(2012-04-30 22:40:20)

Great effects

This review is from: Cowboys & Aliens (Blu-ray+DVD+Digital Copy in Blu-ray Packaging) (Blu-ray) Great story line Very good video effects you will enjoy this movie with a twist on the normal cowboy story

Jackpollins

(2012-04-30 04:41:31)

Han Solo meets James Bond

Cowboys & Aliens is a very hard movie to critique, but here's myattempt at trying to do so. Let me start off with the plot-a namelessman (Daniel Craig)wakes up in a western town with an irremovablebracelet on his wrist. Then, after meeting Percy (Paul Dano), townsheriff Woodrow Dolarhyde(Harrison Ford)'s incredibly obnoxious son,the whole town discovers there's..drum roll..aliens. Now, what did Ithink about the film, you may ask? Well, with such an original premiseand such a ridiculous, but cool hybrid, this should have been so muchmore. Director Jon Favreau has always had an eye for even the mostsubtle visuals, even in films that don't need good visuals (Made, Elf,ETC). That being said, while Favreau continues his streak of visuallystunning films with Cowboys & Aliens, nothing happens, and by that, Imean NOTHING. That being said, while nothing happens, I had a fun timewith this film. This is one of those rare occasions in my years andyears of movie going that I had a fun time in a movie where nothinghappens. Ford & Craig are great, not only as their own characters, butthey also play well off each other, and the supporting cast includingOlivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, and Dano are great as well. Overall,Cowboys & Aliens will make you happy you saw it, but it won't leave youwith much to think about, or hell, even remember.

obsessedmovies

(2012-04-29 23:20:31)

Absolutely awesome!

I was lucky enough to attend the world premiere last week in San Diego,and I had such a great time. I saw it with the entire cast and crew ofthe movie, and had a great audience that made the experience even moreworth-while. It was an absolute blast. The movie itself was excellent.It had a great cast consisting of Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, OliviaWilde, Sam Rockwell, Clancy Brown and Paul Dano. Everyone did afantastic job. The action scenes were great as were the special effectsand the cinematography. The aliens were really cool looking, and thechemistry between all the characters was great. I also thought theplot/story was fine, and very interesting. Although, the story was mybiggest problem with the movie. I was really expecting some very neattwists from Daniel Craig's character, or some more backstory on thealiens, but sadly there was nothing big from either of those. Therewere also some clichГѓВ©s that people would've noticed right away that Ihonestly didn't mind at all. And finally, the directing, as always, wasfantastic from Jon Favreau. Overall, I thought this movie was a greatsummer blockbuster, and I definitely recommend it. I'd say go with agroup of friends. It will definitely make the experience better.8.5/10

(2012-04-29 08:53:20)

Very good, but left me feeling a little dissatisfied

As good as it is - and it is very, very good - "Cowboys and Aliens" left me wishing I'd been given deeper understanding of the characters and more background of the town, the Apache, and the aliens. In some ways, a good sign that I was left hungry for this because it indicates how much I was made to care and wonder about the people and their world by what was revealed, but it left a nagging dissatisfaction. I wonder if the comic book has more of what I hunger for.

(2012-04-28 20:51:20)

Don't just rent it, own it!

This review is from: Cowboys & Aliens (Amazon Instant Video) Great action/adventure altogether in one, this movie has lots of action and great special effects and a great cast, once it get started you will be drawn into it, for sure i recommend this movie., But don't just rent it, own it!

