Cowboys and Aliens (not really a) Movie Review

[Art Andrews]

olivia wildes character was annoying....i think they could had done without her or did something else to tie it all together.....maybe i would had liked it a lot better....no, i am not anti olivia wilde.....she cant act, but i did enjoy her in tron.....

Really? Tell me what you didn't like about her. Kristen will tell you, I am very hard on women in movies because I feel like they are so often written SO poorly and are either completely helpless/worthless or all the way on the opposite end and overcompensates due to a false sense of inequality (virtually anything Michelle Rodriguez has ever done falls into that category. Stop pretending you have a penis. You don't need one for us to like and accept you.) With that being said, I thought they did a pretty good job with Olivia in this movie. She wasn't helpless but she also didn't overcompensate. I did think the holster rig with the dress came off a little silly but otherwise thought they did a really good job with her. What didn't you like?

BTW, I have NEVER liked any of the planet of the apes movies, but I am really looking forward to this one!

 

[Jedi2016]

I enjoyed it. It was pretty much what I expected it to be from the trailers, and of course the film's own title.

I think part of the problem is that there's always a level of expectation, and some people have trouble enjoying a film for what it is as opposed to what they want it to be. It's the same argument I put forward for the Transformers films.

 

[Kerr Avon]

I enjoyed it. It was pretty much what I expected it to be from the trailers, and of course the film's own title.

I think part of the problem is that there's always a level of expectation, and some people have trouble enjoying a film for what it is as opposed to what they want it to be. It's the same argument I put forward for the Transformers films.

Yet this film never insulted the viewer by teabagging the audience with Devastator balls.

 

[Jedi2016]

Yet this film never insulted the viewer by teabagging the audience with Devastator balls.

Well, yeah. That particular bit is the lowest form of potty humor, since the wrecking balls exist for no other purpose.. none of Devastator's component vehicles is a wrecker.

 

[cayman shen]

I enjoyed it. It was pretty much what I expected it to be from the trailers, and of course the film's own title.

I think part of the problem is that there's always a level of expectation, and some people have trouble enjoying a film for what it is as opposed to what they want it to be. It's the same argument I put forward for the Transformers films.

See, those expectations are created by TRAILERS. The T1 trailer was tonally NOTHING like the film. So if audiences react with disappointment, it's the studio's own fault for betraying our expectations. Not that they care as the deposit their millions...

 

[StevenRogers84]

It was horrible because it was a cartoon. You cannot seriously group this horrendous movie with the likes of Tombstone......maybe if they had made this movie seriously like Tombstone it would have been much better, but as it is now it is horrible. The acting was disgraceful on all fronts Sam Rockwells Doc was and is the only decent acting in the whole film that Olivia character is not needed to progress this film just like Megan Fox in Transformers. Cowboys & Aliens was horrible. It had no redeeming qualities and is clearly marketed to people who don't like to think when watching a film. Basically it is marketed to Transformers fans and........it just has no substance it is fodder. It is worse than Halloween 3. Pointless it had potential, but it certainly didn't utilize it.

 

[PHArchivist]

I just don't get it that so many people are disappointed that this movie didn't have more depth, or that the storyline was fairly simplistic and straightforward. The storyline to Tombstone, True Grit, and a ton of other movies was fairly straightforward and simple as well. In regard to the movie being a mystery... it was NEVER a mystery to the audience! It is called Cowboys & Aliens! You knew what the mystery was from the first trailer! I will agree that I thought the third act was the weakest of the film, but I still really enjoyed the movie overall. This will never be "the greatest movie ever" but when I think of it compared to other summer blockbusters, there are few I liked better. Neither Captain America or Thor held my interest like this movie did.

Oh I enjoyed it - and don't regret seeing it in the theater. And I wasn't expecting an award winner.

My perspective is based on analytical retrospect, and the net result of my views is that for my stated reasons, I won't see it again in the theater, nor be totally jazzed to get it on Blu-Ray (though I likely will). It was good, and entertaining. Just not a landmark film.

I did recently watch True Grit, and it was an excellent film. Straight-forward plot, yes. But a testimony to the craftsmen that made it.

Not to suggest, by way of comparison, that Favreau is in any way a slouch...


In terms of depth of story, not sure what I wanted. But what really makes this concept interesting is the juxtaposition of the idea of aliens in a far less advanced society. At least we today can define (or wrap our brains around) the idea of aliens based on a world where the idea of a flying machine is pedestrian. What would it have been like to see something like this before powered flight (by man)? Unfathomable?

Maybe I missed some dialogue, but I'd like to have seen more exploration of this concept beyond just:
--"Are the demons!?"
"I didn't say they were demons"
--"Are the demons!?"
"I didn't say they were demons?"
--"Are the demons!?"
"Dammit I didn't say they were demons?"

 

[Art Andrews]

Save your money and go to the video store and rent THE BURROWERS instead of watching this craptacular excuse. Seriously The Burrowers is the movie this movie wishes to be.

I seriously hope you are joking. It is fine if you don't care for C&A, but to compare a summer sci-fi movie with a B grade gore and torture film... really? The Burrowers was about as low rent as it gets and aside from the two films being set within a decade of each other, have nothing in common in either concept or purpose with C&A. Saying C&A wishes to be this type of film would be like likening it to Saw or Hostel...

 

[StevenRogers84]

I seriously hope you are joking. It is fine if you don't care for C&A, but to compare a summer sci-fi movie with a B grade gore and torture film... really? The Burrowers was about as low rent as it gets and aside from the two films being set within a decade of each other, have nothing in common in either concept or purpose with C&A. Saying C&A wishes to be this type of film would be like likening it to Saw or Hostel...

