Cowboys And Aliens- Movie Review

Directed by Jon Favreau. 
Screenplay by Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof, Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, Screen Story by Fergus, Ostby and Steve Oedekerk, based on Platinum Studios' “Cowboys and Aliens” by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg. 
Running time: 118 minutes (1h, 58 mins.) 
Rated PG-13 (for intense sequences of western and sci-fi action and violence, some partial nudity and a brief crude reference).
Distributor: Universal Pictures

The Story:
The story's pretty simple. Set in 1873 Arizona, Daniel Craig plays an unnamed loner who wakes up in the middle of the desert with a metal bracelet on his hand. He enters a town call Absolution. Immediately, there's trouble for him afoot. The town's sherriff recognizes him as Jake Longeren, an wanted man charged for robbery and murder. So, they take him in and then suddenly, poof. Aliens come out of the sky and they all must work together to destroy it all.


The Review:
OK, so that the story has elaborated without any spoilers intact, I'm gonna be honest. This is one of those movies that has the most weird-ass plot I've ever witnessed and it actually works. It has everything: not only just cowboys and aliens, but Indians, a preacher, bandits, two sexy women, a dog who follows the people around, horses, monsters with huge eyes and hands coming out of their lungs, and much more. As you could tell by the trailers and countless TV advertisements, you could tell this wasn't gonna be a comedy. Or a parody, for the matter of fact. It's actually more of a serious film that has these people trying to save humanity before it's too late. It's fun at points, but sometimes I wish it could have been more fun. Luckily, there's some humor involved thanks to Sam Rockwell, who plays a bartender named Doc. We don't know if it's his real name or his nickname.

The cast is well-put and well-directed as well. Jon Favreau actually develops these characters so the audience can know them better. Daniel Craig is obviously paying ode to Clint Eastwood's "Man with No Name". He doesn't say too much in the movie and when someone hits him, he'll do the same thing, but much harder. I could tell that Harrison Ford had a lot of fun with this movie. He often says his lines in a voice much gruffier (I don't think that's a word) that his usual. Olivia Wilde plays a woman who's says she's not from around here.


This is a movie that deserves the success it's pining for. Sci-fi is still a popular genre and the western is making a comeback, thanks to films like "Rango" and the Coen Brothers' remake of "True Grit" and even though it's already made $36.2 million (Not exactly a stellar debut) and it's tied with The Smurfs (Really?!) for first place, you shouldn't count it out just yet.


Overall, I enjoyed the film. Not as fun as I hoped it would be, but still, if you like crazy mash-ups, this may be the film for you.


Rating-3.3/5