Review: Cowboys and Aliens

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Western meets Sci Fi.

I can't quite put my finger one what Cowboys and Aliens was missing. I had higher expectations for this film, but it wasn't great. It wasn't a bad movie either, it was just lacking, and I wish I could explain what it is I wanted from the film.


Jake (Daniel Craig) wakes up in the middle of nowhere with no memory of what has happened to him. He's injured and has a strange bracelet strapped to his wrist that he cannot remove. He makes his way to a village only to find out he's a wanted man. While tangling with a powerful man, Woodrow Dollarhyde's (Harrison Ford) son (played by Paul Dano) they soon find themselves under attack by aliens. They take many people from the town, Ella (Oliva Wilde) seems to be the only one that regonizes these creatures and she knows that Jake is the key to help.

There were some pretty interesting action sequences in this movie. Obviously technology is different from the 1800's old west and the aliens, so you can imagine who has the upper hand. Thankfully Jake's bracelet allows him to kill the aliens. Otherwise this war would've been very one-sided. Ford and Craig are their normal badass selves, but the script is too cliche for them to do anything original. Side characters played by Paul Dano and Sam Rockwell are very underused, and the pacing hurts the movie when the ending is so predictable. It's not to say that the film is horrible, the music is great and I liked the effects. When you look at the people who made this, I guess I just expected a bit more. I've never read the graphic novels they are based on, so I'm not sure if a lot of substance was just left out or if there was none at all. Nonetheless, it's one of the better popcorn flicks this summer.

Recommended: Yes. Matinee, perhaps.

Grade: C+

Memorable Quote: "Don't pull on it. It's not your pecker." - Meachum (Clancy Brown)

Comments

  1. Candice FrederickAugust 8, 2011 at 6:59 PM

    oh man. i really enjoyed this. it was exactly what i was expecting. a real action/western/cheesy/alien film. and i thought it delivered.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dan O.August 13, 2011 at 10:35 AM

    Nice review. When you go to see a movie called 'Cowboys and Aliens,' you don't expect high art, and that's fine by us. But if the film itself has problems with taking itself too seriously, that spells trouble, mainly because when you have five writers that's never a good sign. Still somewhat fun entertainment.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousSeptember 15, 2011 at 6:43 AM

    gr8

    ReplyDelete
  4. download free moviesSeptember 18, 2011 at 2:17 AM

    I like the movie and enjoyed it a lot.It fills all expectations which I had from this movie.It has some brilliant action scenes.Story of the movie is also good and fine performance by Craig.I think that's what you call entertainment is.

    ReplyDelete

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