At the world premiere to Jon Favreau's latest, Cowboys & Aliens, he introduced the film with a tale of his youth. He described his Christmas morning's where he would never be surprised by the gifts his parents would give him, as he'd asked for them all himself. And yet one year, his grandfather gave Favreau a little brown box. This mysterious little box peaked the director's interest so much that he'd spend nights wondering what it was. And when he finally got to open the present, he was dumb-founded, as his grandfather had found something so cool he didn't even realize he wanted it. But it turned out to be the best present. And so Favreau explained that this metaphor stood for his latest sci-fi epic; it's the present you didn't even know you wanted.
As a fan of big spectacle summer blockbusters, naturally, I was really warming up to Cowboys & Aliens. It has a smashing cast (comprised of up-and-comers along with Hollywood royalty) and it's directed by a very capable filmmaker. I had little to no knowledge of the graphic novel it was based on, so as far as plot goes, I was completely in the dark. For those of you that are still unsure of what this is about (as if the title doesn't give you a general idea), Cowboys & Aliens is set in the Wild West and centers on a mysterious stranger, played by Daniel Craig, who wakes in the desert to find bizarre alien weaponry attached to his arm. As he arrives at the nearest town, populated by Olivia Wilde, Paul Dano and Harrison Ford, among others, this mysterious stranger realizes he's wanted for a crime he can't remember, and the terrifying creatures that gave him his new weaponry are coming back for him.
Cowboys & Aliens is played fast and loose. The film literally wastes no time in getting stuck into the action and it's not long before we meet the titular aliens. This is the film's strongest asset. The action is incredible. With a combination of good direction, great stunts and good effects work, the big set pieces work perfectly. Especially the climactic battle. Daniel Craig makes for a very convincing badass cowboy, so his hard edged attitude gives the action an extra little boost. I won't spoil the look of the human's opponents, but I really like the design. They're slimey, nasty and creepy.
The performances range from great (Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig) to extremely mediocre (Olivia Wilde). There are a handful of scenes where you'll be glued to the screen by Ford's presence and line delivery. He's actually so good here that it almost accentuates the blandness of Wilde's performance. When the two share the screen you'll be left wondering how she even got the role. It's not that she's particularly awful...she just seems so...vacant. As if she's just not interested. Or she's Xanax'd herself up nice and good.
I apologize for the all too brief review, but as I'm still Stateside, my time online is limited while I'm moving around. If I get a chance, I'll add to the review tomorrow and dig a little deeper. But for now; Cowboys & Aliens is a good summer movie. It may not be the best this summer or this year, but it's certainly an entertaining epic worth catching next weekend.
As a fan of big spectacle summer blockbusters, naturally, I was really warming up to Cowboys & Aliens. It has a smashing cast (comprised of up-and-comers along with Hollywood royalty) and it's directed by a very capable filmmaker. I had little to no knowledge of the graphic novel it was based on, so as far as plot goes, I was completely in the dark. For those of you that are still unsure of what this is about (as if the title doesn't give you a general idea), Cowboys & Aliens is set in the Wild West and centers on a mysterious stranger, played by Daniel Craig, who wakes in the desert to find bizarre alien weaponry attached to his arm. As he arrives at the nearest town, populated by Olivia Wilde, Paul Dano and Harrison Ford, among others, this mysterious stranger realizes he's wanted for a crime he can't remember, and the terrifying creatures that gave him his new weaponry are coming back for him.
Cowboys & Aliens is played fast and loose. The film literally wastes no time in getting stuck into the action and it's not long before we meet the titular aliens. This is the film's strongest asset. The action is incredible. With a combination of good direction, great stunts and good effects work, the big set pieces work perfectly. Especially the climactic battle. Daniel Craig makes for a very convincing badass cowboy, so his hard edged attitude gives the action an extra little boost. I won't spoil the look of the human's opponents, but I really like the design. They're slimey, nasty and creepy.
The performances range from great (Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig) to extremely mediocre (Olivia Wilde). There are a handful of scenes where you'll be glued to the screen by Ford's presence and line delivery. He's actually so good here that it almost accentuates the blandness of Wilde's performance. When the two share the screen you'll be left wondering how she even got the role. It's not that she's particularly awful...she just seems so...vacant. As if she's just not interested. Or she's Xanax'd herself up nice and good.
I apologize for the all too brief review, but as I'm still Stateside, my time online is limited while I'm moving around. If I get a chance, I'll add to the review tomorrow and dig a little deeper. But for now; Cowboys & Aliens is a good summer movie. It may not be the best this summer or this year, but it's certainly an entertaining epic worth catching next weekend.