Cowboys & Aliens Review

I’m probably going to sound like a hypocrite for saying this, but that won’t stop me: the world of film critics is a corrupt one. So many professionals feel obligated to critique the film medium to such an extent that positive values are lost in the process. Contrary to seemingly popular belief, narrative hiccups do not overpower technical brilliance. Plot holes and unnecessary story elements take back seats to the successful implementation of what is inarguably the most important part of any movie: pure, untampered-with entertainment. Nothing about Cowboys & Aliens is going to win an Oscar, and there’s nothing wrong with that, because when it comes to an outstandingly good time at the movies, Cowboys & Aliens absolutely delivers.

It’s 1875, and a small New Mexican community is struggling to get by in the aftermath of a small gold rush. The town is only kept afloat by the ruthless former Colnel Dollarhyde (Harrison Ford) and his dim-witted, cruel son. When an outlaw by the name of Jake Lonergan wanders, completely amnesic, into the town with a metal device clamped to his wrist, the town and its populace are suddenly ambushed by mysterious ships that kidnap half the community. Suddenly, enemies are forced to put aside their differences and fight a common enemy (*cough* alien invaders *cough*) in order to get the kidnapped townspeople back. Think that sounds way too ridiculous for your taste? Stop reading now. The setup doesn’t take any liberties with the formula. The strange thing is it works. Though the basic outline comes across as silly, it’s presented in such a way that tension rises, and Cowboys & Aliens feels like a genuine alien invasion flick with a catch in the form of the western setting. Trust me, you’ve never seen anything quite like this before, and it’s because of this that it’s difficult to judge where the film is going at any given point during the nearly-two-hour runtime. This is both a strength and a weakness for the movie which, though unpredictable and full of twists is also just a tad too breathless and sudden with its introductions of admittedly impressive action set pieces. 

To coincide with this, the film never really gives any good reason to feel sympathy for the invaders. Their motive, which I won’t spoil for you, is fairly arbitrary (though it does nicely abide to the western theme), and other than this we’re not provided with any tangible reasons to think anything of the aliens but the fact that they need to go. Though this was probably an intentional element, as it is a foolproof way to keep any more silliness out of the setup, depth is lost in the process and it’s a bit of a disappointing misstep. Speaking of lost depth, human characters are brought into the play and then disposed of far to quickly for my taste, and very few are given worthy or emotional sendoffs that suit the dire consequences of the situations that they’re put through. 

Okay, so now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s discuss the many things that Cowboys & Aliens simply nails. First off, the film wastes no time getting to the point. This isn’t Super 8. You won’t have to wait until the final minutes of the film to get your first peek at the invaders. Instead, you’ll get a couple good looks at them leading up to the spectacular final confrontation in which we’re treated to a huge barrage of the magnificent creature design. Though the aliens are fast on their feet it’s easy to keep up during the fight scenes. I never found myself lost or wondering which characters were where. 

Daniel Craig preforms admirably with his usual aura of badass-ery, Harrison Ford serves to provide seasoned veteran and hardened soldier personas simultaneously, Olivia Wilde dilutes the otherwise action-packed script with a couple clever twists of her own and Sam Rockwell is as brilliant (and amusing) as ever in his role as a troubled bartender who just wants his wife back. The entire supporting cast backs up the two superstar leads with near perfection, which is essential in a film as progressive as Cowboys & Aliens which, though at the end of the day is a straight up action film, also serves to mesh two very different sub-genres. Expect faithful reconstructions of tried-and-true alien ship designs and many-a-throwback to past invasion-style films, but through all this you’ll never forget that you’re watching something different altogether.

Where else can you get an experience like Cowboys & Aliens? Try most other summer weekends. But the thing about this blockbuster is that it aces every important aspect of a popcorn flick, meshing two legendary genres into one rip-roaring ride and managing to throw in emotional subplots and sly twists. If you’re looking for an Oscar nominee, look elsewhere. That’s not what Cowboys & Aliens was made for, and you simply must appreciate this. It’s not afraid to exceed the boundaries presented by most summer blockbusters and it shines profusely because of this. Take my word for it and let July end with a bang. You’ll be very hard pressed to find more perfect flat-out entertainment anywhere else.

Final Score:
 7.5/10
"Very Good"