Cowboys and Aliens

Amnesiac gunslinger Jake Lonergan stumbles into the town of Absolution where he not only runs afoul of the man who runs the town, Colonel Woodrow Dolarhyde, but also a group of invading aliens who are intent upon destroying everyone. Jake must rally together the people of Absolution in order to save them from destruction.

Strangely enough a film about cowboys and aliens featured a story line similar to the alien invasion action film Independence Day. In both, different groups of people (for this film gunslingers, criminals, Native Americans, regular folks, etc.) must learn to overcome their differences and fight together to defeat an invading extraterrestrial force whose purpose for trying to conquer earth was vague at best (in this film the aliens were mining the earth for a precious metal, who knew gold was in such demand throughout the universe). Both films also featured enough action to keep the audience mildly interested and engaged. Where Cowboys differed was in the big names that led its cast. Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford should have been able to provide stellar enough performances as Jake and Woodrow (respectively) to make the film something beyond a prototypical summer popcorn flick full of sound and fury but representing nothing. Ford certainly delivered, his Dolarhyde was an atypical anti-heroic turn that showed he could play a character unlike those people are accustomed to seeing him play. Craig's Jake however was hampered by a script overwrought with explosions and missing chances for him to emotionally stretch in any direction. In the end, he was all grunts or hard looks and never became someone the audience could connect with. The rest of the cast did not add much value (although Olivia Wilde was stunning as the mysterious Ella), the story stammered and stuttered as it tried to combine multiple subplots and never hit its stride and the aforementioned ending where the different groups of people banded together to fight the aliens felt hokey and forced.

Dig a little beyond the big name stars and overwhelming action and you'll find that Cowboys and Aliens was nothing more than an average comic book to film adaptation.

Grade: C 

Thor: Another solid comic book film!

Thor, a powerful warrior from the distant planet of Asgard, is banished to earth by his father Odin for his arrogance. He must use all of his powers to protect the friends he makes there from evil forces sent from his home world by a sinister villian.

Thor can almost be viewed as a companion piece to the other Marvel superhero film adaptation released this summer, Captain America. Both featured richly, complex protagonist that had to learn to deal with the high and lows of the great responsibility of having great power. But whereas Steve Rogers grew up never knowing what it was to have power before he became Captain America, Thor grew up always having that power. He grew into an arrogant prince that needed to have that power yanked from him in order to realize what it meant to be a true leader. This might sound a little complex for a simple action film about a Norse God with a cool looking hammer but director Kenneth Branagh tempered the Greek tragedy overtones of the story with some solid action sequences as well as some truly amusing comedic bits as Thor adjusted to life on earth (the parts featuring his introduction to the taser and modern medicine were the highlights of the "fish out of water" stuff). Where Thor fell short was in showing the audience the Thunder God's transformation from selfish brat into selfless hero. It is true that, once on earth, he meets a beautiful scientist in Jane Foster (the always stunning albeit under-utilized in this particular role Natalie Portman) but it should take more than one romantic conversation under the stars to convert him into someone other than the egotistical brat he was.

All in all Thor was another solid entry into the growing lineup of Marvel superhero films.

Grade: B-

Watchmen: So how complex do you like your superhero movies?

When you hear the words, "comic book adaptation" the first images that probably pop into your head are of Spider-Man swinging on a web or Batman brooding on a dark rooftop. The last thing on your mind would be images of heroes philosophizing on how the world is not worth saving or those same heroes discussing the need to sacrifice a few in order to save the many. But this was the case with Watchmen

In an alternate universe, one in which Richard Nixon is still President and the Cold War between the U.S. and USSR still threatens to destroy the world, masked heroes are being murdered. It is up to the remaining members of the superhero group known as the Watchmen to figure out why this is happening.

Director Zack Snyder (of "300" fame) was very faithful in keeping to the source material (a graphic novel) in bringing the story of Nite Owl, Silk Spectre and all the rest of the characters to the screen. His trademark visual style was certainly on display as the audience was treated to the same kind of slow-motion, stylized action sequences present in 300 as well as some truly breathtaking scenes (i.e. Nite Owl and Silk Spectre kissing as a nuclear blast envelopes them). These heroes were far from being carbon copies of ones who came before them as time was spent building up their backstories. By doing this, the audience was shown all the moral dilemmas each Watchmen faced as they struggled in making sense of their own lives both professionally and personally.

But therein lies the catch - 22 of Watchmen, how many audience members are willing to sit through an almost 3 hour film in which the action sequences seem few and far between when compared against a Spider-Man or Batman film? The universe that the Watchmen inhabited certainly was not for the faint of heart (kinda made Gotham City look like Beverly Hills) as the heroes killed indiscriminately, fought amongst each other, and seemed to blur the line between good guy and psycho vigilante from time to time (especially Rorschach). In this way the film challenged the audience to think beyond their normal expectations for a comic book movie and take a journey in which the greatest accomplishments of its heroes were not the apprehension of supervillians or the simple battle of good vs. evil, but the philosophical breakthroughs made when the hero realizes that the world is not pure black and white but a shade of gray which can grow lighter or darker depending upon where you are standing morally.

Watchmen just might be the most literate comic book movie you're likely to run across, which might enthrall some but discourage others.

Grade: B-