The cold winter months are fast approaching, which naturally means we’re all looking forward to the warm days of summer and the next summer blockbuster. Universal has struck first in that regard, unveiling today the first trailer for Cowboys & Aliens, an Old West meets sci-fi flick that seems to take itself a bit more seriously than Will Smith’s venture into the sci-fi frontier. We like that — like we liked Red Dead Redemption.
The teaser trailer for Cowboys & Aliens, available at Yahoo! Movies, gives the first glimpse of Daniel Craig as he escapes his shackles and is chased down by local authorities.including Harrison Ford. But things aren’t what they seem — and is Daniel Craig really an alien?
Don’t worry, Cowboys & Aliens doesn’t appear to get campy, and it takes itself a bit more seriously than Will Smith’s outing in Wild, Wild West. In our opinion, that’s a good thing, and Cowboys & Aliens could actually make Old West films cool again.
We can’t wait to see more of Cowboys & Aliens, and we’ll undoubtedly watch the teaser trailer multiple times. Here’s a quick synopsis of the movie, courtesy of Universal.
1873. Arizona 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.
The script for Cowboys & Aliens is by Star Trek’s Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci and Damon Lindelof (television’s Lost), based on Platinum Studios’ graphic novel created by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg. Grazer, Howard, Rosenberg, Kurtzman and Orci produce. Spielberg and Denis L. Stewart executive produce.