MBloodT

(2012-04-28 03:14:57)

Title Says It All

It's easy to figure out what Cowboys & Aliens is going to be. I'm notfamiliar with the comic book that it's based on but the film isdefinitely what the title has promised us. There are cowboys, thenthere are aliens. If you are fond to Western movies then you'll beentertained but if you are expecting too much aliens then you might getdisappointed. You won't be seeing anything mind blowing in this film.If you want to see Sci-Fi action plus Western Violence then this filmis just for you.Cowboys & Aliens is nothing but to entertain you. The only thing thatis unique here is the Western & Sci-Fi collaboration. The film is justyour typical Western movie but instead of Indians or some sadisticbandit, the aliens are the antagonist of the film. The aliens arepretty intriguing but we don't see them that much until the third act.It's disappointing if you are expecting too much aliens. The onlythings we see them do are ride their ships, stab people, shoot withtheir weapons, & jump scare the audiences. It's also your typical alieninvasion film.At least the action is full of explosions. Jon Favreau sure knows howto make the action scenes exciting no matter how flawed they are. Theperformances saved most of the film. Daniel Craig's character isactually bland in the script so does Olivia Wilde's, but Craig'sperformance gives a little more character to the role. I don't knowwhat to say about Olivia Wilde's, she is just hot. Harrison Ford & SamRockwell do what they do best. Paul Dano can be both fun to watch andannoying at the same time.It's easy to recognize that the CGI effects were made by IndustrialLight & Magic, since the CGI aliens looks just like any monster fromJ.J. Abram's films. No doubt, it's good. The score is true to itswestern themes. The production design is pretty decent enough for awestern film.In the end, Cowboys & Aliens is just another blockbuster released toour cinemas. I don't know if this film is going to be remembered yearsfrom now but I think the only purpose of this film is to show itsgritty western violence and some sci-fi action. If you're expectingmore than the title then you will be disappointed. If you are expectingmore aliens than the cowboys then you'll be disappointed. Cowboys arethe focus and the aliens end up being the jump scare of the movie. It'snot bad nor good though. If you are careless about the story and thecharacter development, & you're just seeking for some sheer action andhuge explosions then I can recommended this. But not quite.

jtmytake3

(2012-04-28 03:05:16)

The classic western genre is re-imagined in this tale of inter galactic marauders who attack a small mid west town.

The prospect of Cowboys fighting marauders from beyond the stars ismost definitely an intriguing one and with an excellent cast the movietells the tale of a small Arizona town and its inhabitants who areattacked by alien beings from another planet. All that stands in theirway are a posse of cowboys and Native Americans led by an amnesiacwanted man Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig) and civil war veteran ColonelWoodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford). But seriously out-manned andout-gunned by technology far beyond the 1873 period can this band ofinfighting misfits really overcome the insurmountable odds laid beforethem? This movie promised much and despite the jokes about the titlerelating to U.S. foreign policy on immigration the movie wasentertaining. There are plenty of references to the western genre theslightly bigoted army veteran Colonel Dolarhyde is vaguely reminiscentof John Wayne's Ethan Edwards from the Searchers. Jake Lonergan theanti hero with an ugly violent past is definitely a nod to movies likeThe Outlaw Josey Wales or Pale Rider. They even have a Doc turned barowner played by Sam Rockwell. The action and special effects areimpressive enough with the aliens akin to primates crossbred with thealiens from Independence Day.This is yet another comic book adaptation and break from the norm foreveryone involved including the director who has left the rewardingplaudits from the Iron Man franchise to direct this science fictionhybrid. There is plenty to like about this movie and althoughentertaining there is something missing, perhaps it's the casting ofColonel Dolarhyde Harrison Ford who never really quite conveys theslightly brutish bigot with a strong dislike for authority other thanhis own and a with a penchant for corruption. Or maybe it's theportrayal of Jake Lonergan who just doesn't ever strike me as grittyand grubby enough to be a man of disrepute and out for his own ends. Iget the impression that Jon Favreau is a western fan and has crammedthe movie full of cultural references to this classic genre and thenthrown in some aliens which momentarily replace the usual suspects thenative Americans. The movie isn't going to rewrite history I supposebut it would have been nice to have gotten a perspective from theNative Americans but that is no doubt a whimsical fantasy of my own.This movie struggled against the Smurfs in the U.S. which doesn't bodewell and with an already packed blockbuster season this may not fare aswell as some of the other movies we've been treated to over the season.This movie is a welcome distraction with an interesting take on twoover used genres but may have probably benefited from a slightlyearlier release as it will now have to contend with the more superiorRise of the Planet of the Apes. Cowboys and Aliens is in cinemas from17th August and receives a 2 ½ out of 5.

