Cowboys and Aliens: This film is a mash-up of the country and sci-fi genres, which is always a bit of a tough sell. Our story opens with an amnesiac (Daniel Craig) awakening in the desert, with no memory of who he is or how he got there, with a sophisticated metal manacle on his wrist. He makes his way to a small cow-town, where he runs afoul of the law (who believe him to be a wanted criminal, Jake Lonergan) and the town’s overbearing benefactor, cattle baron Colonel Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford) and his equally overbearing son, Percy (Paul Dano). But before they can move against him, aliens attack the town, kidnapping various members of the townsfolk. Lonergan has flashbacks that tie his own predicament into that of the townspeople, so he leads a posse to retrieve their kin, running afoul of outlaws, Indians, and aliens along the way. The supporting cast here, including Sam Rockwell, Clancy Brown, and Olivia Wilde, is solid. Even Adam Beach, who I usually can’t stand, has a good moment or two. The film also has a sense of humor and doesn’t take itself too seriously (which is good, because the explanations for what the aliens are after is nothing to write home about). The special effects are good, the plot is fairly simplistic without many original ideas, and the acting is good without being remarkable. Not the best film of the summer, but still worth watching. Good, without being great. Woodchuck sez, “Check it out.”
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