Review: Cowboys & Aliens

Cowboys & Aliens (2011, John Favreau)

Cowboys & Aliens is director John Favreau’s third comic book adaption after successfully bringing Marvels Iron Man franchise to the big screen. A sensible choice then one would think, and coupled with the prospect of seeing Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford sharing the screen, I was quite excited about this end of season action-flick. The highly ambitious yet extremely creative twist on the Western genre also had my curiosity peaked; could Favreau could pull it off?

It all started rather promisingly. An edgier tone than the generally cheesy trailers that have been doing the rounds was evident off the bat. We are immediately introduced to Jake Lonergan (Craig) an amnesia struck cowboy who can’t remember his name but, with the help of a strange metallic device clasped on his wrist, can conveniently remember how to kick some serious ass. Jake ends up stumbling into a local mining town and the opening twenty minutes are typical Western fun; bandits, bar fights and broads.   

Unfortunately the high-concept plot quickly begins to tarnish what was a strong opening. Plot holes and conveniences slowly start leaking onto the screen like ink-blots on a freshly pressed shirt. It was evident that the writers had issues setting-up a scenario in which a filthy rich cattleman (Ford) would join forces with the bandit suspected of stealing his gold in order to head into battle with an alien race that they have no chance of realistically defeating. Nevertheless they try their best to explain away any gapping caverns in the narrative through a series of handily placed flash-backs.

This can be forgiven though. It’s rare to find an action-movie these days, especially one with such an original set-up, that doesn’t ask you to suspend your disbelief for a moment and just go with it. It’s also easier to excuse when the prospect of Cowboys doing battle with an Alien race to the gorgeous backdrop of the American Mid-West is waiting. Nevertheless, as the third act ensues and the battle begins, again I was left feeling dejected and for such an original concept it alarmingly felt like we’d seen it all before.

From the contrived way the native Indians (complete with their own fantasy language...) are wrangled into the scrap, to the cookie-cutter portrayal of the alien race and their never ending spaceship; everything felt slightly stale. Even the admirable Olivia Wilde couldn’t stop her character from essentially becoming a narrative device to explain away any misgivings in the story, and also being completely transparent to boot.

Essentially Cowboys & Aliens, for such an original concept, is void of any fresh ideas. Rather than using the opportunity to explore new avenues in the Sci-Fi genre it becomes an exercise in how to splice together two very different but very cliché types of film and forget to add originality to either.

Thirty years ago just chucking aliens and cowboys in front of the same camera would have probably been enough to ensure this was a hit. Not today, with high-concept action movies on every other screen in the multiplex I was hoping they would recognise this and create a meeting of worlds that brought something novel and new to revive both genres. But we’ve seen it all before. Don’t get me wrong though; Cowboys & Aliens is by means a bad movie per-se, just switch off your brain before viewing.

3/5

Review: The Rise of the Planet of the Apes

The Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011, Rupert Wyatt)

The Rise of the Planet of the Apes (referred to as Rise for the following) is an attempt to reboot a science fiction series that has spanned the best part of 48 years, including four sequels, two TV series and one dodgy remake courtesy of the master of all things strange; Tim Burton. Therefore there is a strong argument to be made as to whether another instalment was really needed in a series that has already had the life flogged out of it. As ever though, money talks and The Planet of the Apes has always been a money spinner for 20^th Century Fox so it is not at all surprising the cobwebs have been dusted off once more.

This time around, though, the modus operandi has changed. Rise is is the first Apes film to feature primates that are not played by unsightly actors in unconvincing monkey suits. With the help of modern technology the chimps now come via the result of some highly impressive motion capture and CGI work. Lead ape and focus for much of the film Cesar is played by motion-capture vet Andy Serkis. Who himself is no oil painting but is extremely talented at injecting life into fictional creatures on the big screen. The results are wholly realistic monkeys which give the film believability immediately, whilst encouraging the viewer to forget they are at the movies. There is nothing worse than a human, in monkey outfit, to persistently remind you that you are only watching a film.

Not only helping  to suck you into the world of Rise the motion-capture magic also gives the various monkeys, gorillas and orang-utans, fully defined character traits and personalities. This together with a concerted effort from the screenwriters to develop not only the human characters in the film but to also create real emotional roles for the apes – brings a depth and sentiment that is often lacking from big budget, summer action features.

