Movie Review: COWBOYS & ALIENS - A Great Classic Western... with Aliens!

Cowboys & Aliens is the first film I've ever been to where I actually got to attend the world premiere. As most of you probably heard, Jon Favreau had the world premiere for the film during San Diego Comic-Con 2011, and it became a huge geek fan event. Favreau did this all for the fans as a way of thanking them for all the support they've given him over the years, and I was extremely lucky enough to have been able to attend.

Cowboys & Aliens is a film I've been excited about seeing since Favreau showed off the first footage of it at last years Comic-Con. I've been following it very closely since the film's been announced, and I just got more and more excited about it as the release date approached. I'm a huge fan of both the sic-fi genre and the western genre, so mixing these two elements together just seemed like a great idea to me. Its Cowboys
fighting off aliens! How can that not be an entertaining film, and if anyone could pull this film adaptation off properly, it was Favreau.

In my opinion, Favreau ended up delivering one hell of a fun flick. He created a gritty dark hardcore western with an alien invasion element that took the film to a whole new level of awesomeness. If you would have taken out the whole alien element of the film, and turned the aliens into a gang kidnapping murdering ruthless bandits, the film would have been just as good as a regular old school western. The fact of the matter is the story was solid, it was exciting, I had a great time watching it and I don't think anyone other than Favreau could have pulled it off so well.

It's safe to say that this film is more of a western than a sic-fi film, and that's what I really liked about it. There aren't many good westerns getting made these days and I think that's a shame. So when I see a solid film like Cowboys & Aliens I can't help but get excited about the possibilities of what can be done with this genre to give it a fresh new life. There was a good balance between the drama and action in the film, but if you're expecting non-stop action this movie won't give it to you. This film has an actual story, character development and there's some fun humor added for some extra flavor. Yes, of course there is action, and the action sequences are amazing, I'm just saying that the film isn't one action scene after another. They take the time to tell the story, and that's a good thing.

I really loved the old school western grittiness of the film, mixed with this crazy torturous looking alien technology. The special effects in this film were great, and the alien creature designs were very menacing looking, these things were hardcore, big and badass. These are aliens I would not want to mess with, and while watching the movie I couldn't help but think how awesome it would be to see these aliens go to war with Ridley Scott's Aliens, and Predator, because I think these new aliens could give them a run for their money.

Unsurprisingly, the acting in this film was fantastic. You can tell everyone gave a hundred percent. Daniel Craig was a complete badass in the film and you can't help but love how he portrays the character. It was awesome seeing Harrison Ford play a ruthless cowboy. Olivia Wilde was both beautiful and great in her role, and Sam Rockwell is always fun to watch up on the big screen. Everyone else were great in their roles!

Cowboys & Aliens was truly entertaining, but I also don't think it's a movie for everyone. I like these kinds of movies, but I can see how some people might not buy into this kind of world. I noticed when the trailer would play in movie theaters the general audience would kind of blow off the film off with a laugh. But for those of you who read GeekTyrant, if this is a film that you've been looking forward to, then I don't think you'll be disappointed in what Favreau has created. If for some reason you think the film looks stupid from the trailers that have been released then you might just be pleasantly surprised.

That being said, I had such a great time watching the film that I can't help but recommend that you go out and watch the movie when it's released later this week! If for some reason you're on the fense about seeing the film, please give it a chance. This is simply a great classic western with aliens! 

Here's the official synopsis for the film:

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 (Wilde), he pulls together a posse comprised of former opponents – townsfolk, Dolarhyde and his boys, outlaws and Apache warriors – all in danger of annihilation.  United against a common enemy, they will prepare for an epic showdown for survival.