SYNOPSIS: 1875. New Mexico Territory. A stranger (Craig) with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution. The only hint to his history is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist. What he discovers is that the people of Absolution don’t welcome strangers, and nobody makes a move on its streets unless ordered to do so by the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde (Ford). It’s a town that lives in fear. 

But Absolution is about to experience fear it can scarcely comprehend as the desolate city is attacked by marauders from the sky. Screaming down with breathtaking velocity and blinding lights to abduct the helpless one by one, these monsters challenge everything the residents have ever known.

Now, the stranger they rejected is their only hope for salvation. As this gunslinger slowly starts to remember who he is and where he’s been, he realizes he holds a secret that could give the town a fighting chance against the alien force. With the help of the elusive traveler Ella (Olivia Wilde), he pulls together a posse comprised of former opponents—townsfolk, Dolarhyde and his boys, outlaws and Apache warriors—all in danger of annihilation. United against a common enemy, they will prepare for an epic showdown for survival. 

REVIEW: “What a joke!” That was my reaction when I first heard about this movie but then I saw a trailer. “Okay, maybe not.” The more time went by the better the movie seemed. This is one of the few non-sequel or prequel or even affiliated major movie productions of the summer and that fact alone gives it some appeal. When you add the buzz it’s been getting lately, I was actually looking forward to the screening. A couple more things also came into focus; the cast is commendable and Jon Favreau is the director. Jon solidified his name as a director after putting the Iron Mans under his belt, and with names like Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Paul Dano, and Adam Beach involved it’s got to be good, right? It is! From the moment the opening scene starts you are pulled in and never let go. You are dazzled with the typical classic western style cinematography and filming locations, mysterious characters, and quick, intense action. This movie is very much a classic western on purpose and it looks good. That is until the aliens show up and then the modern adventure aspect of the film kicks in. Classic western meets sci-fi is quite a mix and you might think it’s absurd, as I did at first, but it is very well done. It’s not as cheesy as you would expect. It is a thriller with good mystery, good action, and good special effects. It is a good story that is straightforward and not too complicated. It is exciting and intriguing. It is also a gamble but one that I think will pay off. 

Daniel Craig as a cowboy is a bit farfetched but he does well. He definitely looks the part and luckily he doesn’t have too much dialogue, due to the accent. He successfully carries the movie and he is not alone. It was a little awkward to see Harrison Ford play a “villainous” character but it’s short lived. I have a feeling that he enjoyed playing the role and of course, he did a good job with it nonetheless. Olivia also looked sharp with her role and she just basically looked sharp too. It seems that she looks good in any costume no matter the genre. Paul Dano has a talent for playing obnoxious characters including a job well done with his character in this movie. I would have liked a little more involvement from Sam Rockwell, but this is an imperfect world. But in actuality, the performances by the cast are partially shadowed by the high octane story and associated action. One thing all the characters have in common though is the element of mystery that surrounds them and this adds a lot to the intrigue of the movie. Iron Man is still Favreau’s best work but this one certainly earns an honorable mention. If your interests have been increasingly sparked the more you hear about this movie, I recommend it because I believe it won’t let you down.