Spoiler Alert, Plot details discussed.
OK Coboys and Alines, very funny. like in Cowboys and Indians. I was not exactly blown away by the title. What blew me away was the first glorious shot. The cinamatography was just excellent; Wide screen and glorious, yet capturing the drama of the graphic novel visual power, ,Matthew Libatique captured the sweep and glory of New Mexicos grandest landscapes. Likewise appropriate was the fine score, reminiscent of Elmer bernstiens western sagas. Here the composer is Harry Greyson-Williams. Director Jon Favreau pulled all the elements together and created a grand but overlooked gem. As strange as the premise is, it is remarkably successful in blending the genera''s of Westerns and Science Fiction.
The narrative is strange, but the star power is stellar, We watch two pros at the top of their game. Daniel Craig is the lead, a gunslinger named Jake Lonergan, awakening in the deep desert, with an iron wrist cuff. He also has amnesia and no recollection of who he is. To make matters worse, he is about to be robbed and killed by three armed bandits. The movie quickly establishes that Craig's character is not to me messed with.
The Town of Absolution was built out of the vast landscape, A small town with the Saloon, jailhouse and Main-street. The good Sheriff John Taggeart, played by Kieth Carradine, The doc, who runs the bar with his hot blooded wife,is played by Sam Rockwell. Abagail Spencer and Olivia Wilde fill the female leads. The Villan here is the wealthy land Barron, Woodrow Dolarhyde. played with rugged vigor by Harrison Ford. Throw in about forty outlaw armies and the Apache nation and you have a whole solid fighting force to defeat ? what ? The western setting and mind set finds the flying machines that resemble robot dragonfles, as well as the malevolent creatures as demons. they have no other context to comprehend the invaders, who are here, looking for gold and plunder.
The creatures are convincingly portrayed as ugly things with grotesque limbs that erupt from their hideous bellys. Here I had to take issue, the creators of the technology could no way be represented by this brutish pack of hunters. Where is their science. They have advanced technology but act like barbarians. There is no way a pack of cowboys and Indians could defeat them. unless. they had an inside lead, This is where the character Ella, the mysterious, played by Olivia Wilde. She is also a stranger to our planet, and knows how to defeat the evil invaders.
The film builds wonderfully to the splendid climax that gives you maximum bang for your buck. thanks to the effects folks at Industrial Light and Magic. So what did I not like, Only one thing, the weak title. Hey guys, re release it but call it, "The Sorrowful Saga of Gunslinger Jake". or "Gunslinger Jake and the Demons". or "Western Spaces". anything but Cowboys and Aliens. This gets eight and a half "bravo for pulling it off" Stars out of Ten
Review of Cowboys & Aliens
