by Jenny Jones

You can’t do better then the best and this movie has them all; director, Jon Favreau, executive producers Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer, and an all-star cast including Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Paul Dano, Olivia Wilde and Clancy Brown. Need I say more?

Seriously though, this movie could have been disastrous. An old-fashioned western meets alien invaders from outer space had “huge flop” written all over it. Not to mention that Harrison Ford’s last few movies have been real bombs. Luckily for us, Jon Favreau masterfully directs a brilliant cast of actors and combines them with both stunning visual and amazing audio effects that make you completely forget you are watching a cheesy film about cowboys and aliens. In fact, this movie delivered in every aspect of the film. Not only were the sound and visual effects outstanding but so were the acting, directing, set stages, props, make-up and costumes, as well as my favourite, the constant fight/attack scenes littered with delightful one-liners. Everything came together in this movie to make it a perfectly flawless end-to-end action-packed joyride. Pure magic! I couldn’t wipe the smirk off of my face throughout the entire movie. The trick to enjoying “Cowboys and Aliens” in my opinion is to not think about the plot or the corniness of the dialogue. In fact, try not to think about the movie at all. Just sit back, grab a beverage and just have fun with this one. Truth be told, the far-fetched storyline and cheesy one-liners are an intricate part of this movie’s amazing charm. I loved it!

Harrison Ford nailed his character in this one. He was perfect. He IS Colonel Woodrow Dolarhyde. From slap stick humour to heart-felt tender moments, he really captured my full attention in this film. He made me smile, made me scoff, made me laugh out loud and almost had me in tears…almost. Equally captivating was co-star Daniel Craig who always shines as everyone’s favourite action adventure hero. He is definitely the James Bond of the Old West in my books (and he’s not too hard on the eyes either).

In the late 1800s a wanted gunslinger, Jake Lonergan (Craig) awakens somewhere in an Arizona desert to find himself alone, injured and suffering from amnesia. The only clue to his past and identity is the mysterious metal bracelet locked around his wrist. The confused cowboy finds himself in the sleepy old town of Absolution, where the townsfolk are being held hostage by a rich cow farmer, Colonel Woodrow Dolarhyde (Ford) and his arrogant pip-squeak son, Percy (Dano). Initially introduced as adversaries, Lonergan and Dolarhyde must put aside their petty arguments and unite with a band of Apache warriors, women and children to battle alien invaders that are attacking the town and abducting the townsfolk right off of the streets in front of their eyes. A posse is formed and a search party sets out to track down an enemy like none any of them have ever faced before. On their quest, Lonergan’s memories slowly begin to return. As they do everyone suddenly realizes that Lonergan and his mysterious metal bracelet may be their only chance at survival. When they finally track down their prey they must work together to hatch a plan of attack to rescue all of their loved ones and ultimately destroy the alien invaders once and for all. The ultimate battle of cowboys versus aliens ensues, but who will emerge victorious? Watch and find out!

8.5/10

Watch the Trailer