In a movie that basically answers the question of what would happen should War of the Worlds have been set in the Wild West, ‘Cowboys & Aliens’ provided the perfect excuse to watch 007 (Daniel Craig) and Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) kick some alien ass for a little over 2 hours.
At first glance, the premise seems strange and is sure to turn some people off, but on a weekend when the only other blockbuster movie to see is ‘The Smurfs’, I think this provided that much needed summer movie entertainment.
It was perfect that the main characters seem to run into every typical Western situation while following the aliens that stole their family and friends. There was a ruckus in the center of town, the people were subjected to an outlaw ambushin’ in a canyon, and they were captured by “Injuns” and subjected to a good dosage of old-school peyote medicine. Perfect!
I also have to give props to Daniel Craig for his portrayal of the anti-hero, Jake Lonergan, and his surprising ability to do an American accent…well. Harrison Ford did a surprising great job (given his acting in recent films) at being a cut-throat cattle rancher while also being a compassionate family man. Former Countess Olivia Wilde (didn’t know she once a Countess, did ya?) was both stunning and interesting as her character revealed some secrets that made her quite the intriguing subject…and her beauty didn’t hurt anything. I never realized how unbelievably amazing her eyes are!…they’re like staring into the clear waters of a tropical lagoon, mmmmmm. But as my friend Katie said, in general, Olivia Wilde has a somewhat hard-edge to her (akin to Megan Fox) that makes empathy and compassion seem like a foreign concept, so the scenes where she is attempting to comfort people appear somewhat odd and against the very fiber of the actress’ character.
Also, the aliens were quite terrifying, and their ability to overpower and kill frightening yet exciting.
Overall, the movie was well-made, fast-paced, entertaining, and all-together the perfect summer movie in every ridiculous way possible.
Rating: B+
P. D. Griffith's P.O.V. 