for any other reason then you are misled my friend. In keeping with his tradition of minimal CGI, Favreau crafts some of the most incredible explosive sequences of the summer. Where it is used, the CGI looks more than great and special effects will wow and amaze. C&A has arguably the best action of any movie this summer and, simply for that, warrants a trip to the theater.
---------------
As summer 2011 comes to a close Cowboys & Aliens stands alone as the last blockbuster of the season. If you were somehow unable to glean from its title, C&A strives to blend the best elements of both the Western and Sci-fi genres while trying to maintain a serious tone through it all. Expect as much surprise in the plot department as when you saw the "& Aliens" next to "Cowboys" in the title of the movie; the plot is sadly dull and predictable and limps along with the fast-paced action hoping to throw out some redeeming twists and turns, but nothing heals a fractured story once it's out there. Nonetheless, I can't say I didn't enjoy the movie! It was an entertaining and ridiculously action-packed ride that successfully relied on the meeting point between Sci-fi and Western to keep things interesting. C&A is the most thrilling movie of the summer, and a worthy blockbuster to close out the season, but there's nothing in the script that will change your life.
The Rationale
-----------------
Aliens' first layover on their way to conquer the world is the American wild west, so they abduct the loved ones of everyone in sight, and in turn the lovers of the loved ones unite to track down the extraterrestrials and get them back. That's the entire story in one sentence. Was it a spoiler? No, but that does give you an idea of how one-dimensional the premise is. Cowboys & Aliens takes its name and core idea from an earlier graphic novel made in 2006. Director Jon Favreau argues all other content is original. The film does not claim to have made the ultimate cross-category combination but instead revels in the fact there are both aliens and cowboys, two all-time Hollywood staples, on the screen at the same time. So is C&A simply original, or originally simple? I'll have to take the latter route. C&A mushes together the old west and invaders from outer space, but does nothing spectacular beyond that. The only plot twist in the film is completely expected and is merely a spark from a dying fire. While flaws in the plot are a shame, the blend of the two genres is amazingly seamless. Favreau was absolutely right when he said western and sci-fi just nicely fit together when both are taken seriously. I thought the only possible way I would enjoy this film would require a massive suspension of disbelief on my part, but to my great delight the movie was mostly very fluid. Unfortunately I can't shake the comparison to this summer's earlier film Super 8, also a genre-bending movie of sorts. I can't deny that the sci-fi aspect of the film looked and behaved exactly as it would under JJ Abram's command; even the aliens look like the ungodly offspring of a beetle, crab, and the Super 8 monster. This is why I came to the conclusion that the Western half C&A was crafted much more solidly and carries the weight of the film.
Now if anyone can make an on screen battle of revolvers and laser- blasters happen, it's Olivia Wilde, Daniel Craig, and Harrison Ford as a team under Favreau's watchful eye. As a whole the acting is fine and the directing impressive – the blemishes come from elsewhere. Daniel Craig's character wakes up at the start of the film and suffers from amnesia, an interesting propellant right into the heart of the action and a way to keep things interesting. But his intermittent flashbacks develop his character so blandly that by the time he's ready to remember his identity, no one really cares. Everyone knows Ford is no stranger to the cowboy hat either, so here the script is to blame. Ford's character is supposed to have an inner struggle with who he is and how he acts from scene-to-scene but rather, he flops back and forth so bluntly from sympathetic-but-aloof, noble warrior to cold-blooded killer that he appears to have a drastic case of bipolar disorder instead of a complex character. Everyone else, be it the adopted Indian tracker or the gang of trainrobbers or the gunslingin' preacher man, fall into their respective, heavily stereotypical Western roles. In some cases that would make a film mundane, however I think it adds some good strength to the Western part of C&A.
Where Cowboys & Aliens really shines is the action, and if you're intent on seeing it for any other reason then you are misled my friend. In keeping with his tradition of minimal CGI, Favreau crafts some of the most incredible explosive sequences of the summer. Where it is used, the CGI looks more than great and special effects will wow and amaze. C&A has arguably the best action of any movie this summer and, simply for that, warrants a trip to the theater.