Flash Movie Review: Cowboys & Aliens
Sticks and stones may break your bones, but lasers will always hurt you. When I first heard about the mash up of cowboys and aliens I thought what a strange combination. Adding in the actors chosen for this film, I decided to check out and see if our latest James Bond actor could handle beings from outer space. Jake Loneran, played by Daniel Craig (Defiance, Casino Royale) woke up without his memory and a strange metal bracelet attached to his wrist. After wandering into the small town of Absolution, he was identified as a wanted man. Just as he was about to be hauled off to face justice, strange lights appeared in the sky that attacked the town. If people wanted to be saved they would have to stand behind Jake, who had the key to saving earth; he just did not know it. Daniel Craig did some things that reminded me of his James Bond character, but he was wooden in this performance. Harrison Ford (Air Force One, Extraordinary Measures), as feared landowner Woodrow Dolarhyde, was more like a mean Indiana Jones. The only reason Olivia Wilde (In Time, The Words) was cast as Ella Swenson was for the writers to inject a love interest angle into the story. Her story line made little sense to me. I was completely perplexed why Paul Dano (There Will be Blood, Ruby Sparks) would agree to play whining Percy Dolarhyde, Woodrow’s son. The story was silly rubbish; it was a disappointment. I liked the special effects and action but they were not enough to maintain my interest during the illogical parts. Daniel Craig better ditch the cowboy hat and go back to his stirred not shaken martini.
1 3/4 stars — DVD
Posted on October 19, 2012, in Fantasy/Sci-Fi and tagged 1 3/4 stars, action, aliens, daniel craig, harrison ford, olivia wilde, paul dano, science fiction, thriller. Bookmark the permalink. 5 Comments.
I considered “Cowboys & Aliens” the biggest disappointment of last summer. All the actors seamed to be going through the motions and didn’t care. And the overall production value looked a little cheap.
You are so right; it was a waste of resources.
Unbelievably, there is some truth to the story. There is a recorded incident of such a happening. Years ago i ran across it when doing some research for one of my stories. I paid it no mind at the time because I am not into ‘aliens’. I did see the movie and kept wondering, “Why does the main character remind me so much of Vladimir Putin?… very distracting.
Thanks for the tidbit and for the laugh I got about the similar look to Putin.
Yes, I agree, this was fun to watch while it was playing but wholly forgetable.