Cowboys & Aliens

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1:19

Cowboys & Aliens

PG-13

2011

1h 58m

Sci-Fi

Western

Action

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

44%

Tomatometer

254 Reviews

43%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Bearing a mysterious metal shackle on his wrist, an amnesiac gunslinger wanders into a frontier town called Absolution. He quickly finds that strangers are unwelcome, and no one does anything without the approval of tyrannical Col. Dolarhyde. But when Absolution faces a threat from beyond Earth, the stranger finds that he is its only hope of salvation. He unites townspeople, outlaws and Apache warriors against the alien forces in an epic battle for survival.

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Critics Consensus

Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford are as dependably appealing as ever, but they're let down by director Jon Favreau's inability to smooth Cowboys & Aliens' jarring tonal shifts.

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

09/08/2017

B+

From the cool special effects, to its top-notch acting and wickedly fun concept, Cowboys and Aliens is just that film that you may in fact hate to love. But it is really enjoyable.

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

01/27/2012

2.5/4

It must be said upfront that, for all its problems and script deficiencies, Cowboys & Aliens is probably the most continually entertaining effort of director Jon Favreau's still relatively young career.

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Ed Gibbs

Sydney Morning Herald

08/19/2011

7/10

There is nothing that fascinating about Favreau's treatment, nor his source material, but compared with similar blockbuster fare of recent months, this curious exercise in genre bending is very watchable.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Jan 1

2/4

It’s apparent the writers merely plugged in conventional story devices that would have worked just as well in a movie named Cops & Barracudas or Doctors & Hornets or even Accountants & Amoebas.

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Bill Newcott

AARP Movies for Grownups

04/01/2023

4/5

If Sam Peckinpah had made Close Encounters of the Third Kind...(or)...if Steven Spielberg ...had directed The Wild Bunch, I could imagine it turning out a lot like this.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

03/09/2023

3/4

The film serves up a serious-minded genre experiment that works, despite some lingering feelings of disappointment for its lack of raw, popcorn-munching silliness.

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Sharayah H.

@RT07646023 6h

Really loved how different it was. I enjoyed a new concept

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SEATER S.

@SEATERorSTREAMER May 16

Today was my first time watching this movie! That… was SOME production 👏 In the beginning I forgot it was an alien movie - the western storyline was very well done by a phenomenal cast that was ALL in on their roles They added all the western elements and merged them together imaginatively to defeat a common enemy I really underestimated it for years…Super enjoyed it!

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Shawn S

@Skoolboy740 Apr 21

I can’t believe I waited so long to watch it. I never cared to see it because of all the reviews. It was a really fun movie though. I don’t believe it deserves all the hate. There was one scene that was a little cheesy but it wasn’t really that bad. I thought the acting was well done. I genuinely enjoyed it. I recommend seeing it at least once if you’re bored.

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Trou d

@RT86672061 Feb 13

It's fun. What more do you want from a film with a title like that? The effects are good, the actors are well chosen and deliver, the production values are first-rate, and there is quite often a major hottie on the screen. It even has a good heart. This movie made two of my personal lists --- movies that really should have sucked but really didn't, and guilty pleasures. It entered that second one high on the list, right up there with Big Trouble in Little China and Kelly's Heroes. In the final analysis, I'd say it is the best movie that could have been made starting from that premise. It even holds its own as a western.

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James P

@Mavsog1995 Feb 8

Whoever gave this movie a bad review needs to jump off a cliff. This is a damn good movie with some sexy milf actresses, and it has Daniel Craig kicking ass, also has Indiana Jones in it. And so.e nudes scenes of Olivia wilde, sexy milf. Cowboys and Mexicans killing some aliens that were kidnapping local people, fucking badass!

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Ivan M.

@imapug Jan 11

Absolutely love the film! It’s fantastic! Great storyline and graphics! Awesome acting!

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Jon Favreau

Director

Daniel Craig

Jake Lonergan

Harrison Ford

Woodrow Dolarhyde

Olivia Wilde

Ella Swenson

Sam Rockwell

Doc

Adam Beach

Nat Colorado

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Cowboys & Aliens: Trailer 1

1:19

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Synopsis

Bearing a mysterious metal shackle on his wrist, an amnesiac gunslinger wanders into a frontier town called Absolution. He quickly finds that strangers are unwelcome, and no one does anything without the approval of tyrannical Col. Dolarhyde. But when Absolution faces a threat from beyond Earth, the stranger finds that he is its only hope of salvation. He unites townspeople, outlaws and Apache warriors against the alien forces in an epic battle for survival.

Director: Jon Favreau
Producer: Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Scott Mitchell Rosenberg
Screenwriter: Damon Lindelof, Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Fairview Entertainment, Imagine Entertainment, K/O Paper Products, Platinum Studios, Paramount Pictures International
Rating: PG-13 (Some Partial Nudity|A Brief Crude Reference|Western and Sci-Fi Action|Western and Sci-Fi Violence)
Genre: Sci-Fi, Western, Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 29, 2011, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 26, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $100.2M
Runtime: 1h 58m
Sound Mix: DTS, Dolby SRD, SDDS