Cowboys & Aliens is pretty much exactly what it sounds like, cowboys fighting aliens. Also, pretty awesome.

Based on a comic series of the same name, Cowboys & Aliens tells the story of Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig), a cowboy who wakes up in the middle of the desert with no boots and no memory. He is quickly accosted by some random road agents and shows in fairly short order that he may not remember who he is but he still remembers how to kick massive ass. He has a mystery wound in his side and a weird metal bracelet and a whole bunch of people looking for him including local cattle baron and war hero Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford). Before Lonergan has a chance to figure any of this out he is arrested by the local sheriff (Kieth Carradine) on a laundry list of charges and he also runs afoul of Dolarhyde’s douche bag son Percy (Paul Dano). Just as things are coming to classic old west loggerheads, a bunch of UFO’s attack the town and start snatching people. Lonergan’s bracelet turns out to be a wrist mounted laser weapon and he brings one of the ships down. Lonergan and Dolarhyde decide that if the snatched townspeople are going to be rescued they need to team up to do it.

Cowboys & Aliens is an interesting film, not just because it is a genre mash-up but also because the premise sounds like a tongue in cheek joke but the movie plays it pretty much straight. This isn’t a nod and a wink kind of affair where they lampshade hang how wacky the premise is and then revel in the  comedy gold but rather a deadly serious film that offers up the best of both worlds. It is a competent if well worn western and it is just as competent as an alien invasion movie, if just as well worn on that side too.

What I mean by well worn is that there are not a lot of surprises in the plot and the story progresses in a fairly predictable way. If you have ever seen either type of film in the past then you will know fairly well what to expect from the progression. The thing that saves the film from the predictability is that even the familiar moves are done well enough that it doesn’t matter that you are expecting it, it is still fun to watch.

The characters are very well drawn here and what could have been a collection of cardboard cut out stereotypes are instead fully realized. Dolarhyde in particular eschews the typical tycoon/landowner type character in a western by having more layers than just homicidal douche bag. Each character has more going on under the surface than is initially believed and that is one of the things that really helps draw the viewer in. If the plot is predictable the characters definitely are not.

While the writing goes far for the characters’ depth, none of it could have been achieved without the strength of the performances. Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford are as good as they always are and there is no real surprise there. The rest of the cast are just as excellent. Watching the opening credits I was getting more and more excited. Olivia Wilde. Clancy Brown. Kieth Carradine. Sam Rockwell. Paul Dano. Walton Goggins. David O’Hara. The cast is wall to wall filled with awesome actors and all of them do exceptional jobs in the movie which really elevates the material from good to great.

The action scenes and effects are top notch as well. It takes a special touch to make UFOs and aliens look like they belong in the wild west and director Jon Favreau pulls it off with confidence. The alien designs themselves are also impressive in that they look genuinely menacing and not at all goofy. This obviously adds a layer of credibility to the film as the effects and designs do all the heavy lifting for your suspension of disbelief so you don’t have to. Given some of the recent alien invasion movies this is a welcome change.

Conclusion [8.0 out of 10]

Cowboys & Aliens is not a perfect film but it is a very enjoyable one and if you are a fan of either genre you will find a lot to love. If you go in expecting an Oscar worthy film then you have missed the point somewhere along the line. The film delivers exactly what the title promises: cowboys and aliens. If you are looking for a tongue in cheek comedy then you should look elsewhere. If you are looking for a fun film with a quirky premise that takes itself completely seriously then you will be happy with your trip to the theater.