COWBOYS AND ALIENS

US, 2011, 117 minutes. Colour.
Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Abigail Spencer, Clancy Brown, Paul Dano, Adam Beach, Keith Carradine, David O’ Hara.
Directed by Jon Favreau.

Almost fifty years ago there was the absurdly specific title, Santa Claus vs the Martians. That was quite a juxtaposition. Cowboys and Aliens seems an absurd title, not so specific. In the past there were these small science-fiction-fantasy B-budget entertainments. Now we have the A-budget, A-cast entertainment that takes the old conventions of the western and the old convention s of those 1950s alien invasion melodramas, put them together and, presto, Cowboys and Aliens.

Not that it isn’t a holiday entertainment, an upmarket throwback to the old serials and matinees days. And who to give it some respectability? The present grim-faced James Bond himself, Daniel Craig and Indiana Jones, now a grizzled, gruff and raspy Harrison Ford. Actor Jon Favreau directed the two Iron Man movies.

It all opens in the old West, but we have an immediate clue when we see the 21st century wristband that Jake Lonergan (Craig) is wearing. But, the screenplay wisely keeps tantalising us. We wonder about this man, at first with no name and no memory, whether he is the alien. We get hints as the film goes on. An explanation (perfectly logical in the circumstances) towards the end of the film.

Then there are plenty of cowboys, toughs and robbers, cattle hands and cattle barons (Ford is the patriarchal baron), the western town, the sheriff (Keith Carradine), the wastrel son of the baron (Paul Dano) who likes to throw his somewhat puny weight around, and his Indian minder (Adam Beach). There is a mysterious woman, Ella (Olivia Wilde) who is clearly something more than she seems. After some western standoffs and arrests, the aliens get going on the town, mystifying one and all. Suddenly, in this war of the worlds where revolvers don’t stand a chance against space ships, individuals are being instantly swooped and swept into the air and into the spacecraft. And there are lots, LOTS, of explosions.

That obviously means a posse has to go in pursuit and the lone hero has to show his mettle. There are confrontations with the Indians, but this is a 21st century perception of the 19th, so the Indians combine forces with the cowboys (and the racist baron) to rescue the human hostages and destroy the aliens. The aliens themselves look like beings straight out of the old movies, no glamour, just monstrous (especially in size and in close-ups). We discover their dastardly plan and are ready to cheer on the goodies against these creatures (the word ‘alien’ not being available at that time to describe what is going on).

This is a close encounter of the reverse kind.

What we have is a bit popcorn holiday movie and it has its moments. The thought came while watching the familiar elements of both western and science fiction that it still had quite some originality – but a derivative originality. And, deciding on this phrase to end the review, I enjoyed it all the more.

1. A 21st century entertainment? The tradition of B-movies? A-treatment here?

2. The New Mexico settings, the town of Absolution, the mountainous west? Familiar material and locations from the westerns?

3. The B-budget monsters, aliens, spaceships, their look, facial behaviour, bodies? The spaceship? Its interiors?

4. The action sequences, the many explosions, shootouts? Musical score?

5. The tradition of cowboys and Indians, the history of clashes, their working together here, the cowboys with the Indians?

6. The plausibility of the plot, audiences accepting the what if…?

7. The opening mystery, Jake and his waking up, isolated, out in the desert, his wound, his armband and its modern look? His loss of memory? The initial encounter with the cowboys, their wanting to rob him, the shootout? The glimpses and flashbacks from the past? His going into the town? The photo of the girl? The initial encounter with Percy and his boasting in the street and the bar? His intervening? Percy and the shooting of the sheriff? The meeting with Ella, a puzzling woman and her enquiries? The sheriff and the arrest? The people of the town, tough? The information about Jake Lonergan? His arrest? Percy, arrested, in the wagon? The space attack?

8. Percy, spoilt, carrying on in the bar, relying on his father’s reputation, Nat as being his minder, the confrontation in the street, the shooting, wounding the sheriff’s assistant, his arrest, in the cell with Jake? His father coming into town and rebuking him?

9. The scene with the cattlemen, their drinking, out by the water, with the steers, mocking Dolarhyde? The space attack? Dolarhyde’s arrival, his brusqueness, torturing the cowboy? Wanting information?

10. The attack on the town, the cowboys shooting at the spacecraft, the swift-moving craft, the various individuals being captured, the others left behind?

11. Ella, the mystery of her presence, her talk with Jake, Jake’s reaction? The posse going out into the desert – Jake going by himself? Ella wanting to help?

12. The posse, Dolarhyde, the cattle baron, his men, Dolarhyde as tough and grizzled, brooking no opposition, the pursuit?

13. Jake, his riding out into the desert, the powers of his armband, his meeting with the members of his gang, their taking him to the headquarters, the confrontation with Pat Dolan? The reactions, his using the power of the armband? The escape?

14. The monsters and their spacecraft? Night vision? The attacks? Their wanting gold, taking it from Jake and his stash after the robbery? The spaceship itself, its appearance, the interiors? A variation of The War of the Worlds? Ella and her story, her then being taken, the rescue, falling into the lake, swimming? Her being taken again? Her death?

15. The Indians, the cowboys coming upon them, the initial hostility? Dolarhyde and Nat, Ella and her story, the chief, the decision to combine forces? The credibility of the spacecraft for Indian mythology?

16. The young boy, his place in the town, cared for by the sheriff, the sheriff being taken? The boy and the confrontation with the monster – close-up? His participation in the siege of the spaceship, his courage?

17. Jake, the Indian chief giving him a potion, his remembering what had happened? The robbery, the girl, at the house, her being taken, the gold being taken? His being captured, the torture, his wound, escaping?

18. Jake and the result of becoming aware of what had happened? His concern about the girl? His leading the rescue of the hostages?

19. The attack on the spaceship, the various strategies, the fights, the cowboys and their participating, his gang, the many deaths? Inside the spaceship? The freedom of the hostages? Ella and her mission, going into the interior of the ship?

20. The saving of the lives, the hostages coming out from the spaceship? The explosion?

21. The hostages gradually having their memories restored, the sheriff and the young boy, the character of Doc, his place in the town, running the saloon, wanting a better life, the clashes with his wife, her being taken? His participation in the siege? His heroism? His wife regaining her memory? Percy and his meeting with his father, his wanting to live a better life?

22. The happy ending, people the better for the experience with the aliens?

23. The combination of the western conventions with those of alien invasions?