Cowboys & Aliens: Extended Edition (Bilingual) [Blu-ray + DVD]

I was strangely curious about 'Cowboys & Aliens' when I saw it advertised a few months back. Silly title notwithstanding, I did find it interesting that the filmmakers were able to lure both Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford into the fray as the two main leads. Couple this with Jon Favreau in the director's chair, and I smelled gold, but what I got was pyrite. It's certainly a fun film to watch, but not without a dark side. Daniel Craig stars as Jake Lonergan, a wanted fugitive who awakens in the middle of the Arizona desert with no memory of who he is, where he came from, or what that strange device is around his wrist. Making his way back into town, he soon crosses paths with the son of Colonel Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford), a wealthy businessman who has injected commerce into the town of Absolution and gained a powerful influence because of it. Both Dolarhyde's son and Lonergan are taken into custody and prepped for transportation to a federal marshal for incarceration. Dolarhyde returns to Absolution to confront Sheriff Taggart (Keith Carradine) for the release of his son, but before things can escalate further, a strange trio of UFOs attack the town and begin abducting its people. Lonergan manages to escape and notices that the device attached to his wrist has become active. He takes aim at one of the ships and fires a powerful energy bolt that brings down the UFO. Realizing that the device shares the same architecture as the downed UFO, Lonergan begins to slowly flash back and remember the truth: he was abducted by aliens for experimentation.

Dolarhyde and several of the townsfolk form a posse to track down the alien pilot who escaped the downed UFO wreckage. Lonergan also finds himself allied with the posse, and they soon find out that an alien recon team has landed on Earth for the purpose of gathering intel to strip-mine the planet for resources. Armed only with sticks, knives and 19th century firearms, the cowboys must devise a plan to bring the fight to the aliens before it's too late.

At its core, 'Cowboys & Aliens' feels a lot like Independence Day in the old west, but without the hokey cheese and bad dialogue. Indeed, the film is a well thought out story that takes its subject matter seriously. A little TOO seriously, perhaps. It may have been designed as an exciting summer blockbuster epic, but the film feels dark....almost sinister and wicked in its portrayal of violence and destruction. I was quite surprised to feel uncomfortable during several of the scenes which show a lot of folks dying some slow and unpleasant deaths. For all its high tech special effects and attempt at adventurism, the movie carries a deep sense of mean-spiritedness that permeates the viewing experience and makes it a bit too harsh, especially for younger viewers. I liked the progression of storyline, however. It's an old-style western with some grit and very little polish. Harrison Ford once again steals the show as the fascinating Dolarhyde, a villain who slowly metamorphs from anti-hero to full hero by the time the clock is done ticking. Olivia Wilde brings her bright-eyed charm and beauty into the role of Ella, a character with more than her fair share of surprises. There are other great performances by veterans such as Clancy Brown and Sam Rockwell. This movie was staffed with some excellent actors. It's a shame that they're all buried under the weight of such a joyless pitch. Special effects seem to keep getting better and better. The final scene of the film is pretty impressive, and seamless. It shows how far we've come from the pseudo-3D disaster that was 'Air Force One,' another Ford film.

If you can take a heavy shot of nihilism with your summer blockbusters, then 'Cowboys & Aliens' is a decent, fun ride. It's not perfect, and it's not going to trumpet any particular victory, but it's an excuse to see Craig and Ford share the screen together, and they work well as compatriots. A definite rental, however.

