As soon as I heard the title of this movie, I was sold. Cowboys and aliens. Say it as "cowboys (long pause) and aliens" and you realize just how absurd a concept it is. There's no doubt this movie is ridiculous in every conceivable way, but that's the whole point, isn't it? It's just a matter of how ridiculous they make it. Not ridiculous enough, IMO. The problem is that the title suggests something fun and silly but instead we get something slow and serious. When you have this awesome premise you might as well make the most out of it and make it as outrageous as possible. Instead this movie is silly in a whole different way, in how serious it takes itself. That isn't to say this movie doesn't work, just that it wastes its potential.
The film opens with Daniel Craig waking up in the desert, not knowing who he is or where he came from, wearing a mysterious metal bracelet. He gets to town where people look at him a little funny. It doesn't take long before the aliens come swooping in blowing stuff up and snatching people up to their spaceships. Harrison Ford is the big man in town with a vendetta against Craig, but the two must work together to save the people who got taken, including Ford's son. They are joined by bartender Sam Rockwell, stranger Olivia Wilde, who has some of the greenest eyes I've ever seen, a preacher, an Indian scout, a little boy who must find his courage, er, grandfather, and a trusty dog. Along the way they meet up with a band of outlaws and of course, Indians. They must all learn to work together to defeat the aliens. It's like the entire wild west versus outer space, which actually sounds like a cool name for a sequel.
Why are aliens so disgusting? I wonder if any of the slimy creatures are considered the Brad Pitt of their planet. I wonder if they find humans even more repulstive. Also they are advanced and smart enough to travel light years across the universe and to do what, steal our gold? As Harrison Ford's character says, "That's ridiculous. What are they going to do? Buy something?"
Within the cornball plot and absurdities are the mandatory action sequences which will satisfy the summer crowd. There are thrills, chills, and spills, though surprisingly few laughs making for a kind of flat experience. It's cowboys and aliens, but unfortunately it doesn't quite live up to the expectations of the title. Mildly enjoyable, but mindless and ultimately forgettable fare.
Grade: C
I agree. I just saw this today. It was a failure. I'm like you, overly forgiving and easy to please, for the most part, when it comes to movies. If you provide me with something I can cling onto when I watch a movie, anything really, and I'm good to go.
ReplyDeleteAlas, this film was just a mess.
Like you said, it made no sense to make it so serious. And nothing else about it made any sense either. They want you to think Harrison Ford is a bad guy that's really a good guy... that wasn't done very well at all. Stupid. His son is a piece of shit but gets rewarded for it? Olivia Wilde, the hottest actress on the planet, is completely wasted in her confusing role. There wasn't even really a love element! The aliens were stupid, and so was the whole gold thing. There were even blatant plot fuck ups. Did you notice how at one point the Indian chief could conveniently understand English? Ha. So dumb. I love Daniel Craig... he's my boy. I'll always love Harrison Ford. And Olivia Wilde is currently my #1 favorite hottie. But even those facts don't sway me. This movie was a waste of time, and I'm very disappointed in Jon Favreau. Bad Jon! BAD!! Now go to your room!
He turned down Avengers and Iron Man 3 for this?!?!?!?!?!?!?
Oh and you are WAY too kind with that C+ rating.
ReplyDeleteC-/D+.
I don't think it was bad in the way that there were bad lines/acting, etc., like most movies are bad, but it was bad in that it was pointless, mediocre, poorly executed, and a waste of time.
How funny we both watched this on the same day... I agree that I am very easy to please, perhaps to a fault. I just wasn't offended enough by this movie to give it any worse of a grade. It is what it is. Meanwhile if something really bothers me like say, Driving Miss Daisy, I'm not afraid to be overly harsh on it. I just wasn't that bothered by C&A and was even mildly entertained. It's kind of funny because I watched this movie with my sister who is pretty easy going and she thought it was awful. Haha.
ReplyDeleteHa thinking about the movie again and reading my mostly negative review, I retroactively bumped the grade a notch lower to a C.
ReplyDelete