Movie Review: Cowboys & Aliens

August 2, 2011
SM Centerpoint, Sta. Mesa

MTRCB Rating: PG-13
Genre: Science fiction/Western

Starring:
Daniel Craig
Harrison Ford
Olivia Wilde

Jake, an outlaw woke up in the middle of a desert with a strange metal band shackled into his wrist. He couldn't take it off and he couldn't remember anything. He went to a nearby town. There, strange aircrafts suddenly attacked the town and abducted many of its townsfolk. Accidentaly, he shot one of the aircrafts with the metal band wrapped around his wrist. Together with Col. Dolarhyde, a rancher and his men, Ella, and some townnsfolk, they formed a posse to track down the base of the monsters that attacked the town. While Jake was visiting his abandoned cabin, he remembered his wife was abducted by an aircraft together with the gold he had looted. They met Jake's former gang and fought them. Aliens began attacking the two fighting groups until Ella was killed. A group of Indians captured them thinking they were responsible for the alien attacks. Ella's body was dumped into the fire but resurrected. It was revealed she was an alien survivor from a distant planet when the invaders destroyed her home planet. She was here on Earth to help mankind resist the invaders. During a trance, he remembered he was also abducted with his wife, brought to the alien base, saw his wife killed in a experiment and how he escaped and how he accidentaly got the metal band in his wrist. With the alien base known, they planned to attack it with the help of the Indians and his former gang who opted to help them. Ella and Jake infiltrated the base with Col. Dolarhyde and the rest of the group tried to fight the overly superior aliens. Jake and Ella freed the kidnapped people. Jake was captured but rescued by Dolarhyde. The rest of the aliens tried to escape and launched their mother ship but Ella sacrifices herself and the ship blew off in midair.

Positive: The fusion of science fiction and old western American elements were great. A fresh new concept with aliens and cowboys. Who would think they could be perfect enemies? And who would think that futuristic CGI effects could be used in film set in the early 1900's? The best part is the last 30 minutes of the film. It was the battle the alien's supremacy, agility, and speed versus the human's will to survive.

Negative: The story became draggy. It got me bored at times. Too many talks not enough action. I'm glad it's only in 2D.

Overall: It's a so-so movie. Not too great compared to other sci-fi movies but great actors fill in its shortcomings.

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