It is Daniel Craig once again covered in dirt and sweat working hard to do the impossible. The story of “Cowboys & Aliens” is set in 1873, the cowboy era. I was a bit concerned when I saw that Harrison Ford is part of the casting. In “Morning Glory“, he looks pretty old. OK. In this movie, Harrison Ford looks better than I thought. Perhaps, in the world of cowboys, the older the better (think Clint Eastwood). I do not think Olivia Wilde is as hot as Cynthia thinks she is. I think it is part of Cynthia’s plot to get me into watching “Cowboys & Aliens”. In fact, our buddy TK wanted to watch this show. Cynthia wanted to watch Conan. And I wanted to watch Womb. As always, those two ganged up against me. Therefore, I do not really have any expectation on this movie.
I like the initial part of the story. Daniel Craig wakes up in the middle of the Wild Wild West with a nasty wound on his body and a strange looking bracer on his wrist. He does not remember who he is or where he comes from. There is this cloud of mystery. Some romance. There is Christianity. And there are men who want to be a better man.
Then comes the attack of the aliens in flying machines, which is still well and good. Aliens are abducting the humans. But why? There is still this cloud of mystery. I was skeptical as in, how can the humans fight against the aliens that obviously possess a much better technology. The linkage to our history of colonization is subtle. Nevertheless, the theme is there.
When the aliens show their forms, that was quite a let down to me. They are hideous and cold. Physically superior but mentally weak. The shooting scene that dominates the later part of the movie reminds me of the video game “Mass Effect“. Except, “Mass Effect” does a much better job in telling a story that involves alien species.
“Cowboys & Aliens” is not bad. It is not great either. It is a decent entertainment for a lazy weekend.
