The title is a huge spoiler, which shows just how much of a plot this film has. Set in 1873, aliens want to take over Earth for its supply of gold. They swoop around in fancy alien planes blowing stuff up and abducting people to figure out the weaknesses of the human race. However, when they zoom in onArizonaand abduct half of the townsfolk, including a rich rancher's (Ford) kid, they've finally messed with the wrong guy.
He gathers the town's cowboys and they set off to destroy the aliens and bring back the kidnapped people. Joining them on their mission is Jake (Craig), a gang leader who wakes up in the middle of the desert with absolutely no idea of who he is or how he got there. Further mystifying his situation is the presence of a huge iron wrist cuff clamped around his arm that can shoot out destructive laser beams and it's the only effective weapon against the aliens. They are also joined by Ella (Wilde), a beautiful woman who seems mightily interested in helping Jake regain his memory.
Jake is a shoot first, think later cowboy who doesn't take orders from anyone and honestly, Daniel Craig could play this character in his sleep. He's the definition of badass! That being said, the romance subplot between Jake and Ella seems really forced. One minute he can't stand her hounding, and the next he's going wobbly at the knees.
Harrison Ford plays Woodrow, a wealthy and morally ambiguous rancher whose only son, the apple of his eye, has been abducted by aliens and he will do whatever it takes to get him back. He's a boorish no-nonsense man's man who occasionally shows an emotional depth that he buries under typical cowboy bravado.
Paul Dano as Harrison Ford's bratty, snotty, spoiled little coward of a son is a delight. He marches around arrogantly, stomping all over people while threatening them with his father's retaliation. And while he talks big, he'd be nothing without his daddy's power backing him up. A classic case of nepotism ruining a person, he is basically the most entertaining thing about the entire film despite only being on-screen for ten minutes.
Cowboys & Aliens combines the western and sci-fi genres, but this is definitely a cowboy's film with aliens in it. The role of the extraterrestrials doesn't really break any new ground in terms of originality, and the rough and ready weaponry and tactics of the cowboys are much more entertaining than that of the advanced aliens.
There's no way this film wasn't going to be cool. It's a comic book adaptation that is executively produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by the man behind Iron Man, starring James Bond and Indiana Jones/Han Solo. And while the pacing never lets the film get boring, once it's over you can't help but dwell on how shallow the plot is. What should have been an insanely epic mash-up of two awesome genres, ends up being a pretty pile of mildly entertaining meh.
He gathers the town's cowboys and they set off to destroy the aliens and bring back the kidnapped people. Joining them on their mission is Jake (Craig), a gang leader who wakes up in the middle of the desert with absolutely no idea of who he is or how he got there. Further mystifying his situation is the presence of a huge iron wrist cuff clamped around his arm that can shoot out destructive laser beams and it's the only effective weapon against the aliens. They are also joined by Ella (Wilde), a beautiful woman who seems mightily interested in helping Jake regain his memory.
Jake is a shoot first, think later cowboy who doesn't take orders from anyone and honestly, Daniel Craig could play this character in his sleep. He's the definition of badass! That being said, the romance subplot between Jake and Ella seems really forced. One minute he can't stand her hounding, and the next he's going wobbly at the knees.
Harrison Ford plays Woodrow, a wealthy and morally ambiguous rancher whose only son, the apple of his eye, has been abducted by aliens and he will do whatever it takes to get him back. He's a boorish no-nonsense man's man who occasionally shows an emotional depth that he buries under typical cowboy bravado.
Paul Dano as Harrison Ford's bratty, snotty, spoiled little coward of a son is a delight. He marches around arrogantly, stomping all over people while threatening them with his father's retaliation. And while he talks big, he'd be nothing without his daddy's power backing him up. A classic case of nepotism ruining a person, he is basically the most entertaining thing about the entire film despite only being on-screen for ten minutes.
Cowboys & Aliens combines the western and sci-fi genres, but this is definitely a cowboy's film with aliens in it. The role of the extraterrestrials doesn't really break any new ground in terms of originality, and the rough and ready weaponry and tactics of the cowboys are much more entertaining than that of the advanced aliens.
There's no way this film wasn't going to be cool. It's a comic book adaptation that is executively produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by the man behind Iron Man, starring James Bond and Indiana Jones/Han Solo. And while the pacing never lets the film get boring, once it's over you can't help but dwell on how shallow the plot is. What should have been an insanely epic mash-up of two awesome genres, ends up being a pretty pile of mildly entertaining meh.
SHARE
