Cowboys & Aliens is a thrilling sci-fi action flick. One of the most anticipated blockbusters of the summer, it hit theatres on July 29, 2011.
Stellar Cast
The best thing about this movie is the all-star cast. Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford play the ring leaders in the battle against the aliens and they make an impressive duo. Whoever though to cast the pair made a genius move. The strong supporting cast is made up of numerous talented actors including Sam Rockwell, Abigail Spencer, Keith Carradine, Adam Beach, Chris Browning, Buck Taylor, Paul Dano, and Clancy Brown.
The Plot
Based on a Scott Mitchell Rosenberg comic book by the same name, Cowboys & Aliens is a non-stop thrill ride. The movie opens with Daniel Craig's character waking up in the middle of nowhere. Three cowboys on horseback come across him as he tries to remember who he is and how he get there. Before they kill him for his scalp, he takes out all three men faster than you can jump in your seat. He takes their clothes, dog, and a horse and rides until he comes across a town.
Once there, he discovers he is a wanted man. The sheriff arrests him and before he and another criminal are carted out of town, alien ships attack. As the movie takes place over a century ago, the characters are stunned to see things flying through the sky. The alien jets snatch townspeople and fly off with them. The town sets off on a mission to get their loved ones back. Along the way, they discover that an alien species took their family members and that the aliens are on Earth to take over the planet.
I won't divulge how the movie ends as I'm not a movie spoiler. Suffice to say, this action flick does not disappoint. While the premise seemed cheesy before I got my ticket -- aliens attacking our planet in the era of cowboys and Indians battling one another for supremacy -- this movie pulls it off with no aftertaste of fromage.
Movie Dynamics
The storyline, while a tad scattered and a touch slow in parts, is solid. The acting, as mentioned, is phenomenal. The fight scenes are too far apart for this action junkie but when they occur, they are brilliant. The special effects with the aliens (their jets, the mother ship, and the aliens themselves) are well-done without any of the lameness seen in so many alien blockbuster movies these days.
Behind the scenes, this movie has some big names. The long list of producers includes Brian Grazer, Steven Spielberg, and Ron Howard.
To top things off, the movie is directed by actor turned director Jon Favreau, the genius behind Elf, Zathura, and both Iron Man movies. He pulls off another directorial coup with this movie.
If you check out Cowboys & Aliens, I hope you enjoy seeing a cowboy lasso a slimy alien!
Toby Welch - Toby is a full-time freelance writer who specializes in magazine articles, online writing, e-books, and manuscript editing.
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