A Million Ways to Die in the West

This review may contain spoilers.

Seth MacFarlane is a comic cinematic genius, I truly believe that. I would give A Million Ways to Die in the West a 7/10.

Seth MacFarlane really hit it out of the park with this one, he made a film with some relatively great pacing and fantastic plot. All of those modern themes and ironies that he points out within this film are a spectacle unto themselves but his complete perversion of the romanticism of the western film is what really makes this such a stand out film. The set was incredibly well constructed and the music for this film is nothing short of fantastic, I would consider this perhaps the greatest comedy film of the year so far. The choreography in the fight and death scenes were also amazing to watch.

There were some fantastic cameos within this film from Ryan Reynolds, Gilbert Gottfried, Ewan McGregor and Patrick Stewart, who played Man Killed by Clinch in Bar, Abraham Lincoln, Cowboy at Fair and Dream Voice respectively. But also cameos made by celebrities of the genre such as Christopher Lloyd and Jamie Foxx, who played Doc Brown and Django. Seth Macfarlane, who played Albert, was like a ringleader of comic talent within this film, generally brandishing the best of comedy within a scene and moving the plot forward at a steady and consistent rate. Liam Neeson, who played Clinch, was a great antagonist; his gruff, ruthless bandit was the genuine article and it was great to see Liam Neeson step into a comic light at places. Neil Patrick Harris, who played Foy, was basically asked to reprise his character of Barney from How I Met Your Mother but it worked in the film and was amusing to watch.

It was Charlize Theron, who played Anna, that triumphantly stole the show. She was hilarious, often matching MacFarlane joke for joke. She could fight and shoot, she was as ruthless as Neeson. But it was her acting in emotional scenes that reminded us as an audience that Theron isn't an actress known for her comedy but her stunning ability to connect with every scene.

This film didn't go to great stretches to make the most stunning of costumes, there was the occasional eye to detail but it was often very basic. Also near the close of the film MacFarlane's comic talents seemed to slip and the humour degraded to a seedy level.

Amanda Seyfried, who played Louise, is a great actress but was completely underused within this film and basically became an actress that stood in the background. Giovanni Ribisi, who played Edward, gave an awkward and cringe worthy performance as sex deprived best friend and sweetheart boyfriend. In a similar manner Sarah Silverman, who played Ruth, was the crux of crude humour for the film and wasn't all that funny.