Susan Granger’s review of “Cowboys and Aliens” (Universal Pictures)
Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford join forces in this preposterously serious $180-million, sci-fi Western action-adventure, set in 1875 in the territory of New Mexico and based on Platinum Studios Comics chief Scott Mitchell Rosenberg’s 2006 graphic novel about the Old West besieged by a menacing terror from outer space.
When a mysterious desperado, Jake Lonergan (Craig), rides into the desolate, mining town of Absolution, he has no memory of his past. The only hint to his history is a metallic band that encircles his forearm. The people of Absolution are wary of strangers, and nobody does anything unless it’s approved by tyrannical Civil War cavalry Colonel Woodrow Dolarhyde (Ford). But after they’re attacked by a scary enemy from the sky, the lone gunslinger turns into their savior.
Looking to Lonergan’s knowledge of extra-terrestrial technology for their salvation are intrepid yet enigmatic Ella Swenson (Olivia Wilde), saloonkeeper Doc (Sam Rockwell) with his Latina wife Maria (Ana de la Reguera) and the rest of the archetypal residents, including a gang of stagecoach robbers and Chiricahua Apache warriors. United against a unique threat, they’re enmeshed in an epic struggle for survival.
Deftly patched together by a quintet of screenwriters (Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof, Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby) from a screen story by Fergus & Ostby and Steve Oedekerk, it’s solemn and serious – without a hint of irreverent satire. Directed by Jon Favreau (“Iron Man”), it’s also propelled by powerhouse executive producers Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, among others.
Originally, Robert Downey Jr. was considered for the role of Lonergan but British actor Daniel Craig’s ruthless demeanor and fighting ability, honed during his stint as James Bond, gave him the edge. While Favreau credits Spielberg for the image of a gunfighter walking into a saloon with an alien blaster on his wrist, Harrison Ford contributes emotional gravitas. And, remember, Mayan culture is rife with allusions to ancient alien visitation.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Cowboys and Aliens” is an authentic, entertaining 8, pushing the envelope of frontier folklore.
