Review of Cowboys & Aliens (2011) by Tyler R — 19 Sep 2012

There is a fine line that must be walked when blending the sci-fi and western genres. "Cowboys & Aliens" manages to firmly walk that line, only stumbling a bit. The plot is somewhat original: A small mining town comes under attack by an invading alien force.

The film plays it straight, but has fun while doing so, which is something that extremely helps this film. All the actors, especially Harrison Ford, look like they're having a hell of a time with their characters.

The visual effects are impressive, as they should be coming from Industrial Light and Magic. Even the animatronics are beautifully done. The plot moves along swiftly and only stumbles when it comes to the main character's revelations.

When he figures out how to use the alien weapon, it seems real because it is new to him. However, he immediately uses it like a pro which is really confusing. Then there are the memories. They only popped in and out at first, which was intriguing, it slowly unraveled.

By the secon half, though, it felt like the writers forgot they had to keep unraveling his story, so they just threw everything in one flashback all at once. It felt very rushed. Besides that little problem, the film is a blast.

It is a fun and wild ride that keeps you invested through to the end.