The ReelScope

Daniel Craig in Cowboys & Aliens.

Cowboys and aliens. Individually, these words can be associated with a lot of different things: video games, cool Halloween costumes, and of course, the subject of countless hit Hollywood movies. But, what do we get when we combine the two genres into one film? Well, low and behold, that’s what Jon Favreau’s Cowboys & Aliens gives us. The title sounds ridiculous, and the film’s previews have left many viewers hesitant. But hey, if aliens can attack modern cities, then why can’t, or why wouldn’t they attack America’s post civil war western society?

Daniel Craig plays the role of a loner cowboy, wandering the baron landscape of the dessert with no recollection of who he is, how he got there, or how he ended up wearing a heavy metal band with strange markings around his wrist. He wanders into a small western town, which as many other critics are also sure to point out, is filled with Western cliches. You know, Daniel Craig as the mysterious cowboy, the sheriff who struggles to maintain control over outlaws, the timid bartender who is bullied by those outlaws, and that one girl in town who is blatantly prettier than the rest. Yep, we’re presented with a typical Western setup.

It turns out that the cowboy with the metal wrist band is a man by the name of Jake Lonergan. Jake has no recollection of his past life as a notorious stage coach robber, and is therefore surprised when he discovers that he’s wanted dead or alive by federal authorities. But, when many people are abducted by strange flying aircraft in the middle of the night, it becomes clear to everyone that Jake ain’t the typical rough ridin’ fugitive.

This is where the movie took a step backwards for me. The first alien attack scene is just less exciting than it should be, especially from director Jon Favreau, who set pretty high standards for himself with Iron Man. Remember the opening attack scene in that movie? Yeah, pretty dang good. The nighttime setting in this one made details a little difficult to establish, which I think results in an average attack sequence, as opposed to a freakin’ awesome display of catastrophe. I think we as the audience become much more interested in the rest of the movie if that first abduction scene were more terrifying, exciting, breathtaking, or whatever you want to call it… It just needed more of the wow factor.

The first part of Cowboys & Aliens works as an extremely effective western film. The hand to hand combat scenes are well done and even the typical western standoffs are enjoyable. Daniel Craig is also believable as the cowboy with a chip on his soldier, and the mysteries of his past are compelling even if the answers to our questions can’t quite live up to the dramatic build up. For me, the movie’s only flaws were an unnecessary twist in the middle of the story, and an “unconvincing at times” performance by Harrison Ford as the hardened war veteran/ cattle rancher. If you were to go and see the film, my advice would be to just go with it. It’s a lot of fun if you let it be.