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I’ve been attending San Diego Comic-Con every year since 1994, and if there’s one thing I’m not terribly keen on it’s seeing a movie while the show is going on.  Don’t get me wrong, I love movies, but there’s always so much to do and see, and considering how much I already attend screenings, going all the way out there only to hit another sneak preview of a flick is never that enticing.  However, this year I was invited by Universal Pictures to attend the World Premiere of director Jon Favreau’s COWBOYS & ALIENS.  The man who brought us IRON MAN and IRON MAN 2 specifically wanted to debut his newest effort at Comic-Con, because that’s where he felt it belonged.  Favreau is no stranger to the event, and has always made efforts to do what he can for the fans.  But I’m not sure anyone would have expected something like this.  The San Diego Civic Center, normally host to operas, was converted especially for this event, allowing thousands to sit and watch the new film in the same house that stars Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde and others were in… not to mention producing powerhouses like Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer.  To put it simply, EVERYONE was there.  COWBOYS & ALIENS is a film I’ve been looking forward to a variety of reasons, not just because I like both Westerns and Sci-Fi movies, but because the players involved are almost all people of interest to me as a moviegoer.  These days the Western has become almost extinct, so combining science fiction with good old-fashioned gunslingers is not only daring, but probably one of the smarter ideas to come out of Hollywood lately.  The question is does the film live up to the internet and fan hype, and will it stand a fighting chance in this summer of blockbusters and sequels?

Our tale opens in the Old West with Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig) waking up in the desert, no idea how he got there or why, looking worse for wear… and wearing a strange mechanical device on his left arm.  Three ruffians on horseback (led by Buck Taylor) show up hoping to rough the stranger up, but he makes quick work of disposing them and outfitting himself with their clothes, guns and transport.  Riding into town, still unaware of what’s transpired, Jake comes face to face with a drunken troublemaker named Percy Dolarhyde (Paul Dano), then winds up in the local bar run by Doc (Sam Rockwell).  A mysterious woman named Ella (Olivia Wilde) seems to take an immediate interest in our hero, but barely gets a few words out before Sheriff Taggart (Keith Carradine) and his men come in asking questions of their own.  They lock Jake and Percy up, preparing to send them off to a proper court, but the local crime boss (and Percy’s dad) Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford) won’t stand for it.  Just as things are about to get really ugly, the town finds itself under attack from strange vessels in the sky, roping many of the people as they attempt to run for cover.  In a moment of desperation, Jake finds out how to use the device on his arm to bring down one of the spacecraft, and thus begins the story of the humans figuring out they need to form an alliance in order to get their people back from the attackers, using Jake as their advantage.

If you’ve seen the trailers, you pretty much know what to expect from COWBOYS & ALIENS, as the story is relatively straightforward.  But the essential core of the film is a throwback Western with classic sensibilities, which every now and then has science fiction elements peppered in.  All of the players involved appear to be giving it their all.  Daniel Craig transforms into the archetypal strong silent hero of the West, evoking traits made famous by actors like Clint Eastwood and Terrence Hill in Sergio Leone fare from the old days.  His British accent masked effectively, he doesn’t say much, but lets his actions speak for him.  The best part of his character is the ambiguity as to whether or not he’s actually a good person, as he doesn’t even know himself who he was before all this started.  Harrison Ford shows up with one of his strongest and most passionate performances in years, relishing in the bad guy aspects of Woodrow Dolarhyde, and convincingly playing the more tragic moments with perfection.  It’s a film like this that makes you see the difference between Ford giving 110% and just showing up on the set – he’s clearly into this role, and we all benefit for it.  Olivia Wilde does a good job playing the mysterious woman of the town, though we’re never given much background to her, and her screen time is probably less than what many will be expecting.  Keith Carradine brings a nice bit of gravitas to the Sheriff, Paul Dano is effectively annoying and humorous whenever called for, Walton Goggins is amusing and likable as a former friend of Jake’s, and Sam Rockwell has selective moments of greatness, though I would have liked to see more from all four.  Noah Ringer is pretty good too playing the young kid in town, eager to help the adults, but not quite tough enough to protect himself in the more dangerous situations.  The almost always great Clancy Brown has a fun role as the town preacher, aging nicely and selling an unusually likable role, becoming one of my favorite characters in the film.  Adam Beach also has a nice turn as the #1 henchman for Ford’s character, and in many ways a sort of surrogate son.  Favreau has peppered the supporting roles with great actors like Buck Taylor (appearing briefly on screen with real life sons Matthew and Cooper), David O’Hara, Ana del la Reguera, Abigail Spencer, Julio Cedillo and Chris Browning, all looking appropriate for the time period and all with little moments of memorable Western noir.  But let’s face it, you see a film like this because you wanna see dudes fighting aliens, and you get plenty of that.  The movie does a nice job of building up to the inevitable reveals, even keeping the aliens themselves (called “demons” by the characters) under wraps until just the right moment.  I particularly liked how mean and ruthless the other-worldly creatures were, mirroring the concept of an unpredictable Western gang of thugs.  In many ways, the most clever aspects of COWBOYS & ALIENS are the parallels the attacking force have with classic Western movie themes.  They rope humans like cattle, and steal one of the more valuable commodities of the time period as it’s “as rare to them as it is to us.”  I never thought Western and Sci-Fi themes would mesh so well, but they do.  Even the score by Harry Gregson-Williams is effectively evocative of the cowboy epics or yesteryear, only implementing the most modern day sounds when necessary or appropriate.

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of this movie is its heart, which is definitely present, especially in the third act.  However, that third act may be the least impressive, as the film opens so very strong.  Occasionally you get movies that start off really well, and never seem to live up to their own beginnings.  That’s not to say it’s a failure as a film, it’s just a bit inconsistent in quality, though not so much it’s irredeemable.  Each character, even some of the smaller ones, is given a nice moment of emotional relevance.  The toughest of men show a sensitive side, and it never feels overly forced or out of place.  I found myself caring about these people, and not viewing them as simple cardboard cutouts of old west characterizations we’ve seen a thousand times before.  Favreau definitely captured the look and feel of the good old days of hatted heroes, and did a nice job of mixing in the alien elements.  Is it a great movie, sheer cinematic perfection?  Not entirely, but it’s a good popcorn flick to be sure.  I found myself enjoying the ride immensely, and walking out with a smile on my face.  These days it’s hard to expect a stellar film experience anymore, but to have a movie that’s enjoyable and even remotely different from the cookie cutter motion picture offerings we’ve had in the last few years… I guess you could simply call it refreshing.  If you like Westerns, you’ll appreciate the sincere nods to the classics.  If you like Sci-Fi movies, you’ll enjoy the well done alien threats and action.  I’m anxious to see how moviegoers react to COWBOYS & ALIENS, as there’s so much competition for it, but I certainly hope they’ll at least give it a chance.  I think everyone in that theater had a good time, including the people on the screen, at least it feels that way.

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