Cowboys and Aliens is a film that didn’t get panned as a bad film, the rub on this film is, it didn’t live up to the hype. Let’s be honest anytime Harrison Ford steps on the screen people are expecting the next Indian Jones. Also with the star power behind this film there is no way the studio couldn’t promote the hell out of it. The first big name tied to this movie is Jon Favreau, the director of Ironman and Ironman 2.
The studio gave Favreau plenty of budget for special effects and star power. Daniel Craig plays Ford’s nemesis in this film. Craig also clashes with Keith Carradine who realistically plays the town’s no nonsense sheriff. I was pleased to see Walton Goggins, Shane Vendrell from TV’ The Shield cast as an outlaw in the film, he shows up around halfway through the film. Rounding out the cast as eye-candy is Olivia Wilde and Mad Men’s Abigail Spencer, both are a bit more than eye-candy in the film delivering great performances. With star power like this there is no way the studio couldn’t bombard us with ads. Thus the hype.
The bottom-line is the film is well written and directed, though a well traveled scenario. The are no surprises or new sci-fi or western gadgets to see here. What makes this film so good is the acting. The special effects are phenomenal as is the room shaking audio. When you wrap this all up as a package you have a very good movie. While I think most audiences will like the film, I think most guys will really like it. Sci-fi fans and fans of Westerns will love it… I did.
SYNOPSIS It’s 1873 when gunslinger Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig) awakens in the Arizona desert with no memory of his past and a mysterious metal shackle encircling his wrist. Stumbling into the nearby town of Absolution, Lonergan discovers a tightly closed community that takes its orders from the iron-fisted Colonel Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford) — and Dolarhyde has a bone to pick with Lonergan. But the colonel’s influence wanes when the desolate city is attacked by monsters that drop from the sky with blinding force and abduct the helpless townsfolk one by one. As Lonergan’s memory slowly returns, he realizes he holds a secret that could give the town a fighting chance against the alien force. With the help of mysterious beauty Ella (Olivia Wilde), he assembles a posse comprised of former opponents: townsfolk, Dolarhyde and his boys, outlaws and Apache warriors. United against a common enemy, they prepare for an epic showdown for survival.
Cowboys and Aliens is avavailable pack december 6, 2011, own the extended edition movie only on blu-ray™ combo from Universal Studios Home Entertainment.
