Cowboys & Aliens (2011)

Not bad. First and foremost, this is a Western, and not a post-Unforgiven Western, but one you'd see John Ford make, or even Sergio Leone. Why? Because this one moves at a leisurely pace.

I think one of the reasons critics were so unenthused by this film is because it lacks a lot of the panache you'd expect from a movie of this calibre, and during this time of year. It's not flashy, and it's not quick or witty or anything. It is different. I think it almost prides itself on it, which may be its biggest downfall.

I stand by my thought that had this come out in the late 90s or early 2000s, it'd have been hailed as great fun. I think we've managed to dilute our blockbusters even further than they were a mere 10 years ago, to where they're so pre-packaged and glossy that anything that bucks that trend (or simply regresses backwards) could be construed as lazy, or dull.

I don't think audiences will latch onto it, though. After seeing it, I figured its audience was limited. But, I was entertained. I liked what I saw. It did feel almost vintage though, in its pace and tone.

I don't get the complaints about tone, though. I never felt like this was trying to be anything but a western with sci-fi overtones. I heard someone mention it trying to be a parody, which made me laugh. Blazing Saddles is a parody. Austin Powers is a parody. This is not.

Not what I'd hoped for (I think maybe Jon Favreau wasn't the best person for the job, mostly because going from the quick and funny Iron Man films to something more serious will probably hurt more than help), but still a nice distraction. Certainly better than 80% of what comes out these days, so take that into account.

Buy? - Maybe. Discounted Blu-ray perhaps. I need to see it again before I decide.

Side Note - Please, people: just because you see six screenwriters on screen does not mean six people tackled this script at six different occasions. Three of those writers were ONE team. The other two were also a team. And a screen story credit hardly implies that the last writer had much to do with the final script. Come on, people. Let's get real.