A Reel Review: COWBOYS & ALIENS

COWBOYS & ALIENS is a film that had to be made; in an era where movie after movie after TV series after TV series featuring aliens landing and attacking in modern times, we were overdue for a fresh take on the genre. After all, why couldn’t aliens attack in the 1800’s? C&A answers that question well, although it doesn’t quite offer a threat fearful enough to be taken seriously. It makes an honest and nearly-great effort to offer a fresh take, but instead feels like an odd mish-mash that feels light and somewhat empty.

Jake (Daniel Craig) wakes up alone in the desert with no memory and an alien weapon on his wrist. He stumbles into the town of Absolution (groan), where he crosses paths with Percy (Paul Dano), who is the spoiled brat son of cattle baron Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford) who rules the town. After being jailed by the town sheriff (Keith Carradine) and making friends with the mysterious Elle (Olivia Wilde) and barkeep Doc (Sam Rockwell), aliens attack the town and abduct several townsfolk, including Percy, and Doc’s wife. Jake joins Dolarhyde’s posse to hunt the aliens, recover the missing townsfolk, and discover the truth to his past.

C&A strikes a nice balance throughout in keeping Jake’s storyline and the alien-invasion story on an even keel. Director Jon Favreau spends a lot of time fleshing out the characters, all while keeping the alien line looming and constant. It is the characters, driven by the mighty-fine cast, that really keeps things afloat. We get to know the folk so very well, that it would seem heartbreaking to see them go up against, and lose to a vicious, frightening threat that is so much stronger and bigger than them. Unfortunately for this film, that type of heartbreak never really comes. While the aliens do have a clever purpose in being there other than blowing shit up, the threat never seems real and certainly nothing to be afraid of.

Despite the easy-going nature, C&A still manages a little fun and is neat to look at. The old west themes work very well; almost too well to the point that the sci-fi stuff feels like an intrusion. Probably the best effort is when the Cowboys team up with an Indian tribe to fight the aliens; the notion of two threatened races, which have forever been at odds, teaming up for a common cause is interesting and thought-provoking.

The cast plays along well. Daniel Craig seems born to play a cowboy. Favreau seems to know exactly what to do with Ford; letting him play a grumpy old man with a heart for the entire run, which is exactly what the world wants to see Ford do. Olivia Wilde plays off a bit wooden and lifeless, which is annoying at first, but makes sense later. Favreau knows what to do with her as well; letting her slink around in a bra-less dress and keeping the camera on those magnificent eyes of hers. Unfortunately for the world, her PG-rated nude scene is one hell of a disappointment. The show is nearly stolen by Rockwell and Dano (which is what those guys usually do), and their talents are very much underplayed here.

C&A is really two treats in one, with some excellent old-west nostalgia and sci-fi flash. But the lack of fear keeps things on the light side, and just makes it a good, but not great film. It gets by on effort, the great cast and some interesting premises; it just needed to take some risks to become the great film it could have been.

BOTTOM LINE: Rent it