(2012-04-27 14:47:58)

I wanted something more

When I first heard about the premise forCowboys & Aliens, I just had to laugh. It sounded absolutely ridiculous and I had no idea how it was going to work. When I first saw the preview, it still seemed crazy, but giving a piece of alien technology to one of the cowboys seemed like a reasonable step to making this seem plausible....or at least as plausible as this scenario could be.The movie started out very promising and reminded me of what I've loved from Westerns in the past....great, gritty character and plot development with the rebel cowboy standing up for the oppressed citizen, but only so far as he sees fit. Sadly, I felt like some of that strong plot and character development fell by the wayside once the aliens appeared. Instead we were filled with a lot of flash in the pan action sequences which were fun but not as compelling as I would've liked. I really enjoyed both Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford in their roles. I especially loved the "slow" sequences with Harrison Ford as he interacted with some of his hired help or other cowboys searching for the aliens...one of my favorite scenes was when Harrison was talking with the young boy.Overall, this movie didn't set me up to expect too much out of it...and sadly, that's all it delivered. It was fun, but not outstanding.3 out of 5 stars

y-f-a-goddijn

(2012-04-27 13:27:02)

Epic Confusion

First of all i wanna start with telling i did like the movie, but therewhere some things i cant explain.The story starts of with this epic scene with some very nicepunchlines, quotes and a lot of sentimental stuff which i like now andthen. But then the sh¾t hits the fan, and the movie hits the fan to isupposed. The story gets so crazy that they just stopped explainingthings, for instance why is there only one alien with a weapon in themovie. And why is this alien to dumb to put i on such a stupid place.Another thing is that if Ella Swenson(Olivia Wilde) would be fromanother planet why would she have human emotions, or even be sexualattracted to a human. Just like the dog, everyone in the movie knowshis name. Daniel Craig, your still bad ass your facial expressions evengive me the chills.I can really recommend this movie to people who are using dope. Thanksfor listening,

lostjak

(2012-04-26 21:10:20)

Good entertainment

I'm not sure what exactly I was expecting but it didn't quite reach themark. I enjoyed it but didn't LOVE it. Towards the end in the action itbegan to remind me of The Goonies. The fact that there were cowboys,Indians, bandits & aliens was a plus! The acting was good, the castingwas excellent, the script was OK. Not really believable as there wererecords kept at that time. Unlike Stargate or something where it leftyou with a thought process afterward. I wasn't really that keen on thecinematrogragy either. Just purely for entertainment. Certainly goodfor a escaping on a hot afternoon. I probably would not want to see itagain though. For me that is enough to knock it out of the excellentrange.

Rob Taylor

(2012-04-26 11:54:23)

Not what I expected and not in a good way.

