Chris DeLine

Armed with a Megaman blaster and his rugged good looks, Cowboys & Aliens finds Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig) leading a strike against an encroaching team of aliens that have settled on Earth to strip mine for gold (for some reason or another). Aside from this undeniably superior alien race being taken down by far lesser manpower and artillery, which is kind of like the adorable Ewoks bringing down the Empire with sling shots and determination, there isn’t much here in terms of story. When considering all the plot devices – from Colonel Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford) and his son being pompous dicks to everyone in sight to Ella Swenson’s (Olivia Wilde) mysterious history – there isn’t much in the development of the story that’s particularly engrossing. That said, we need more Olivia Wilde in this world, be it on movies, TV shows or pay per view specials: that woman is breathtaking. Unfortunately however, considering that pre-production of the movie dates back over a decade, the delivery of the movie is not. Director Jon Favreau’s Iron Man thumbprint is all over the film without adding anything flavorful, Ford’s supporting role doesn’t utilize his gritty charm, and when combining these aspects with Craig’s lack of personality, Cowboys & Aliens throws a lot at the audience without actually giving us much of anything.

[This post was first published by Culture Bully.]