The year is 1873. Arizona Territory. A stranger (Daniel 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 (Harrison 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.

The Thoughts

Upon first hearing the concept of Cowboys & Aliens I was a tad excited shall we say, said film being directed by Jon Favreau who previously brought us Iron Man, even amidst below-par reviews. Having seen the film at the Empire Big Screen event at the O2 last Saturday I can say with great relief, that those fears can be put to rest and you too can enjoy the heavyweight action Cowboys & Aliens as I did when it opens in theatres nationwide this week.

For a ridiculous concept melding Western with science fiction, it works – for me anyway. Die hard Western fans will not necessarily agree but for most I think you’ll find the concept original and a breath of fresh air from the recent Hollywood superhero blockbusters. 2 hours whizzed by and before I knew it I was excitedly discussing Daniel Craig’s cleavage in the last scene and how this film made me fall in love with Sam Rockwell all over again.

Daniel Craig takes on the menacing ‘give me any crap and you’ll be sorry you were born‘ role with ease, you could say he was made for this role – breaking noses, shooting Indians, jumping off galloping horses onto an alien spacecraft – all whilst keeping the chiselled cheek pout composure and not batting an eyelid. Ford, who hits the big 7-0 next year plays the far too clichéd Colonel Dolardhyde, but still makes the character enjoyable to watch whilst Olivia Wilde takes on the role of eye candy, though she fell flat in delivering a solid, believable character as was the case with Sam Rockwell who is a stellar actor but wasn’t given enough to develop.

The reptilian aliens weren’t original in any way, although did hit some scary notes as they had a few extra hidden limbs shall we say. The story is pretty straightforward: aliens try to kill people; people try to shoot them with near-useless guns; Cowboys vs Indians; Cowboys & Indians vs Aliens but with such a wacky hybrid of elements – rustic vs futuristic – it almost doesn’t matter.

A few minor faults aside, I enjoyed Cowboys & Aliens immensely – drawing the audience in with a curious plot and brilliant, realistic effects, a bit cheeky at times and some pretty cool sci-fi tech to boot. If you’re a serious Western or Sci-Fi fan, you may want to look away but I say go see this film with an open-mind and be blown away!

The Film Buzz Official Rating: *******~~~ (7/10)

UK Release Date: 17th August 2011

Director: Jon Favreau

Writer’s: Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman (screenplay), Steve Oedekerk (screen story) & Scott Mitchell Rosenberg (graphic novel)

The Film Buzz Anticipation Rating: *******½~~ (7.5/10)

UK Release Date: 28th October 2011

Director: Tate Taylor

Writer’s: Tate Taylor, Kathryn Stockett (Book)

The Film Buzz Anticipation Rating: ******~~~~ (6/10)

UK Release Date: 13th January 2012

Director: Steven Spielberg

Writer’s: Lee Hall, Richard Curtis, , Michael Morpungo (Book)

Synopsis: The Quileute and the Volturi close in on expecting parents Edward and Bella, whose unborn child poses different threats to the wolf pack and vampire coven.

The Film Buzz Anticipation Rating: *******~~~ (7/10)

UK Release Date: 18th November 2011

Director: Bill Condon

Writer’s: Melissa Rosenberg, Stephenie Meyer

Stars: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner

Synopsis: Tintin and his friends discover directions to a sunken ship commanded by Capt. Haddock’s ancestor and go off on a treasure hunt.
The Film Buzz Anticipation Rating: *********~ (9/10)

UK Release Date: 26th October 2011

Director: Steven Spielberg

Writer’s: Steven Moffat, Joe Cornish, Edgar Wright (screenplay), Hergé

Synopsis: Rhoda Williams (Marling), an astrophysics student at MIT, is driving when she sees a planet and leans out for a closer look. She hits a minivan and kills a family. She is imprisoned for four years, and upon release seeks out the widower of the family, composer John Burroughs (Mapother). The planet she saw is a mirror planet of Earth, and an essay contest is held where the winner can ride a space shuttle to visit it. Williams considers the possibility of visiting it to find out what kind of life her mirror self would have led.

Synopsis: From the producers of Shaun of the Dead and Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World comes Attack The Block – A fast, funny, frightening action adventure movie that pits a teen gang against an invasion of savage alien monsters. It turns a London housing estate into a sci-fi playground. A tower block into a fortress under siege. And teenage street kids into heroes. It’s inner city versus outer space.

TFB Anticipation Rating: ********~~ (8/10)

UK Release Date: 13th May 2011

Director: Joe Cornish

Sucker Punch is an epic action fantasy that takes us into the vivid imagination of a young girl whose dream world provides the ultimate escape from her darker reality. Unrestrained by the boundaries of time and place, she is free to go where her mind takes her, and her incredible adventures blur the lines between what’s real and what is imaginary.

She has been locked away against her will, but Babydoll (Emily Browning) has not lost her will to survive. Determined to fight for her freedom, she urges four other young girls—the outspoken Rocket (Jena Malone), the street-smart Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens), the fiercely loyal Amber (Jamie Chung) and the reluctant Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish)—to band together and try to escape their terrible fate at the hands of their captors, Blue (Oscar Isaac), Madam Gorski (Carla Gugino) and the High Roller (Jon Hamm).

Led by Babydoll, the girls engage in fantastical warfare against everything from samurais to serpents, with a virtual arsenal at their disposal. Together, they must decide what they are willing to sacrifice in order to stay alive. But with the help of a Wise Man (Scott Glenn), their unbelievable journey—if they succeed—will set them free.

TFB Anticipation Rating: *******~~~ (7/10)

UK Release Date: 1st April 2011

Director: Zack Snyder

Synopsis: X-Men: First Class charts the epic beginning of the X-Men saga, and reveals a secret history of famous global events. Before mutants had revealed themselves to the world, and before Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Not archenemies, they were instead at first the closest of friends, working together with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to stop Armageddon. In the process, a grave rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto’s Brotherhood and Professor X’s X-Men.

Starring James McAvoy, Micheal Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence and Kevin Bacon.

TFB Anticipation Rating: ******~~~~ (6/10)

UK Release Date: 2nd June 2011

Director: Matthew Vaughn

TFB Anticipation Rating: ****~~~~~~ (4/10)

UK Release Date: 1st April 2011

Director: Tim Hill