Nevertheless the chimps don’t totally steal the show. There are also some very strong performances from the well selected cast, including James Franco whom I successfully tipped for an Oscar nomination earlier in the year. I also particularly enjoyed seeing Tom Felton (better known as Draco Malfoy) getting his comeuppance at the hands of Cesar and couldn’t help thinking that if only he had his wand with him he could have been able to avert the whole disaster...

Glossing over the alarming stupidity of some of the decision making and obvious lack of intelligence by certain individuals in the opening sequences, Rise is on the whole genuinely immersing and enjoyable. For 90 minutes it offers a pleasant and healthy balance of humour, romance and sorrow. But it is not without flaws.

Depending upon the audience you are with and possibly your state of mind at viewing; there are some pivotal moments in closing that will really test your ability to block the little voice in the back of your mind that keeps telling you; ‘this is just silly now’. The fine line between movie greatness and self-parody is very much flirted with here and there are key moments (and if you have seen the film you will know what I am talking about) that you will either be left in awe or find yourself flung back into reality thinking, ‘hang on one second now...I don’t care what drugs these chimps have been exposed to...there’s no chance they could do THAT!’

But such is the nature of Hollywood blockbusters, and to be perfectly fair to Rise, it makes enough of a concerted effort to convince you prior to these moments that they are quite possible that it can be forgiven. Overall Rise is definitely more king of the swingers than banana peel and praise must be made for how easily this could have become an unintended comical catastrophe. Expect sequels.

4/5

Review: Super 8

Super 8 (2011, J.J. Abrams)

J.J. Abrams has made no attempt to hide the fact that Super 8 is a brazen homage to the film’s producer and Abrams boy hood hero; Steven Spielberg. If you were to throw a few movies Spielberg was involved with during the early stage of his career; Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), E.T. (1982) and The Goonies (1985) into a summer-blockbuster-blender you would end up with something not a million miles removed from Super 8.

But, however delightful that interesting blend of fat kids, spaceships and sausage fingered alien would be it would unfortunately be missing a fundamental ingredient that really makes Super 8 more than just a love letter to days gone by; Abrams. I am sure that by now you will have seen a film or TV show that has come from the creator of Lost’s warped but possibly genius mind. Alias, Fringe...did you know he wrote Armageddon?

It’s his ability to craft a wonderful story, part biographical and part modern twist on Spielberg’s tried and tested love-family-friend-coming of age formula, in particular the ignorant or absent father trope, that gives Super 8 its own voice and it’s also his directorial vision that gives the film a distinct and modern hue despite being set in 1979.

Before seeing the film I was concerned that the human plot lines, like many summer tent-pole releases, may not be fully developed and could detract from the set-pieces and special effects I was hoping to see. In reality it turned out to be quite the opposite. In fact some of the films brightest moments came in the interactions between the group of adolescent film-makers, who happen to witness a horrific train crash that leads to strange happenings in there usually quiet town. I found myself being drawn deeper and deeper into their world through a combination of witty dialogue and sublime acting. Particular mention goes to Elle Fanning, younger sister of Dakota, who plays Alice Dainard, teenage love interest of the aspiring boy-hood filmmakers.

The human element of the film was so excellent that I almost forgot we were actually watching a science-fiction flick about the military trying to re-capture whatever has escaped from their derailed locomotive. However, Super 8 really excels through the way it eventually finds a comfortable balance between the human narrative and extra territorial happenings. Finally climaxing in a closing act that sees the alien threat fully revealed and the films various sub-plots nicely coming together to provide a delightfully cheesy but still emotionally compelling conclusion.

Super 8 breathes life into a genre that had seemed to die a death amongst the onslaught of summer franchise releases. Look through this year’s line up of big blockbusters and you’ll struggle to find a movie that isn't based on a comic book, a novel, or indeed a sequel or even the dreaded prequel. Super 8 may borrow heavily from original hits of the late 70’s and 80’s but in time it will stand on its own as one of the best films of 2011 because of its refreshing focus on ensuring the human element of the story isn’t lost amongst explosions and body parts.

If Abram’s can continue to dip into the same bag of star dust that the likes of Spielberg and Lucas have done before him he will carry on sprinkling such magic across the screen and will go onto influence another generation of film-makers in the same way, which can only be good news for cinema goers.

4.5/5