Cowboys & Aliens

As hooves pound across a dusty plain and the sun blazes across a bleached valley, a Hollywood posse of notable actors ascend into frame with pearly whites and the kind of social mannerisms that suggest they are itchy for their chopper to get them out of there. Going against the herd in this bright lights, big money production is a decent Daniel Craig as an amnesiac stranger complete with steely jaw, cast iron stare and alien shackle to match. Ah yes, the aliens.

Based on a comic book very few people actually read, Cowboys & Aliens, following a turbulent production, is one oddball summer misfit that has been overcooked and under thought. As simple townsfolk rise up against the extraterrestrials that have hoisted their loved ones and family members skyward, the narrative slips and slides like a shoeless horse in the mud and all character interactions are thrown asunder.

Though it's fun to see Harrison Ford put his grumpy old cowboy persona to good use, the rest of the film is over populated with too many characters, too much exposition and a whole host of wasted talent. Though there is some good, the mostly bad narrative makes for a rather ugly B-movie that's not half as much fun as it should be. [Thom Atkinson]