Cowboys and aliens(released July/11)is,to me,a surprisingly good Sci-Fi film.It's reviews were not the greatest and I was anticipating watching a high budget movie with good intentions that went no where fast.But such was not the case,which leads me to mention the first rule of reviewing:Don't believe what others see and write about,believe only what YOU see! Mr.Spielberg had a hand in this epic,which truly IS one,in feel and looks.The cinematography is fabulous as we are taken all over the beautiful outlands of Arizona.But let's not get ahead of ourselves,let's look at the films storyline.
The film begins out in the desert near a town called Absolution.A man(Daniel Craig) wakes up on the desert floor with a wound in his side and no idea how he got there.On his left wrist is an over sized "bracelet" of some type,origin unknown.Some drifters come through and decide he may be a wanted man.Before they can take him into town for the reward the man takes down all three and wanders alone into Absolution.
While there it seems some of the townsfolk know him,specifically the sheriff.It seems this stranger is a wanted felon by the name of Jake Lonergan.After the son of a local prominent cattle rancher,Mr.Dollarhyde(Harrison Ford),accidentally shoots a deputy sheriff,both are taken into custody and put into a wagon for shipment to and a trial at Tuscon.Before they can leave Dollarhyde shows up for his boy but is interrupted by a group of strange lights approaching the town.The lights turn out to be alien craft intent on abducting some of the townspeople.Lonergan's bracelet comes to "life" and he is soon shooting at and downing at least one of the ships.However the alien pilot escapes and roams into town only to be shot and wounded.
Lonergan leaves town while Dollarhyde forms a posse which heads out at first light to track down the creature.Lonnergan arrives at a cabin in which he gets flashbacks.He has had them previously but they grow more detailed and this one reveals his former love and some gold he brought home.in the flashback the gold suddenly melts on the table and is sucked upwards while his lady love gets pulled right out of the cabin.
Lonnergan leaves the cabin and joins up with Dollarhyde and his men.A ways out they run into a gang of robbers that turn out to be Lonnergan's old gang members.They take him to their camp and a confrontation occurs between Lonnergan and the new boss.It doesn't go down well for Lonnergan who eventually has to use to bracelet to help them all escape.Traveling further on the party gets captured by some Apache Indians.Through some harrowing moments a consensus is finally reached between the two groups to fight the invaders.Through more concise flashbacks Lonnergan now knows and leads them all to the place where the alien mother ship is buried.
A pitched battle between the aliens and Lonnergan,Dollarhyde and company begins.Entry is gained into the ship and eventually many of the taken settlers are found and released.Near the end the ship lifts off but is finally destroyed only about a thousand or so feet above the ground.Back in Absolution Lonnergan is asked to stay on by Dollarhyde while the sheriff pretends Lonnergan had died in the firefight.Lonnergan begs off both and leaves town.Fade out in typical western fashion.
As I mentioned before this film simply looks beautiful.The scenes in the desert are stunning and epic in their look.Something out of a John Ford film.The script has just enough twists and turns in it to keep one interested throughout its journey on the screen.Lonnergan's flashbacks(a tool as old as Pete the Pup)is done just right,I find.The acting is also spot on as we have a great cast of starring and supporting actors on hand.The special effects are also of the highest quality as the aliens are all too real looking.They are bipeds,whose smallish heads meld into their necks,and whose chests open up to reveal two hands,with three E.T. like digits.The fight sequences between humans and aliens are also very realistic and deadly looking.These things aren't on Earth for a game of backgammon.
Technically speaking the film looks great in its original a/r of 2:40:1.Extras include three featurettes and commentary by the director.
All in all a very enjoyable blend of the old fashioned western with a Sci-Fi backdrop.It has an epic feel and look to it and the acting along with the special effects are very good.Recommended.

VIDEO:

Cowboy and Aliens arrives at blu ray with MPEG-4 AVC 1080p 2.40:1 encode. Although the movie may disappoint, this video transfer is simply outstanding. Colours are rich and accurately saturated. Skin tones are gorgeous (or grizzled when called on). Contrast is dark but perfectly suited to the genre-mashing action that unfurls, and black levels are inky. Details are also present.

I also appreciate the subtitles are put within the picture frame that has been stretched using anamorphic lens, plus the subtitles are placed where the person was speaking. Subtle improvement. (4.5/5)

AUDIO:

Universal's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track splits the heavens and shakes the Earth with an aggressive, commanding and welcome assault on the senses (well, two of them at least) that won't soon be forgotten. All my 9 Wilson Audio WATT/Puppies speakers and my two Velodyne HGS-18 subwoofers were working to their maximum. Voices remain clear and intelligible, and lines are never lost in the madness. This superb soundtrack will simply blow you away (5/5)

MOVIE:

It has an estimated budget of $163 million, and its opening weekend gross was even less than that of "The Smurfs"! And its domestic gross was a disappointly $140 million. It is an interminable bore of a movie, one that may have a technical sheen in high-definition, but lacks any kind of cinematic uniqueness. The script can only be seen more fully on the extended cut of the movie, which adds 16 minutes of dialogue and scenes that explore it a bit more, also making it the superior version. (3/5)

TRIVIA:

Daniel Craig was chosen because of his distinct likeness to Steve McQueen, who starred in the cowboy epic, The Magnificent Seven.

Did you know that Robert Downey Jr. was set to play Jake Lonergan, but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.

SUMMARY:

I bought this blu ray disc, solely because there was a $7 off coupon, making the price only $17.99. Even though the movie is a little boring, the video and audio presentations are top-notched, and demo worthy, especially the audio portion. I was pleasantly surprised and happy with my purchase. If you like 007 and Harrison Ford together with fantastic audio/video, then, this disc is recommended. Remember, the $7 coupon is available until December 11. This offer was on condition you buy another blu ray disc from their list. In my case, I chose Waterworld blu ray with extended cut ($15.99) which was reasonably priced. Good luck.