Cowboys and Aliens

Just got back from seeing this.

It was incredible on all counts.

The cast was marvelous and everyone showed up for work, turning in stellar performances. It's so good to see Harrison Ford at the top of his game again. The supporting cast did that: support while still making their mark, holding their own and making a difference.

The writing was great. Every character had a story arc that fit their role. The mix of genres was fantastic--the movie was true to both yet used the mix to bring unexpected twists and plays against standard tropes, even while those tropes were honored. And deaths made a difference. If you'd been introduced to a character and that character died, it makes a clear difference in the story.

Oh, and trust the movie with the dog. Just saying.

Excellent excellent movie. Will be seeing it again before the end of the weekend, possibly at full price, I've no doubt. This is an auto-Blu-ray buy.

For Hollywood, it's not that gross. Many video games are far more graphic. Aliens like to bite people in the throat. The only way to kill aliens are in bellies (when it's exposed--more understanding when you see it) and in the head, so there's plenty of PG-13ish rifle blasts and spears to the aliens' heads, but you don't get any gratuitous close-ups or anything.

My kids would've been able to handle it, but I know not all kids can. I'd put the graphic violence level just a tad above ID4, if that helps any.