Cowboys and Aliens (Movie Review)

Director Jon Favreau seems to have found his niche with high-concept genre mashups. While his shift toward big-budget spectacles has been lucrative, it leaves some audiences yearning for the character-driven work of his earlier career. His latest effort, Cowboys & Aliens, relies on bankable stars to navigate a tonally inconsistent landscape.

The film is a silly experience, though that does not mean it lacks entertainment value. It plays like a cinematic buffet, taking elements from high-tech sci-fi and classic westerns. The result is a morality tale topped off by questionable special effects choices involving hummingbirds.

Bond Meets Indy in the Old West

Daniel Craig stars as Jake Lonergan, a bandit suffering from a severe case of amnesia. He is joined by Harrison Ford as Woodrow Dolarhyde, a greedy cattleman ruling over a small 1873 town. The pairing of these two icons makes the project inherently watchable, even when the script falters.

Dolarhyde is a hardened figure who struggles to show any warmth. His son Percy, played by Paul Dano, serves as the local bully. Keith Carradine provides one of the most convincing performances as the sheriff, while Olivia Wilde appears as a mysterious traveler whose makeup remains flawless despite explosions and deep-water plunges.

The supporting cast includes a plucky kid, a loyal dog, and a tough-talking minister played by Clancy Brown. They face off against creatures that look like a mix between the monsters in Super 8 and the acid-blooded beings from Aliens. It is a crowded mixing glass that yields a disjointed cocktail.

Amnesia and Alien Abductions

The humor in the film comes from deadpanned punchlines delivered by Craig and Carradine. Dialogue is not the strongest suit here. Most of the memorable lines go to Raoul Trujillo, who speaks primarily in the Apache language.

The story begins with a wounded Lonergan waking in a desolate landscape with a metal bracelet fused to his wrist. He dispatches a trio of attackers with superhuman efficiency. This mysterious gift serves him well throughout the 118-minute runtime.

Upon arriving in town, he draws the attention of the law and a gun-toting woman named Ella. Lonergan eventually remembers he was abducted by extraterrestrials. Amnesia, it seems, is a common side effect of alien encounters in this universe.

Gold Mines and Predictable Ends

The plot kicks into gear when the invaders attack the town with flying craft to kidnap the inhabitants. The survivors, including bandits and the Apache, must join forces to defeat the threat. The aliens are here for the gold deposits, even going so far as to pull gold teeth from their captives.

The conclusion follows a predictable path. Dolarhyde’s cold exterior finally cracks, and heroic sacrifices are made. The film delivers several solid action scenes, and the special effects are generally competent for a 2011 blockbuster review.

Favreau attempts to tell a politically correct morality tale about unity. Greedy men must set aside their interests for the common good. However, with so many producers and writers involved, the final product feels like a mish-mash of competing ideas.

Despite the narrative flaws, the film is a decent choice for a family movie night. It maintains a PG-13 rating and avoids excessive gore. For those seeking a unique genre experiment, it offers a few hours of distracted fun.