If you’ve seen the title of this movie, you know it involves two very different things – Cowboys and Aliens. Not hard to comprehend, right? So when we went to see the film, starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, and Olivia Wilde, I pretty much knew everything I needed to know.
In the wild west, a cowboy (Craig) wakes up in the middle of nowhere with a metal bracelet on one arm and no idea who he is, why he’s there, or where he came from. Amnesia is a wonderful thing. When he’s discovered by a small group of riders who think he may be an escaped fugitive and try to take him into custody, the cowboy takes them out handily, takes some clothes, a hat, a six-shooter, and a horse, and heads in the direction of a nearby town one of the men mentioned.
Craig was great in this opening scene, staying silent for most of the first 5 minutes of the film. And it’s the little things like the opening scene that made this movie much more enjoyable for me than the big battle scenes between aliens and humans. There’s a scene later when Ford’s character is sitting near a fire, cutting pieces off an apple, and gives one to the kid in the party – again, no words are spoken, but there’s a bond formed there that transcends the spoken word.
Is it a fun movie? Absolutely. Is it one of the best of the summer? I think it’s definitely in the middle of the pack somewhere. I’d like to have seen more of the quieter scenes interspersed among the bigger set pieces, but it was fun.
I’d give it a solid B and may consider picking it up on Blu-ray when it’s released in a few months.
Related articles
- Cowboys and Aliens: Movie Review (screencrave.com)
- ‘Cowboys & Aliens’ Movie Review (slashfilm.com)
- Interview: Jon Favreau Plays Cinematic DJ With ‘Cowboys & Aliens’ (screenrant.com)
- ‘Cowboys & Aliens’ Clip Features Alien Tease and Harrison Ford vs. Daniel Craig (slashfilm.com)
- New COWBOYS & ALIENS Featurette – Genre Mashup (geektyrant.com)
- Must watch COWBOYS & ALIENS remix trailer (geektyrant.com)
- 2 New Character Featurettes for COWBOYS & ALIENS (geektyrant.com)
- Comics Of Doom: Episode 83: Cowboys & Aliens Movie Review (geeksofdoom.com)
- Movie Review: COWBOYS & ALIENS – A Great Classic Western… with Aliens! (geektyrant.com)
- Q&A with Cowboys & Aliens Scribes Mark Fergus and Roberto Orci (blogcritics.org)
