Cowboys and Aliens

I saw the trailer for Cowboys and Aliens two summers in a row at Comic Con. From the immense roar of the youngish crowd, I expected that the movie would be a huge hit. It was not. The fanboys were disappointed. But this fangirl was not.

True, based on a trailer with a bunch of special effects (and obviously money) thrown at the screen, the trailer was aimed at a young Comic Con crowd. But, I thought as I watched snippets of Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig sniveling at each other, is there a story? Is there a plot?

While convoluted, there is a plot, and a nicely written story. The combination of Craig with Ford is a winning one, and it's nice to see a western again, although the second half of the film could've been set in modern times. Because, you see, aliens come to town and shake the place up. And they're downright mean.

Craig's character is carrying a secret. How did he get the metal bracelet on his arm? And what happened to his memory? When all is revealed, it's worth the build-up. At least I think it is.

In lesser hands, this could have been a cartoonish go at a sci-fi/western mash-up. But with Craig looking quite the Man-with-No-Name, and Ford able showing his acting chops in his scenes, the play moves along quite well and takes us happily along with it. Favreau is famous for inventing characters who help with the action, and he has done so here, as in Iron Man. However, these other characters are in no danger of taking attention away from our two action heroes.

Thumb's up.