The basic premise (putting aliens and cowboys together), which could have been an asset if dealt with well, ends up being the film’s millstone. Ella’s ultimate sacrifice in the climax also makes no difference to the audience as it is too bored to care for anything. The presence of an alluring and mysterious female character, Ella, with whom Jake only starts to develop a bonding, does not add any value as Ella turns out to be a non-human. The alien creatures themselves are very strange-looking and also of an unknown provenance, another detail that is inexplicably left out. And when the reason for their attack on earth is revealed in the end, it only amuses the audience, rather than horrifying or exciting them. Till the last few reels of the film, the viewer is provided with no clues about what the aliens are doing, who they really are, etc.
The long interactions between the cowboys, in their peculiar accent, are too stretched and do not add any entertainment value. The part where the cowboys (humans) look for the missing alien is extremely long-drawn. In spite of the many fast-paced action sequences, which are fairly well-executed, the narrative moves at a very slow pace. Moreover, scenes of Dolarhyde’s confrontation with the native Indian chief do not work at all and they seem fabricated.
#Movies like cowboys and aliens movie#
Moreover, the fact that Jake had lost his wife, whom he dearly loved, and also his memory because of the aliens, is revealed so late in the movie that it makes no difference to the viewer.Ĭolonel Dolarhyde’s character, of a war-rugged man who rules his town with an iron fist, but has a soft corner for a native Indian servant (Adam Beach), is clichéd. But the audience is given no reason to sympathise with Jake, as he turns out to be a murderer and a wanted criminal. The screenplay (by Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof, Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby) starts off well with the mystery surrounding the real identity of Jake. However, the manner in which the story (by Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby and Steve Oedekerk) has been written makes the film an extremely boring and unentertaining fare. The story of Cowboys & Aliens, based on Platinum Studios’ eponymous comic book by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, has a germ of an idea that might appeal to a few viewers. Are they able to win the battle?Ĭowboys & Aliens Review – Script Analysis Now Jake and his men, Dolarhyde and his men and the native Indians must all come together and attack the fortified alien spacecraft and the dangerous aliens. Ella, who also turns out to be a non-human form, tells Jake and Dolarhyde that they must defeat the aliens or they (aliens) would kill all humans. He reveals the location of the alien spacecraft. It finally is restored when native Indians, who are also threatened by the alien attack, nurse Jake’s mental wounds. Jake cannot remember anything and he asks Ella not to follow him.īut slowly, as Jake later joins Dolarhyde and team, his memory starts to return in flashes. Ella, who follows Jake, pleads with him to remember his past so that he can reveal the location of the aliens. Next morning, when Dolarhyde and other townspeople leave in search of the alien and their loved ones, Jake goes on his own path. The alien from the aircraft manages to escape. But not before Jake’s metal bracelet comes to life and he shoots down an alien aircraft. However, their confrontation is nipped in the bud as strange alien crafts arrive and start bombing the town, and snatch several people to take them away to an undisclosed location.
Soon, Percy’s father, Colonel Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford), arrives with his men, ready to take on the sheriff (for arresting his son) and Jake, whom he wants to kill for having stolen his (Dolarhyde’s) bullion a few days earlier. There is a mysterious girl, Ella (Olivia Wilde), who helps the local sheriff capture Jake.
He is soon arrested as the local sheriff discovers that although he has lost his memory, he is a wanted criminal by the name of Jake Lonegran. As he is nursing an injury, he finds his way to the nearest town, a dirt-heap called Absolution, where he gets embroiled in a fight with the local rich man’s son, Percy (Paul Dano). In 1875, a person (Daniel Craig) with no memory of his past wakes up in the middle of New Mexico desert, with a strange metal bracelet around his wrist. Imagine Entertainment, K/O Paper Products, Fairview Entertainment and Platinum Studios’ Cowboys & Aliens is a mix of the American Western and science-fiction genres.