Note: the following review is SPOILER-FREE. Do not look at ANY spoilers for this film - trust me, they'll ruin two of the best jokes in the film. In fact, don't even look at the cast list on Wikipedia or IMDb or anything (I'll explain why shortly).
Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great pleasure that I bring to you this special review of A Million Ways to Die in the West - more than a week before it hits theaters! As noted in a special message (pre-recorded by stars Seth MacFarlane and Charlize Theron), those of us in the theater would be amongst the very first members of the general public to see the finished film. Now, without further ado, on to the review!
I know many of Seth MacFarlane's programs (Family Guy, American Dad, the dearly-departed Cleveland Show) are despised by just as many people as there are fans of said shows. Ted showed that he was more than just a great TV writer, voice actor, and singer - it proved that he could direct and write films, too. A Million Ways to Die in the West, in turn, blows Ted away (figuratively, although with all those gunshots, perhaps literally, too). Within the first thirty seconds (probably the first ten or fifteen, actually) of the film's opening narration, the first joke landed right on target - and the film proper just kept going from there. Alternately laugh-out-loud funny, heartwarming/romantic, and suspenseful (Liam Neeson makes a great villain), A Million Ways to Die in the West may not be Blazing Saddles, but it comes very, VERY close (though the two are difficult to compare, really). I can honestly say that this one might be worth going back to see once it releases to the general public (I am pretty sure I missed a couple of jokes this time - everyone was laughing much too hard).
The only real downside to the film was that a very few (and just a few) jokes were a little too awkward - mostly from overstaying their welcome (and even a couple of these redeemed themselves with a great punchline). In a film in which virtually every joke hits the bulls-eye, it's hard for there to be any standouts, but there are two - I won't spoil them, but they both involve VERY unexpected (yet not technically out-of-place) cameos. Again, DO NOT LOOK AT ANY SPOILERS OR CAST LISTS (at least until after you have seen the film). And don't tell anyone who intends to ever see the movie, either.
I'd like to conclude this review by thanking the cast for their outstanding performances (especially Liam Neeson - seriously, DO NOT FUCK WITH CLINCH LEATHERWOOD), to the writers (duh), and to Mr. MacFarlane for directing, writing, producing, novelizing and starring in this film, as well as everyone else who would have worked on it (I didn't have time to stay for the credits, but I am sure they weren't as long as Iron Man).
Rating: 999,999/1,000,000 (hey, how else was I gonna rate it?)
Note: I wrote this review for Gofobo (which distributed the passes for the advanced screening). The version on that site is not as complete as this one. The screening was on May 21, 2014, at 7:30 p.m. in Columbia, MD; this review was written and posted on both Gofobo and my blog on May 22.
