COWBOYS & ALIENS is one of those "what it says on the tin" type movies, obvious in content from the title. I wasn't expecting to like it much, feeling that modern-day science fiction films tend to be all about the big CGI effects without much warmth or character to go with them, but I didn't have worried. This film is refreshingly old-fashioned in feel and for two-thirds of the running time focuses on being a western rather than a sci-fi flick, which is all well and good.
Things kick off well with Steve McQueen-alike Daniel Craig waking up in the desert, with an alien wristwatch and a cracking headache/case of amnesia. He's soon involved in a plot involving arch criminal Harrison Ford, but any local enmity is put on hold when the aliens show up in an impressively destructive set-piece. What I liked most about this film is that it's straight-up serious, rather than being loaded with annoying and goofy humour. The performances are therefore better than hoped for, and the direction is fine, with the early, brutal fight scenes really proving successful. Sure, it does go on a little too long, and the ending descends into effects-filled nonsense, but overall this is winning and watchable.
Things kick off well with Steve McQueen-alike Daniel Craig waking up in the desert, with an alien wristwatch and a cracking headache/case of amnesia. He's soon involved in a plot involving arch criminal Harrison Ford, but any local enmity is put on hold when the aliens show up in an impressively destructive set-piece. What I liked most about this film is that it's straight-up serious, rather than being loaded with annoying and goofy humour. The performances are therefore better than hoped for, and the direction is fine, with the early, brutal fight scenes really proving successful. Sure, it does go on a little too long, and the ending descends into effects-filled nonsense, but overall this is winning and watchable.