Cowboys & Aliens review from The Devil’s Advocates Movie Reviews.

Take one part James Bond, one part Indiana Jones and mix in some cowboys and throw in some aliens with a side of Olivia Wilde sex appeal and you get the latest Jon Favreau directed movie.

The movie is based on a little known graphic novel by Platinum Studios from 2006. I actually remember back then on Free Comic Book Day all the comic shops were trying to unload the graphic novel big time. Every shop my friends and I hit were pushing it into everyone’s hands. I’ll admit it was one of those books I took but never read. I’m pretty sure I gave it away. Enough of that, onto the movie itself.

When it comes to plot I really don’t think I need to really elaborate much further than saying there are cowboys being attacked by aliens. I mean really, is there any further information needed?! Other than finding out the aliens covet gold like most people back in the old west and that they experimented on humans to test weaknesses there really is no other rhyme or reasoning for their actions.

Let’s face it, we all know the 3 major draws here come in form of Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, and Olivia Wilde. Craig didn’t wow me but didn’t disappoint either. His character Jake Lonergan comes off as a no non-sense bad a$$ strutting in town without any memory but oozing confidence and fearing no one. Wait!? Minus the memory bit, I think I just described Bond, James Bond. So call it a role he is comfortable in and can do well. As for Ford, he still has it as far as acting. Sure due to age he can’t do what he used to, but he is active and mobile for his age. Same was said 14 years ago when Air Force One came out as far as action and he nailed that. He didn’t have to be action lead here, that is what Craig is in this for, so to be a supporting role Ford did well. Now for the stunning Wilde, she was a disappointment here in my eyes. Granted for the time period females are not showing off their figures, unless they were prostitutes which she did not portray, but it was her acting more than her looks that lacked here. She came across very cookie-cutter female type with a hidden past. Nothing about her role stood out here. Sam Rockwell as a smaller side character appealed to me much more and wanted me to see his character in a larger role. Paul Dano’s character was brief and under-used as well. Since I seen him in one of my favorite films, Little Miss Sunshine, I’ve enjoyed his acting ability.

When it came to directing I felt Farveau really didn’t do much more than what he had to for this movie and felt it was a slight let-down after knowing his ability to help bring comic book characters to film like Iron Man. Overall this film was a so-so effort that used its star-studded cast to try to draw people in and ultimately comes up short in my book.

2 1/2 Pitchforks out of 5

 

Originally posted at The Devil’s Advocates Movie Reviews and written by Joe Wilhelm. www.damrb.wordpress.com

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