I liked the way Favreau used classic Western tropes to carry a silly story. If you watch, most of the shots could have come from a John Ford western (aside from the lens flares--what the heck is it with those lately? They're annoying as hell). Classic characters (The Mysterious Gunslinger, The Preacher, The Hard ass Landowner, The Kid, The GreenHorn), classic set (the uber wide street was a sly nod to Sergio Leone's quirky towns in the Eastwood films). We have the Indian tropes (medicine man, tales around a fire, etc), too... but then he throws in this absurd twist with the aliens. It was clever to have the people react little differently to an alien invasion than classic westerns would to the Apaches raiding. Example: spaceships tear up the town, people are yanked right off the street and into the sky, and do the people collapse, fearful of the wrath of God, or Satan, or whoever? Are they fearful? Do they even really question what they saw? HECK NO! Ford empties his six shooter at them, then declares that they're gonna get their people back!
Westerns were a big part of my life, growing up, and this movie captured all the beauty of them, while tweaking the absurditites of the genre.
And I really, really liked giggling at the way Craig sat a horse
Total Englishman (they ride very differently from Americans, for those who didn't know that).
Sorry for the long answer OoO--I think this is a WAY misunderstood movie