Cowboys and Aliens is based on the 2006 graphic novel by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, which I haven’t read prior to watching this film. The movie starts with a stranger (Daniel Craig) who wakes up in the desert town of Absolution with no memory at all. The only clue to who he might be is a weird bracelet attached to his wrist. Colonel Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford) whose power is feared by the town’s people ran the town of Absolution.
At the night when the mysterious alien spaceships arrive in town and abduct most of its people one by one, the stranger whose name is Jake and is wanted for several crimes according to the town’s sheriff, discovers the use of his bracelet and collaborates with the cowboys to hunt the aliens and save those who were abducted.
I was thinking upon seeing the film’s trailer that it’d be a really interesting watch and something that would be a mash-up between Indiana Jones and James Bond boasting both actors who played each character. I was however a bit disappointed with the several loopholes presented in the film. Everything got mixed-up for me. First, the aliens’ objective to attack to accumulate gold lacks narrative (this is from someone who have not read the book.)
Ella’s scenes (Olivia Wilde) were a bit off because she would just pop out and it was distracting in the serious tone of the film. She always looks good and clean in the film’s dusty setting which kind of reminds me of Megan Fox in Transformers. Although her character is somewhat important because she knows stuff about Jake and the aliens, her dialogue didn’t give much information. Moreover, what exactly do the aliens want from Jake? They remind me of the prawns in District 9 but more grotesque and cartoon-like. Also, the scene which I’m just totally clueless about was the “light” the abductees are looking at. Exactly what is that? A hypnotism device of some sort?
Director: John Favreau
Starring: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Paul Dano, Clancy Brown, Keith Carradine, Noah Ringer
This review was first posted at the Official PeX Movie Reviews at Pinoy Exchange.




