Cowboys & Aliens

Name: Cowboys & Aliens
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller, Western
Released: July 29, 2011
Duration: 118 min
Rating: 50
Cast: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde

2011

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 41 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 475 Ratings

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5.9

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5.9	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 475 Ratings

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Cowboys & Aliens

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Movie Details & Credits

Universal Pictures | Release Date: July 29, 2011 | PG-13

Starring: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde

Summary: 1873. Arizona Territory. A stranger 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 the1873. Arizona Territory. A stranger 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. 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, 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. (Universal Pictures)

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Director: Jon Favreau

Genre(s): Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller, Western

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 118 min

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Critic Reviews

Steve Persall

Jul 28, 2011

This movie, saddle sores and all, is a lot of fun. Read full review

Ty Burr

Jul 27, 2011

A hell-for-leather action film with a healthy serving of scares. It really is "Aliens" on the open plains, "Independence Day" for the nation's centennial, and what the movie lacks in originality and stick-to-your-ribs Western authenticity, it makes up for in pell-mell multiplex entertainment. Read full review

M. E. Russell

Jul 28, 2011

The movie is plainly entertaining, with a terrific cast and a fast-moving story helping you overlook the dialogue's frequent failure to crackle. Read full review

Andrew O'Hehir

Jul 28, 2011

The movie never makes much of a case for its own existence; it's a mediocre western clumsily welded to a mediocre alien shoot-'em-up, and if you allow yourself to think about its treatment of history for as long as one second, you'll feel insulted. Read full review

Josh Levin

Jul 29, 2011

Instead of merging the Western and the sci-fi genre to form some new, transcendent class of popcorn fare, Cowboys & Aliens just regurgitates the conventions of both genres. Double the high concept, quadruple the clichés. Read full review

Ian Buckwalter

Jul 29, 2011

Based on a graphic novel, Cowboys & Aliens never quite transcends the flat dimensions of its source material. Read full review

Nick Schager

Jul 26, 2011

Brandishing a literal-minded title as laughable as the rest of its action, Cowboys & Aliens mashes up genres with a staunch dedication to getting everything wrong, making sure that each scene is more inane than the one that preceded it. Read full review

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User Reviews

Boychick

Jul 29, 2011

Cowboys & Aliens is very entertaining. Is it art? No. It's just great commercial entertainment. It's an exciting, funny, scary way to spend a couple of hours. It's shot beautifully. The casting is first rate. The faces on the old west guys are worth the price of admission. It's not nearly asCowboys & Aliens is very entertaining. Is it art? No. It's just great commercial entertainment. It's an exciting, funny, scary way to spend a couple of hours. It's shot beautifully. The casting is first rate. The faces on the old west guys are worth the price of admission. It's not nearly as good a film as the first Alien movie, but it has a lot of the same scary/entertaining qualities. If you want to have a fun ride on a Friday night or Saturday afternoon this the movie to see. Should you see it now or wait until it's available to rent? See it in a theater. The sound and visual effects demand a big screen. You can rent it later. Because you'll want to see it again.… Expand

5 of 8 users found this helpful53

TheQuietGamer

Mar 2, 2012

A strangely enjoyable movie that can be humorous and action packed, but surprisingly never cheesy even with the fact that it's just one big goofy idea, it succeeds because it takes itself seriously even when it could just give in and be a campy flick, it ca be a bit predictable at times butA strangely enjoyable movie that can be humorous and action packed, but surprisingly never cheesy even with the fact that it's just one big goofy idea, it succeeds because it takes itself seriously even when it could just give in and be a campy flick, it ca be a bit predictable at times but in the end comes together to be a highly enjoyable movie that I can't help but recommend.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

Gojira63

Jun 13, 2013

I love Westerns and I love Science Fiction and movies from both genres that are fun. Conceptually this is a great idea mixing the genres as they have done. My initial review is that it begins very well, sags in the middle, then picks up in the final few acts.

The special effects are veryI love Westerns and I love Science Fiction and movies from both genres that are fun. Conceptually this is a great idea mixing the genres as they have done. My initial review is that it begins very well, sags in the middle, then picks up in the final few acts.

The special effects are very well done. I really enjoy the design of the aliens. They are menacing and threatening with no regard for human life. The acting is very well done. Both Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig offer believable characters that are not one dimensional. Both men are tough, full of pride and though they are on different sides of the issue at the start of the movie it is not so easy to distinguish the typical western good guy from the bad guy. The plot is creative and they way typical adversaries in western movies all come together to battle the aliens flows well into the story and is not forced and artificial.

Once the aliens arrive and the back story of Daniel Craig's character is explored is when the movie begins to sag. Other things also happen that slows down the pacing of the movie. One event is the revelation of another alien which is used to explain the motive of the invading aliens. I think they could have found another way for exposition and it would have quicken the pacing. The other reason the middle of the movie sags is that many scenes take place in the dark and it is difficult to view what was happening. I wish movie makers would lighten night scenes just a bit so we the viewer could see a bit more of what is going on.

The final confrontation with the aliens is when the movie come back to life and returns to the pacing and quality story telling that it began with. Although a bit uneven all in all the movie does deliver an exciting, fun and gritty combination of the two genres.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

BKM

Feb 11, 2012

The title tells you right up front how ridiculous this movie will be, so don't get upset if you can't take it seriously. With that being said, I found the movie to be slickly entertaining with strong performances by Ford and Craig in the lead roles. It's pure escapist entertainment despiteThe title tells you right up front how ridiculous this movie will be, so don't get upset if you can't take it seriously. With that being said, I found the movie to be slickly entertaining with strong performances by Ford and Craig in the lead roles. It's pure escapist entertainment despite the efforts of the entire cast to play it as serious as possible and somehow it all works.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

TVJerry

Jul 31, 2011

The concept is unique, but it's mired down in a conventional formula that even includes a little boy and a dog. Daniel Craig (steely-eyed and tough) and Harrison Ford (in a bad guy role) team up to fight the hostile visitors from outer space. Between the slow parts, there are chases,The concept is unique, but it's mired down in a conventional formula that even includes a little boy and a dog. Daniel Craig (steely-eyed and tough) and Harrison Ford (in a bad guy role) team up to fight the hostile visitors from outer space. Between the slow parts, there are chases, explosions and firefights, but none of them are original or special. The effects are adequate, as is the movie in general.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

tearsoftime

Dec 1, 2011

Cowboys & Aliens is certainly a movie. Itâ

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

boilingboy1

Dec 16, 2011

This is close to the worst film I have ever seen. Good cast that should be ashamed of themselves. Beyond-cliched Western characters, grafted on aliens plot, and the most infuriating attemps to manipulate with "touching" moments that haven't been remotely earned. The definition of polished turd.

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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29	#29 Most Discussed Movie of 2011
87	#87 Most Shared Movie of 2011