"Cowboys & Aliens" is Good a Dish That is Half-Baked

Almost all movie lovers have watched great wild-west movies and cherished them. Tall men with leather boots facing off in the heat, hands on their holsters- the sand, sweat, tension in the air and eagles calling in the back- cowboy movies like “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly”, “A Fistful of Dollars” and several others have created a genre of movies that is undoubtedly one of the greatest in the history of cinema. On the other hand, no one can deny that alien-attack on human cities and mankind’s battle against it is one fantasy science fiction that most of us love to watch at the edge of our seats-be it “War of the Worlds” or “Independence Day”. Director Jon Favreau of “Iron Man” fame, in his latest release “Cowboys and Aliens” tries to bring together these two genres of cinema together and create and interesting piece- something that we have never watched before.

It is true that “Cowboys and Aliens” will go down as a landmark in experimental cinema, for an idea, even the sound of which is bound to create ripples of excitement. But as interesting and unique as the idea sounds, such a movie deserves a creative marvel from its makers to bring the true magic of both genres to screen. Unfortunately, “Cowboys and Aliens” is able to do that only partially. I would not say that it is not a good movie; it is highly entertaining to say the least. The mere presentation of hi-tech alien ships and beings in the middle of a desert (rather than a city), battling against rough and tough cowboys on their horses (rather than the US army) who have no idea of what they are against- is exciting and fun to watch. Added to that, two great superstars like Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford in roles like you have never seem them before, that’s a cherry on the top. However, what doesn’t work very well is that as soon as the movie gets into conversations and face-offs, something that cowboy movies are best known for, a yawn is just minutes away. The tension, the sweat, and the eagles- all seem to be missing there. Having said that, as far-spaced they are, the fights are highly entertaining and refreshingly simplistic. In the end, what you get is a movie that is fun, but only in parts. The high-point of the movie is its latter half, when the cowboys get together to take the alien mother-ship down, and this part offers breath-taking scenes and sequences. The low-point would be its initial half, which tries to deliver emotions and conversations that are hard to enjoy or be very interested in. Although the movie begins on a high-note and it does feel like the right cowboy movie in its initial ten minutes, the director fails to hold that correctness further on. Overall, while the alien part works, the cowboy part not so much.

Daniel Craig offers a fine flat-faced tough guy performance that appears borrowed from the bond franchise, only without the tuxedo and the cars. What is disappointing is the casting of Harrison Ford in a role that does little justice to his larger-than-life persona, and makes one question about the significance of his role overall. We would have loved to see him face-off Daniel Craig in a show of strength, but that never happens due to the inherent lack of power and importance given to Ford’s role. Nonetheless, what makes up for it is the impressive cinematography that captures wide deserts, mountains, and alien ships together in one frame, highlighting the beauty of each. The script, as you must have guessed, is foolish, but that is obviously essential to be able to put aliens and cowboys together in a movie, and frankly, the movie works alright without it. Another missing piece is an intense background score, something that wild-west movies are famous for, and had it been for a nice soundtrack, the cowboy conversations just might have been more interesting.

Overall, “Cowboys and Aliens” is an interesting watch, although not as great as it had the potential to be. Nevertheless, it is unique, and a fun, mad fair of cowboys, aliens, spaceships and Red Indians- all in one place.