Cowboys and Aliens just root...

but don’t toot.

It's actually a fun movie though. A bit long, detached, and over the map directoraly on the downside, Cowboys and Aliens still musters up a decent popcorn mash-up. Craig and Ford make the most of their parts, which, in the hands of Favereu, are pretty slim on dialogue and long in grit... lots of posturing and scowling, with bursts of gunplay, horseplay, and the requisite western accoutramonts. There's no Coen bros. scripting to chew on here... not even Bruce Willis or Arnold action guy quipping.

And while the standard western shots look great, Fav is not up to task on the more advanced scenes. The alien tech and set pieces feel pretty shoe-horned and not really exciting visually.

What we're left with is forgettable but enjoyable fluff that only offers up a by the numbers effort to make good on the promise of the concept.

MILDLY RECOMMENDED

On the plus side, we caught it as the first in a double-feature at the drive-in. Yes, I said DRIVE-IN! They do still exist... if barely. There's one in our area, not too far from us, and we like to go when we can, but hadn't made it out in years. So, a warm July night with a Cowboys and Aliens and Bridesmaids double-feature was too good to pass up! With the temperature in the mid-80's and clear blue skies, it was perfect.

Also, you can take your dog to the drive-in, and pack in beer or whatever you choose. Plus, if you grew up in the drive-in era, there's a great sense of nostalgia for those lost late night evenings with giant movie screens all around you, the buzz of the people, and radios broadcasting the sound. There's nothing like it! 99W, where we go, also do a great job of capitalizing on that, running various old time promos before the film, and old trailers in-between... complete with a time capsule snack bar.

Seek out and support any remaining local drive-ins that may be near you!
99w.com has a list of active drive-ins HERE

Oh, and though it's not really the type of material I cover here, Bridesmaids was indeed a great movie - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED