"Cowboys & Aliens" is probably one of the weirdest amalgamations we have ever heard and yet, it was so weird, so out-of-this-world that it just grabbed our attention from day one. Yes, alien invasions have been used over and over again but it is a different take by combining it with a Western setting. Just imagine, no planes, no technology and just primitive guns? How could the human race ever win against those dastardly aliens right? Sadly, "Cowboys & Aliens" was a film devoid of any real identity, direction and ends up being just plain ordinary.
A man with amnesia (Daniel Craig) wakes up in the desert with a mysterious cut on his right abdomen and a metal device on his left wrist. Try as he might, the metal object seems to be stuck on his arm. He stumbles into the town of Absolution where the son of Colonel Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford) is causing havok with the townsfolk. The man stops the boy and they eventually both end up in prison - the boy shooting a deputy in the arm and the man is revealed to be, Jake Lonergan, an outlaw wanted for stealing. When Colonel Dolarhyde discovers this, he goes to Absolution to get his son back and Jake. As Colonel Dolarhyde arrives, mysterious flying objects attack the town and kidnap people - including his son. Colonel Dolarhyde, Jake and some of the townsfolk who have lost loved ones team up to find the source of the flying objects in the hopes of getting everyone back alive.
What's so wrong with "Cowboys & Aliens" is it fails to capture the unique premise it presents. Yes, there are elements of a Western film and definitely an alien/scifi film but these two never meld together. What you get are two separate genres that are made with mediocrity. Another thing that had us cringing was the mere fact that even for a scifi film, some of the sequences were just too outlandish and unbelievable. It really felt like that these sequences were put up just to keep the story flowing smoothly when ironically, it completely obliterates whatever connections/emotions were made before. All is not bad for "Cowboys & Aliens" though. As expected, the two leads and the supporting cast were superb. We especially liked Daniel Craig and his bad-add fight scenes. Oh, and the visuals were amazing too. All in all though, it still ends up being normal. You just know that they could have done way better than the final product. The budget was there, the cast was perfect and yet, the story flounders to capture and inspire.
Rating: 2 and a half reels
Why you should watch it:
- Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig make a bad-ass combination
- the visuals were top-notch
Why you shouldn't watch it:
- the story was just unbelievable even for a scifi film
A man with amnesia (Daniel Craig) wakes up in the desert with a mysterious cut on his right abdomen and a metal device on his left wrist. Try as he might, the metal object seems to be stuck on his arm. He stumbles into the town of Absolution where the son of Colonel Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford) is causing havok with the townsfolk. The man stops the boy and they eventually both end up in prison - the boy shooting a deputy in the arm and the man is revealed to be, Jake Lonergan, an outlaw wanted for stealing. When Colonel Dolarhyde discovers this, he goes to Absolution to get his son back and Jake. As Colonel Dolarhyde arrives, mysterious flying objects attack the town and kidnap people - including his son. Colonel Dolarhyde, Jake and some of the townsfolk who have lost loved ones team up to find the source of the flying objects in the hopes of getting everyone back alive.
What's so wrong with "Cowboys & Aliens" is it fails to capture the unique premise it presents. Yes, there are elements of a Western film and definitely an alien/scifi film but these two never meld together. What you get are two separate genres that are made with mediocrity. Another thing that had us cringing was the mere fact that even for a scifi film, some of the sequences were just too outlandish and unbelievable. It really felt like that these sequences were put up just to keep the story flowing smoothly when ironically, it completely obliterates whatever connections/emotions were made before. All is not bad for "Cowboys & Aliens" though. As expected, the two leads and the supporting cast were superb. We especially liked Daniel Craig and his bad-add fight scenes. Oh, and the visuals were amazing too. All in all though, it still ends up being normal. You just know that they could have done way better than the final product. The budget was there, the cast was perfect and yet, the story flounders to capture and inspire.
Rating: 2 and a half reels
Why you should watch it:
- Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig make a bad-ass combination
- the visuals were top-notch
Why you shouldn't watch it:
- the story was just unbelievable even for a scifi film
Comments
Post a Comment