‘Cowboys and Aliens’ a mashup that works

Sitting home on a sunny Tuesday afternoon, with “Billy the Exterminator” playing on my television, I’m still thinking of the fusion of Western and sci-fi that I saw with my brother, Randy. The title: “Cowboys and Aliens.”

When I think of fusion, I think about food. As in Mexican pizza. Not of movies. But then in a world where the term mashup is becoming more and more common, the notion of blending, say, the genres of Western and science fiction doesn’t seem all that strange. Gene Autry did it way back in 1935 with his serial “The Phantom Empire.”

So we have Daniel Craig as a cowboy who wakes up with amnesia, making him a kind of cowboy Jason Borne because he turns out to be a born killer. He shows up in a town, looking for some clue about who he is, only to get arrested. But before he can be handed over to either the territory marshall or to a vengeance-seeking rancher (Harrison Ford), he and the rest of the town come under attack. From … flying saucers?

Yep. Based on a graphic novel, which had been inspired by a Gary Larson cartoon strip , “Cowboys and Aliens” is hardly the greatest film ever made. It’s not even the best film of the month, much less week (that belongs to the film “Beginners ,” more on that later). But it is fun and, as directed by Jon Favreau, it kept me interested despite the various flights from reality (and physics).

My Movies 101 partners this week, Nathan Weinbender and Pete Porter, were far less enthused. They thought it was too serious. But, then, the filmmaker weren’t trying to make a comedy. They wanted more of a John Ford feel.

So, depending on your point of view, maybe mistakes were made.

Below : The tralier for “Cowboys and Aliens.”