Review of Cowboys & Aliens (2011) by David B — 17 Sep 2012

In an age where digital special effects are more or less over-taking the films and normally show no interest in the storyline, it was nice to watch this, a western with a Sci-fi twist but no where near the awful Wild Wild West.

Daniel Craig is acceptable as the cowboy who can't remember who he is and the only clue he has is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist. Harrison Ford, in a great role for a while, is near perfect as Dolarhyde and the best thing about the film, it makes me wonder why he doesn't do many westerns.

The special effects are neat but sometimes appear sloppy when the actions begin. It is a daft plot but you know this as soon as you watch the film, the script is slightly weak but really it's the "Cowboy scenes" that are great, probably would've been better without the Aliens though it would've missed the point of the film.

If you can swallow the shameless set-up, it's all highly entertaining. The cowboys: great. The aliens: not so much. There's fun to be had here, but it falls way short of the pulp classic it could have been.

At least it's got some scenes of humor. Like I said, it's way better than Wild Wild West.