‘Cowboys & Aliens’ Review

Despite its unique concept, Cowboys & Aliens falls short

A stranger (Daniel Craig) wakes up in the wilderness with no idea of who he is or where he came from. With an unknown, powerful device attached to his wrist, he makes his way to the town of Absolution that’s kept in check by the stern Colonel Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford). The inhabitants soon find themselves under attack from strange creatures out of the sky. As more is revealed about the stranger’s past, he leads the town and teams up with unlikely members to fight back against the invaders.

Another recent entry in the ‘mash-up’ genre, “Cowboys & Aliens” seemed exciting, pitting unlikely enemies against one another. Although keeping a solid storyline intact with such a unique concept is no doubt a difficult thing to do, I wasn’t concerned. I was expecting a fun action movie that didn’t take itself too seriously. With the clever casting of Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford, I really expected nothing less than 90 minutes of James Bond and Indiana Jones beating the crap out of some aliens. Unfortunately though, the film doesn’t deliver there.

Even with its outrageous concept of cowboys versus aliens, the film somehow manages to turn itself into just about every Western cliche imaginable one after another, with a half-dozen alien cliches mixed in. It also doesn’t do a very good job joining the two parts into one cohesive movie and as a result, that’s exactly what it feels like – two separate pieces, you got your “cowboys” and you got your “aliens”. This wouldn’t have been a big deal if the audience would’ve been treated to an action spectacle, but that doesn’t happen. The action just isn’t exciting and somehow feels forced. The pacing between the slower parts and the action feels a little “off” as well. Instead of quality action, the film takes itself too seriously, adding in dramatic sub-plots for the town’s inhabitants. Even the plot points surrounding the aliens are overdone and have some questionable details not to mention the motive behind their invasion is flat-out laughable.

Actually, I’m not being completely fair. The plot points aren’t totally horrible. It’s just that I was expecting a very different, action-heavy film. Which I don’t think is too much to ask from a movie overtly titled “Cowboys & Aliens” with action packed trailers and sci-fi posters of a gritty cowboy with a high-tech laser mounted on his forearm. The film just doesn’t deliver on the promise.

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About Craig

Craig was an Army brat, spending all of his childhood in different corners of the globe and moving frequently. He now calls Minnesota his home and is a University of Minnesota alum and devout MN sports fan. Craig’s a bit of a movie buff and definitely a gaming nerd. He also loves music, especially finding new artists and exploring new sounds. Craig prides himself on the fact that he’s willing to put in a little effort and research before making purchases, whether big or small. Favorite Brands: Logitech, Under Armour, Adidas, Sony, Coleman Favorite Stores: Amazon, Sports Authority, Cabela’s, Newegg, Best Buy Hobbies: Boating, Basketball, Gaming, Movies