I'm not really sure what I expected from this film. Maybe Unforgivenmeets Aliens, perhaps? But the reality is more like Maverick meetsIndependence Day, with none of the charm of either.Cowboys and Aliens is not a bad film, but it is a little more popcornyand action-oriented than I was expecting and less grim and dark than Ihoped.I don't really have a problem with it not being what I expected.Sometimes the best movies are ones I completely had the wrong ideaabout going into them. But here, the popcorn movie-fest that Cowboysturns into sits uncomfortably with its darker, Western beginning.As always, I take exception to the illogicality of certain scenes,included for no other reason than they are mandated by some Hollywoodscript-writers bible.As a result, we get many clichГѓВ©d characters and stereotypical scenes.It actually becomes funny when you watch a movie and can identifyfuture scenes almost the moment the foreshadowing is done.So you get the boy who is given a knife and told a story about how itmade the giver a man etc. Gee! I wonder if the boy will use the knifeat some point in the film in a similar rite of passage scene? Or, the hero flashes back to the death of his loved one, and escapes,maiming the alien that did it in a particularly obvious way.Hmmm..wonder if we'll see that alien again so that there can be apersonal reckoning between the two? Yep! And the above examples are what makes this movie rather tiresomelypredictable. As a result, the movie it could have been is lost infavour of appeasing the great god Formulaic! In a movie with cowboys and aliens, it's hard for me to nitpick much.But there is one scene, right at the end that made me go Huh? The alienmother ship, replete with smaller vessels that appear to use some formof advanced engine technology such as gravitics, and who use the samegravity-defying technology to mine for gold (don't ask), is itselfpowered by a massive chemical fuel rocket? Wait...what? The finalscene, which involves the alien ship attempting to take off and escape,then being blown to pieces, was uncomfortably similar to certain actualfootage of things like the Challenger disaster. I'm not saying it wasright or wrong, just that they might have wanted to rethink that one alittle.At that point, I half expected the cowboys, townsfolk, bandits andindians (yes, they left no Western clichГѓВ© stone unturned) to end up ina celebration a la Return of the Jedi, so cheesy had it all become.They really tried to cram too much into this one (even a small bout ofIndian mysticism at two points) and it comes across as too busy, tryingtoo hard to be good.As I say, it's not bad. But it could have been a lot better.

(2012-04-26 09:05:18)

High Concept, Low Yield

I'm a big sci-fi fan, but I found this poorly written and directed blockbuster to be pretty disappointing.Daniel Craig proves once again that you need more than a buff bod to be a leading man. He has zero charisma here, and like many second-rate British actors, he can't pull off even a broad regional American accent (like Western) to save his life. Apparently the giant budget here didn't include a dialog coach -- or Craig just has a tin ear.Fortunately the man can fight better than he can act, and the early scenes, where his gunfighter with amnesia tangles with some bad guys, pack some genuine punch.Then come the aliens lassoing townsfolk -- it seems that the aliens hadn't discovered levitation rays back in the nineteenth century -- and the film gets relentlessly more silly and incredible.About the only actor who rises above the nonsense here is the luminous Olivia Wilde, as a friendly (and extremely comely)alien. I hope to see her again in movies much better than this one.The DVD includes a number of extras, including making-of featurettes and director's commentary, if you have any curiosity about the production after watching this plodding "floater oater."The long and short of it is, you need more than a high concept to delight an audience, even a contemporary one with lowered expectations.

(2012-04-22 19:06:54)

Cowboys and Aliens

This review is from: Cowboys & Aliens (Blu-ray+DVD+Digital Copy in Blu-ray Packaging) (Blu-ray) Save your money. The film is a waste of time on just about every level. After all the hype and built-up expectations, I was sadly disappointed.

pranav_010

(2012-04-22 14:11:03)

Cowboys & Aliens is a 2011 American science fiction Western/action/ET film. Directed by: John Favreau. Starring: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford

There's not a single piece of line that you carry back home, an insultto the genre which is credited with some of the greatest quotes inmovie history. From the start to end, I wondered, when would the REAL action start! NoAction, No Humor, No story. With stars like Daniel Craig and HarrisonFord, it was a real disappointment.Aliens abducting "Humans" in like1800s with space crafts and digging gold which is also precious forthem. I have to admit however, Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig gavetheir best and were in full action, but its just the story that goes nowhere.Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig) wakes up with heavy breathing and anunknown metallic bracelet on his left wrist.Introduction to thecharacter was great. When you're doing a western, it's always key toadd the gritty nature. Harrison Fordis introduces as the bad guy. Indeed, a treat for the Fordfans. How often do we get a grumpy Harrison Ford out for blood? Not toooften. Yet, later he becomes a good man and a good father going behindaliens to flea his son.In short, nothing that you'd miss if you don't see the movie.

(2012-04-19 16:33:49)

Pointless Plot

I wanted to see this movie only because Harrison Ford was in it. It was slow, long and boring at times. Overly bloody, body parts flying everywhere, horse's heads getting ripped off.. It was quite gorey. It was a novel concept gone typical, "Aliens killing humans and destroying everything..because they can".I was expecting a better story, more info on the aliens, like who, what, when and where? But it's always good to see Harrison Ford...one of my favs. I think they relied too much on CGI and should have paid for better writers.

