2_TwoJewsOnFilm
"'Cowboys & Aliens' 'Two Jews On Film' Fly In Different Directions With This SciFi Western (Video)"
Comic Fan Talk About Comic Books!
Join | Log In
A Fantasy Western film directed by Jon Favreau.
< read all 16 reviewsTwo great things that go great together, just not over 90 minutes.
-
Jul 31, 2011
- by TheJohn
- posted in Movie Hype
Rating:
+2
Heres the two things I thought of as I watched this movie:
1. The idea of gold hungry aliens has come a long way since Battlefield Earth and
2. I can only imagine that when Harrison Ford signed on, the script was re-written to have him rescue his family.
oh, I guess a third would be that this is filling the void for Favereau instead of getting an Iron Man 3 from him. I guess it could have been worse.
Cowboys and Aliens takes a basic story, stretches it and wrings it out and when it's left there is some charm and entertainment. It has it's cliches, it's ups and it's downs, not to mention scenes you can call a mile away but in the end, it's nothing offensively bad or a waste of time.
Daniel Craig stars as a man named Jake who one day wakes up in the middle of a field, dirty, wounded and sporting a metal casing around his wrist that he can't take off. Making his way into town and breaking up a fight between a bartender and a rich land owner's spoiled brat, Jake is wanted by the authorities for robbery and murder. As he's taken into custody, Jake's wagon is attacked by aliens and many townspeople are abducted in the skirmish. Jake takes the landowner, the bartender and other townspeople to follow the aliens trail and run afowl of Jakes old gang, Indians and the titular aliens.
I liked Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford in the movie even though I knew both characters would soften by the end, Craig for his skittishness of not remembering what happened to him and Ford for his assholishness. Other things will include Ford and the Indian Chief will respect each other when they didn't before, the little boy will grow and learn something new and the man who can't shoot will learn how to. Theres a lot of fat in this movie that could be trimmed and some scenes that could be excised altogether.
Cowboys and Aliens, I saw on a slow Saturday Afternoon and that is fitting. It's one of those movies that will fill in a boring day. The sets are nice sure and the acting isn't bad nor the action and the aliens are just seen enough that they are cool but remain enigmatic but this is one of those movies whose extended running time not only exposes it's thin story but hurts the entertainment value as I was squirming as this movie ran. At least I wasn't bored.
What did you think of this review?
Helpful
9
Thought-Provoking
9
Fun to Read
9
Well-Organized
9
Post a Comment
jbeswick
August 01, 2011
Sounds like I'll be waiting for Netflix! This somehow reminds me of Wild Wild West...
TheJohn
August 01, 2011
Wouldn't be a bad idea and I didn't see all of Wild Wild West, but it looked pretty lame. Trust me, this is better.
jbeswick
August 01, 2011
Good to hear!
show text editor
devora
August 01, 2011
Cowboys + alients = I never would've thought :P Funny review, John!
TheJohn
August 01, 2011
Oh yeah. See it if you are bored, but for no other reason.
show text editor
woopak_the_thrill
July 31, 2011
I forgot about Battlefield Earth (gold thing)...then again, I really wanted to forget about that one. I did feel that this was very undercooked; I liked the direction and I liked the style, effects and tone which were an improvement over the campy and pulpy style of the graphic novel. I did miss the aliens' personality and the way the weapons were different from the movie. This was entertaining, but a little shallow. Nice review, John!
TheJohn
July 31, 2011
I never saw all of Battlefield Earth but man oh man......The riverboat scene reminded me of Signs and how much safer they would all be if M Night Shyamalan's aliens invaded.
show text editor
1
More Cowboys & Aliens (2011 film) reviews
An alien invasion happening during the late 1800’s when mankind had barely gotten in touch with their potentials for technology is an interesting premise. I mean it represented a classic “David vs. Goliath” theme as well as having a huge amount of potential to work on. Granted I wasn’t that impressed with Scott Mitchell Rosenberg’s “Cowboys and Aliens” (see review of the graphic novel here) but I thought it may make a good translation into film; seeing as … more
Comments (34)
Compliments (120)
I walked out of C&A today shrugging my shoulders. It was a pleasant enough way to spend two hours on a hot summer night. Daniel Craig (who looks like Harrison Ford used to look 30 years ago) and Harrison Ford (who looks remarkably like Neil Young today) play to type and off of each other well, and the setup is classic cowboy movie--so classic that when Craig, Ford, and the townspeople, native Americans, and Craig's old outlaw gang encounter the aliens (who lasso human subjects … more
Comments (2)
Compliments (20)
Cowboys & Aliens (2011) - Yeah, the title looks and sounds stupid, but don't judge this one too fast
Taking place somewhere in the desert, a man awakens with a wound on his side, and some type of armlet locked onto his wrist. He seems to be suffering from amnesia. He later ends up in a town called Absolution, and after a brief scuffle with a town bully by the name of Percy Dolarhyde (Paul Dano), who uses his father's credibility to work his influence on the townsfolk. The local sheriff notices the man's face on a wanted poster, and he's revealed to be an outlaw by the name … more
Comments (13)
Compliments (72)
The year is 1873. The place...New Mexico...A man (Daniel Craig) wakes up in the middle of nowhere. He has no idea who he is or where he is. All he knows is...there's a thick metal bracelet on his wrist and he can't remove it. After fighting off some would-be robbers with a few swift kicks and punches, the Man wanders into the town of Absolution where he finds... … more
Comments (25)
Compliments (72)
COWBOYS AND ALIENS Written by Robert Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof, Mark Fergus and Hawk Otsby Directed by Jon Favreau Starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford and Olivia Wilde Jake Lonergan: I don’t want any trouble. Aliens have tried to take over our planet dozens of times in the movies already. Every time they do, it seems like they always choose major metropolitan areas and the setting is … more
Comments (12)
Compliments (60)
Walking into this movie you know what you are going to be getting, and if you don't it may be time to stop reading this blog. Jon Favreau promised his audience both cowboys and aliens and by god that is what you get, just not much else. Favreau could have taken this movie in a couple different directions, he chose to take the mixing of two genres that have been lampooned in more recent history and decided to make it a serious action movie. Then there was the decision … more
Comments (2)
Compliments (28)
Picture this… James Bonds wakes up in the Wild West unable to recall how he got there and then ends up in a town were Indiana Jones and his son have been terrorizing its citizens into doing anything they want… Wait, that’s not right. Granted Cowboys & Aliens does star Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford, as well as share executive producer Steven Spielberg (Indy franchise), there is little else these heavy hitters bring to this futuristic/sci-fi western. If only … more
Comments (2)
Compliments (24)
A genre blend that starts off strong despite the adherence to a multitude of western cliches, it all falls flat in the second act with the introduction of a lazy plot twist created for no other reason than to save the screenwriters the trouble of advancing the story through dialogue and character development, and give them an easy out for a typically lame Hollywood Happy Ending.
