Cowboys and Aliens

Daniel Craig (James Bond and Defiance) plays Jake, who finds himself in the desert not remembering who he is, how he got there, and how he acquired an odd metal manacle on his arm. As most westerns, he finds himself in a confrontation where he is revealed to be an able warrior. He finds himself in the town of Absolution where a kindly preacher dresses his mysterious wound and enlightens him about the town. 

Harrison Ford, the Colonel, is a cattle baron, who has survived the civil war with a reputation of being gruff, intimidating, and heavy handed. Absolution, failing at gold mining, is relying solely on the cattle trade for survival. He is the father of an ungrateful son Percy, and father-figure of a likeable, Nat played by Adam Beach (Windtalkers).

As the action in town comes to a head, the typical western confrontation is interrupted buy the appearance of strange lights which quickly become ships destroying the town and lassoing away the townsfolk. Olivia Wilde plays Ella, a survivor of another people wiped out by the aliens.

All differences are set aside as the rag-tag group of townsfolk set out to rescue the taken revealing glimpses of Jake’s not so honorable past. It becomes revealed that these aliens must be stopped, or they will return and wipe out all civilization on earth.

This comic book adaptation was rich in scenic western backdrop. It was easy to get into the “old west” feel. Jake is quickly established as a likeable hero with a soiled past. Surprisingly, Harrison Ford’s character takes some warming to, instead of his normally heroic parts. Eventually Ella becomes a mysterious figure and possible love interest for Jake who slowly gains flashes into his past. The technology of the aliens is far superior to the cowboy which gives the movie an unrealistic vibe. If not for the weapon Jake has attached to his wrist the movie would quickly have been over as the townsfolk were one by one taken away.

The movie is confusing at times when the “big battle” ensues. It appears that the humans have the aliens outnumbered, whereas the aliens have armored skin and are “sporadically” armed with fantastic weapons. If you were being attacked, wouldn’t you have armed EVERYONE in the fort with a weapon and, as later revealed to be the contrary, sent all of your warriors out to defend your ship? The movie would like you to believe that the aliens simply view the humans as “insects” but after the aliens lose two ships, I would imagine they would take their enemy more serious.   

The action is exciting and the effects are very well done, but the storyline is a bit unreal. Since I haven’t read the comic, I don’t know how much story they squeezed into the 118 minute movie, but some of the pieces fall to quickly into play for me. There were a lot of parts in the movie that left me with unanswered questions. The movie is worth the time to watch the battle of the icons, and the ending is believable, just a bit fantastical. Why is it that aliens are always stronger, scarier, tougher, and kicking our ass at the beginning, then we somehow overcome it? I want a movie where they land, find out they really underestimated humans, we recreate an armada using their own technology, go back to their planet and invade them for once!