Cowboys & Aliens
2011
***
Director: Jon Favreau
Cast: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Adam Beach, Paul Dano, Noah Ringer, Keith Carradine, Walton Goggins
An amnesiac cowboy wakes up in the desert with a mysterious metal gadget around his wrist. What is it and how did it get there? He is about to find out in the nearby town of Absolution, which is attacked by demons in their flying machines. This entertaining genre crossover takes a typical alien abduction premise and sets it in the 19th century West. The resulting science fiction comedy is incredibly silly and formulaic but surprisingly likeable. In its more inspired moments, the movie feels like a Western version of Men in Black. At its worst, it's a special effect muddle like Wild Wild West. The story is loosely based on Scott Mitchell Rosenberg's graphic novel.