(2012-04-19 08:30:33)

As silly as it sounds

A movie with a title and a premise this goofy had better at least deliver some fun, so I will give Cowboys & Aliens a little credit in that department. I had really been looking forward to this crazy sounding genre mashup. Even with the mostly negative reviews, I still had hope. My main issues are with the weak story and just a general lack of amazement from any of the CGI and action sequences. The plot is just your typical western for the first 30 minutes or so (which was the best part), until the aliens show up. Then the cowboys become friends with some indians and they must combine resources to fight the aliens. That about sums it up. If you see a movie called Snakes on a Plane or Cowboys & Aliens, don't expect anything other than that. The visuals are not bad, they just didn't show us anything new or inventive. Well, I guess you could count the sight of a dude on horseback from the 1800's being chased by an alien spacecraft as something new.Daniel Craig is pretty good as the Charles Bronson like character. Mostly silent but deadly in an instant. Harrison Ford is okay as a gruff and tough cowboy, even though he was not always believable. Olivia Wilde is here to look at and Sam Rockwell is wasted, though he does have a couple of good lines.There is not really more to say about a movie this basic. I hope this decline presented in both Iron Man 2 and Cowboys & Aliens does not continue for Jon Favreau.

Adam Eilar

(2012-04-17 07:45:59)

Entertaining with a few shortcomings

Well, the title basically explains it all. There are cowboys and thereare aliens. It was exciting and had a lot of sci-fi mysteriousness,with a more western backbone to the movie. The apparent problem wasthat they didn't seem to mix very well. There was the general westerntheme to the movie, with brief intense pieces of classic sci-fialienery throughout. So if you want to see some good western shootouts,you will, however, with the other futuristic alien weaponry everythingseems too out of place and does take a bit of the western magic away.All in all, you may just want to wait to see it on Netflix. There justseems to be no choreography between the two themes, which makes it...clunky (?) to watch.

(2012-04-16 18:11:36)

A good and fun ride

This review is from: Cowboys & Aliens (Extended Version) (Amazon Instant Video) I'm a big fan of Westerns and of Harrison Ford. It was an enjoyable ride which passed my expectations. A lot of fun!

(2012-04-15 19:47:42)

good fun if you dont think about it too much

The movie is entertaining even though its not believable, but what in hollyweird is? The main character is a manly man, looking all good in his western wear. Not too pretty and fights like a badass. The perfect man really. Anyway, the good guys, the bad guys, the indians, and the good alien all band together in the end to fight the aliens that are kidnapping ppl and stealing all the gold. There are no naked people or sex scenes and I dont think I even heard a curse word. Kinda refreshing. I wont buy it but Ill prolly watch it again sometime. I hope there is a sequel with cowboys and zombies.

(2012-04-15 16:29:20)

Loved It

This film is clearly not everyone's cup of tea. Despite the rating(6'ish is usually sufficient to put me off a film) my youngest, 11, andI went to see this on a wet August Saturday afternoon. We came outsmiling, high fiving, recounting our favourite bits . The film hastwists and scary moments and a good old hero versus villain storyline. The story makes complete sense from beginning to end. Daniel Craigdoing what he does best - being tough. Harrison Ford - well he is HanSolo and Indiana Jones, and Olivia Wilde is gorgeous. The rest of thecast do a fine job as well. The direction is unexpected insofar as youexpect Ironman but its not so slick and modern. It seems to be aged andis better for it. Clever.Having read some of the reviews I wonder if people expect too much fromfilms. 3D, Inception, CGI. All good in their place but they are nosubstitute for a good story, with some good action, some scary momentsand a little bit of love.Having seen Harry Potter and Planet of the Apes recently I would putthis on a par with them, if not better. If I had to choose one of themto buy on DVD it would be Cowboys and Aliens.