Comment
Compliments (3)
Not the Best Western or the Best Sci-Fi Film I've Ever Seen, but the Best Combo of the Two I've Seen
I’m generally a big fan of westerns, and I’ve been known to dabble in the science fiction genre from time to time. So on paper, Jon Favreau’s latest Cowboys and Aliens is a perfect fit. While I can definitely come to appreciate the general ridiculousness of it all and end up having a blast with it as the fun late summer film it is, the abundance of hands tweaking the script turns out being one of the movie’s biggest struggles. It’s not the best execution of a solid … more
Comments (1)
Compliments (12)
No matter how you slice it, 2011 has not been a very fun-filled summer. Most of the movies have either been very forgettable or they haven't really had much of an impact. Cowboys and Aliens doesn't do much to change most of this. It's certainly a lot more fun than most of the movies around this summer, but it doesn't quite leave the lasting impression you'd hope for it to. We all understand that not every movie has to be this artistic … more
Comments (1)
Compliments (12)
About the reviewer
John Nelson (TheJohn)
Ranked #4
Ranked #4
Born in Wausau Wisconsin. Move at an early age to Ventura California and lived for 8 years. Growing up in a big city landscape didn't prepare me for my next move: Archbold Ohio with a population of … more
Consider the Source
Use Trust Points to see how much you can rely on this review.
You
TheJohn
Your ratings:
Recent reviews by TheJohn
About this movie
Cowboys & Aliens is an American fantasy- Western film starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, and Olivia Wilde. The film, directed by Jon Favreau, is based on the 2006 graphic novel of the same name created by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg. Cowboys & Aliens was released in the United States and Canada on July 29, 2011 and in other countries on ensuing weekends.
1873. Arizona Territory. A stranger (Craig) with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution. The only hint to his history is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist. What he discovers is that the people of Absolution don’t welcome strangers, and nobody makes a move on its streets unless ordered to do so by the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde (Ford). It’s a town that lives in fear.
But Absolution is about to experience fear it can scarcely comprehend as the desolate city is attacked by marauders from the sky. Screaming down with breathtaking velocity and blinding lights to abduct the helpless one by one, these monsters challenge everything the residents have ever known.
Now, the stranger they rejected is their only hope for salvation. As this gunslinger slowly starts to remember who he is and where he’s been, he realizes he holds a secret that could give the town a fighting chance against the alien force. With the help of the elusive traveler Ella, he pulls together a posse comprised of former opponents—townsfolk, Dolarhyde and his boys, outlaws and ...
view wiki
1873. Arizona Territory. A stranger (Craig) with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution. The only hint to his history is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist. What he discovers is that the people of Absolution don’t welcome strangers, and nobody makes a move on its streets unless ordered to do so by the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde (Ford). It’s a town that lives in fear.
But Absolution is about to experience fear it can scarcely comprehend as the desolate city is attacked by marauders from the sky. Screaming down with breathtaking velocity and blinding lights to abduct the helpless one by one, these monsters challenge everything the residents have ever known.
Now, the stranger they rejected is their only hope for salvation. As this gunslinger slowly starts to remember who he is and where he’s been, he realizes he holds a secret that could give the town a fighting chance against the alien force. With the help of the elusive traveler Ella, he pulls together a posse comprised of former opponents—townsfolk, Dolarhyde and his boys, outlaws and ...
Cast:
Daniel Craig,
Keith Carradine,
Harrison Ford,
Sam Rockwell,
Clancy Brown,
Paul Dano,
Ana de la Reguera,
Olivia Wilde,
Walton Goggins,
Noah Ringer
Director:
Jon Favreau
Genre:
Action,
Adventure,
Thriller,
Western
Release Date:
July 29, 2011
MPAA Rating:
PG-13
Screen Writer:
Roberto Orci,
Alex Kurtzman
Runtime:
118 minutes
First to Review
- About Lunch
- Press
- FAQs
- Contact Us
- Terms of Service
- Privacy Policy
- Sitemap
- Report Abuse
© 2013 Lunch.com, LLC All Rights Reserved
Lunch.com - Relevant reviews by real people.