With a hokey name like "Cowboys and Aliens", you're really not supposed to expect much more than Cowboys and Aliens, fighting.
And very little of the movie even deals with that.
Being PG-13, it couldn't go all-out in a faithful depiction of the Old West, but it seems they only really pushed it so as to show off Olivia Wilde's buttcrack and a quick shot of a a guy with a big hole shot through the chest with an alien weapon, as everything else is virtually squeaky-clean, not a hint of racism or sexism, grit or grime, and an utterly blasè attitude from everyone but Sam Rockwell as the bartender "Doc".
As the review in my local newspaper said, very little is devoted to "why" with regards to the alien, and far too much "why" with regards to Daniel Craig's Jake Lonergan, played so stony and cold you don't give a damn about any of his problems.
The characters are horribly one-dimensional and predictable, and there were so many instances in the film where not only me, but a large group of people, burst out laughing. And not when the movie was being funny.
Not going to spoil it, but the big "revelation" moment with Olivia Wilde's character caused some very loud and noticeable derisive laughter from many of us in the theater, and the moment with the alien that Jake had first met having a final standoff with him at the end was so hackneyed, it provoked chitters and groans.
For a movie that felt so long and, by concept, seemed to be aiming for something big, it sure felt small, like a Syfy original movie with some big-name actors in it.
But the absolute biggest plothole involves the aliens interacting with the people. Not only is it never explained WHY the aliens are randomly abducting people, but as it turns out, their ultimate reason for coming to Earth, and their goal, not only has little to nothing to do with humans, but considering their technology, they could EASILY achieve without EVER interacting with the humans at all! Considering how a clichè'd Hollywood flick like this ends with the good guys winning, these aliens could've saved themselves a lot of trouble by not looking to pick a fight with the natives for no reason. But then we wouldn't have this big dumb mess we call a movie.
And very little of the movie even deals with that.
Being PG-13, it couldn't go all-out in a faithful depiction of the Old West, but it seems they only really pushed it so as to show off Olivia Wilde's buttcrack and a quick shot of a a guy with a big hole shot through the chest with an alien weapon, as everything else is virtually squeaky-clean, not a hint of racism or sexism, grit or grime, and an utterly blasè attitude from everyone but Sam Rockwell as the bartender "Doc".
As the review in my local newspaper said, very little is devoted to "why" with regards to the alien, and far too much "why" with regards to Daniel Craig's Jake Lonergan, played so stony and cold you don't give a damn about any of his problems.
The characters are horribly one-dimensional and predictable, and there were so many instances in the film where not only me, but a large group of people, burst out laughing. And not when the movie was being funny.
Not going to spoil it, but the big "revelation" moment with Olivia Wilde's character caused some very loud and noticeable derisive laughter from many of us in the theater, and the moment with the alien that Jake had first met having a final standoff with him at the end was so hackneyed, it provoked chitters and groans.
For a movie that felt so long and, by concept, seemed to be aiming for something big, it sure felt small, like a Syfy original movie with some big-name actors in it.
But the absolute biggest plothole involves the aliens interacting with the people. Not only is it never explained WHY the aliens are randomly abducting people, but as it turns out, their ultimate reason for coming to Earth, and their goal, not only has little to nothing to do with humans, but considering their technology, they could EASILY achieve without EVER interacting with the humans at all! Considering how a clichè'd Hollywood flick like this ends with the good guys winning, these aliens could've saved themselves a lot of trouble by not looking to pick a fight with the natives for no reason. But then we wouldn't have this big dumb mess we call a movie.