War of the West: Bond and Indy meet H. G. Wells in “Cowboys & Aliens”

“Cowboys and Aliens” is hardly the disaster some critics deemed it; but considering the recipe, this latest blockbuster should have been better. What recipe, you ask?

 
Well, take a hefty dose of H. G. Wells’s “War of the Worlds” and stir it into a shoot-em-up Western. Add Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig, who’ve given us two of cinema’s most iconic roles -- Indiana Jones and James Bond. Sprinkle in a host of strong supporting actors, then hand the whole thing to director Jon Favreau, who did such a fine job on “Elf” and the “Iron Man” movies.

 
What comes out isn’t dandy summer candy, but a film that’s modestly engaging even if it is derivative and lazily plotted -- not to mention bloody and disgusting. Mind you, there’s no inherent problem in blending genres like this; after all, Wells’s 1898 novel is set only 25 years after this movie -- and Favreau’s team pulls off the odd-sounding mix pretty well in terms of visuals and action.

 
But the idea and the title suggest a sort of self-deprecating fun, recalling corny movies in both genres from the thirties, forties and fifties. Both Bond and Indy offer ample precedent for this sort of nostalgic, matinee-serial flavor; but Favreau’s deadly serious film simply refuses to put tongue in cheek. Among other things, it’s the most violent PG-13 movie I’ve seen, with festering wounds, spattering gore and various creatures -- human and otherwise -- getting blown to bloody chunks. It ain’t for kids.

 
Indeed, rather than the rousing fun one expected, “Cowboys & Aliens” works hard to develop character and theme -- specifically, ideas of redemption and (overlaid with some goopy theology) what makes people good or bad. It doesn’t quite work. In the same vein, both Craig and Ford come across as too heavy; neither seems to be having any fun at all.

 
Ford’s early roles -- Han Solo, for instance -- were marked by a youthful twinkle that suggested, for all his gruff exterior, he was really a decent fellow. In recent work such as “Morning Glory,” “Firewall” and “C&A,” this lighter side is harder to see. Fortunately, the supporting actors do better in this area -- particularly Clancy Brown as a stout-hearted preacher, Keith Carradine as a seasoned lawman and Sam Rockwell as a fumbling doctor who also runs a saloon. And let’s not forget Olivia Wilde (of TV’s “House”), who lights up every scene she’s in; no wonder Wilde has eight more movies in the works!

 
The bristling, guitar-driven score is excellent, and Favreau’s direction is strong in the action scenes. Though the final act feels derivative of other sci-fi (why do aliens always have some fatal Achilles heel?), it’s exciting -- at times even exhilarating. Unless you bring young kids who turn green at the gore, you won’t feel like you wasted your money; but surely .007 and Indiana Jones were searching for something a little more fun.

**1/2 (out of four)