The Burrowers is a better film period. They are a lot alike the both have cowboys and indians fighting an alien force. Getting killed and succeeding in the end. I say The Burrowers is better because of the fact it is a much better story with much better acting and is a more serious film......it is not a cartoon.

And I am well aware the monsters came from underground, but that is still alien to a bunch of cowboys.

And how exactly is The Burrowers a horror and torture movie....like saw and hostel? They are 2 totally different types of films....Have you seen The Burrowers?

 

[mez7]

The Burrowers is a better film period. They are a lot alike the both have cowboys and indians fighting an alien force.

Have you seen The Burrowers?

lol:lol thats a joke right??? the burrowers was one of the worst films ive ever watched.

 

[ichabods]

I was going to skip this movie until I read the comments. Now I can't wait to see it.

 

[StevenRogers84]

lol:lol thats a joke right??? the burrowers was one of the worst films ive ever watched.

Each to their own. I am not saying the burrowers deserves an Oscar just that it beats cowboys & aliens down into the dirt. For far less money. I wanted to like cowboys & aliens, but the way it was made and the terrible acting it was just another brainless make a movie just to make a movie film like most movies are anymore. My opinion isn't everyone else's, but it's mine cowboys & aliens offers nothing to films. The world isn't worse nor better now that that film has been made. I would go as far to say that finally a film worse than avatar has been made, but that would be a lie as cowboys & aliens now has the distinction of being the second worse big budget film ever made in my humble yet serious opinion.

 

[Art Andrews]

The Burrowers is a better film period. They are a lot alike the both have cowboys and indians fighting an alien force. Getting killed and succeeding in the end. I say The Burrowers is better because of the fact it is a much better story with much better acting and is a more serious film......it is not a cartoon.

And I am well aware the monsters came from underground, but that is still alien to a bunch of cowboys.

And how exactly is The Burrowers a horror and torture movie....like saw and hostel? They are 2 totally different types of films....Have you seen The Burrowers?

Given your statements, I would have to ask you the same question... have YOU seen the Burrowers? Are you sure you aren't confusing it for something else?

Better acting? I know acting skill can be somewhat subjective but I have no idea what it was in the Burrowers that you thought was good acting. Even Doug Hutchison, who I often like was utterly unwatchable in that movie.

Actually, continuing on in this direction seems pointless, as I can't help but feel that you must be trolling this thread due to some unspoken reason for your issue with C&A. Again, everyone is entitled to like it or not like it, but to me, arguing that something like the Burrowers is a better film would like arguing that water isn't wet.

 

[JD]

I honestly think someone is upset that some folks think this was a better film than another film that came out a week prior. Therefore, he might feel a need to belittle Cowboys & Aliens. (It may even be a subconsious thing).

Personally, I enjoyed both films a great deal... but both were far from perfect.

 

[Art Andrews]

Personally, I enjoyed both films a great deal... but both were far from perfect.

I can certainly agree that neither were perfect although I was much more disappointed with Captain America than with C&A (haha... just realized both movies abbreviate as "CA"). I will say this much. Captain America's costume blew away any costume we saw in C&A. They really did an amazing job of transforming the cartoon style leotard into something that seemed functional, useful and completely cool. Whoever designed that did an incredible job.

While Kristen really liked Daniel Craig in those skintight leathers, I felt like the overall costume design for C&A was a bit drab. When I think of Tombstone or 3:10 to Yuma you had western costumes that really stand out and there was nothing quite up to that caliber in C&A... and although I will probably still do that costume for Kristen, it isn't very inspired.

 

[JD]

I can certainly agree that neither were perfect although I was much more disappointed with Captain America than with C&A (haha... just realized both movies abbreviate as "CA"). I will say this much. Captain America's costume blew away any costume we saw in C&A. They really did an amazing job of transforming the cartoon style leotard into something that seemed functional, useful and completely cool. Whoever designed that did an incredible job.

While Kristen really liked Daniel Craig in those skintight leathers, I felt like the overall costume design for C&A was a bit drab. When I think of Tombstone or 3:10 to Yuma you had western costumes that really stand out and there was nothing quite up to that caliber in C&A... and although I will probably still do that costume for Kristen, it isn't very inspired.

The costumes seemed fine in C&A for me. I think part of doing a costume job well in some movies is that you don't notice them. ...and for the most part, the costumes in C&A just seemed to be part of the background - and, yeah maybe even a bit drab - and to me, that worked.

 

[Lutso]

I didn't care for it. I liked the way it was filmed, but it just had no substance. And honestly, it wasn't that exciting either. It seemed boring to me, which I actually didn't think would be possible given the premise.

I'd rather not get into a whole big thing about it...worth seeing once I guess, but I doubt I'll ever watch it again.

 

[Lutso]

While Kristen really liked Daniel Craig in those skintight leathers, I felt like the overall costume design for C&A was a bit drab. When I think of Tombstone or 3:10 to Yuma you had western costumes that really stand out and there was nothing quite up to that caliber in C&A... and although I will probably still do that costume for Kristen, it isn't very inspired.

Drab yes, and also historcially innacurate. It seems that very little effort was put into researching or designing any of the outfits in the film.

The whole wardrobe in the movie just reeked of thrift store findings to me. It made it look very low-budget...which it was most definitely NOT!

 

[nickytea]

Curious.
Can you be more specific?

 

[Larry Young]

Double funny when one realizes Mary Zophres was the designer on both C&A and TRUE GRIT. If the costumes are indeed inaccurate, it's not because she didn't know any better. Emma's dress is a copy of a period dress they found somewhere, and there aren't many 150 year old dresses kicking around, that's for sure.