Opening

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—— The Haunting of Helena Jun 21

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—— How To Make Money Selling Drugs Jun 26
—— White House Down Jun 28
—— The Heat Jun 28
56% I'm So Excited! Jun 28

Cowboys & Aliens (2011)

tomatometer

44

Average Rating: 5.6/10
Reviews Counted: 234
Fresh: 103 | Rotten: 131

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.

43

Average Rating: 5.8/10
Critic Reviews: 44
Fresh: 19 | Rotten: 25

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.

audience

45

liked it
Average Rating: 3.1/5
User Ratings: 91,977

My Rating

Movie Info

1875. New Mexico Territory. A stranger (Craig) with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution. 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 (Ford). 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. Now, the stranger they

Dec 6, 2011

$100.2M

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All Critics (235) | Top Critics (44) | Fresh (103) | Rotten (131) | DVD (9)

What started as 'True Grit'-meets-'War of the Worlds' ends up closer to - whisper it - 'Wild Wild West'.

August 17, 2011 Full Review Source: Time Out
Time Out
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Takes itself much too seriously, with acts of brutality outnumbering the gags.

August 8, 2011 Full Review Source: New Yorker | Comments (11)
New Yorker
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Cowboys & Aliens is an agreeable time-killer, but I'll bet a couple of clever kids could make a livelier movie with a Woody puppet and a Predator doll.

July 31, 2011 Full Review Source: New York Magazine | Comments (41)
New York Magazine
Top Critic IconTop Critic

[A] phenomenally successful two-man war against narrative clarity and continuity.

July 29, 2011 Full Review Source: The Atlantic | Comments (28)
The Atlantic
Top Critic IconTop Critic

A film that entertains, even if it doesn't live up to the full-on madness potential the title portended.

July 29, 2011 Full Review Source: Film.com | Comments (3)
Film.com
Top Critic IconTop Critic

It's just big silly fun, the kind you're supposed to have at a summer movie with a ridiculous title.

July 29, 2011 Full Review Source: Detroit News | Comments (23)
Detroit News
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Expensive, a misfire, but perfectly servicable for what it is

January 14, 2013 Full Review Source: McClatchy-Tribune News Service
McClatchy-Tribune News Service

Delivers on the promise of an exciting genre mash-up but, even with a talented cast and revered team of writers, fails to weave a fulfilling story.

October 2, 2012 Full Review Source: ScreenRant
ScreenRant

Patchy, if enjoyable in parts, but nowhere near as awesome as that title suggests it should be.

September 28, 2012 Full Review Source: TheShiznit.co.uk
TheShiznit.co.uk

Jon Favreau's "Cowboys & Aliens" is a film that starts off with promise, but quickly loses its way as it tries to merge two different genres.

September 19, 2012 Full Review Source: Examiner.com
Examiner.com

Rather refreshingly what-you-see-is-exactly-what-you-get: a western with aliens grafted on, or a sci-fi invasion film with cowboys grafted on--nothing more, nothing less.

February 1, 2012 Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com
TheMovieReport.com

A mercilessly boring, wasted opportunity that forgets to have a sense of humor, charisma, or aliens.

January 29, 2012 Full Review Source: IGN DVD | Comment (1)
IGN DVD

... A dour affair that fails to capture the spirit of either genre.

December 28, 2011 Full Review Source: Star-Democrat (Easton, MD) | Comment (1)
Star-Democrat (Easton, MD)

While we were hoping and rightly expecting some old school magic from the director of Iron Man, the director of Iron Man 2 showed up.

December 23, 2011 Full Review Source: Bangitout.com | Comment (1)
Bangitout.com

'Reach for the skies' has a whole new meaning now. The science-fiction Western 'Cowboys & Aliens' is an entertaining, genre-blending romp. It's a serious movie, too - a drama with comedic moments - and that makes it all the more exciting.

December 22, 2011 Full Review Source: KWQC-TV (Iowa)
KWQC-TV (Iowa)

Not the Boys Own Adventure it could have been, but a fun - if often flawed - romp.

December 13, 2011 Full Review Source: The Baltic Times

Not what you'd expect . . .

November 22, 2011 Full Review Source: Sci-Fi Movie Page | Comment (1)
Sci-Fi Movie Page

No amount of gee-whiz techno-wizardry or nifty pop-cultural juxtapositions can save Cowboys & Aliens from two terrible truths: it has a dud script, and a dud director.

October 26, 2011 Full Review Source: The Vine | Comment (1)
The Vine

full review at Movies for the Masses

September 29, 2011 Full Review Source: Movies for the Masses | Comments (2)
Movies for the Masses

we get a standard story, some decent setpieces and only a few funny lines...Take the ride, but don't blame us if you end up saddle sore.

September 16, 2011 Full Review Source: SFX Magazine
SFX Magazine

Uma diversão eficiente que, sim, poderia ter explorado sua ótima premissa com mais cuidado, mas que ao menos não a desperdiçou com "homenagens" tolas e auto referenciais.

September 9, 2011 Full Review Source: Cinema em Cena | Comment (1)
Cinema em Cena

The two marquee stars don't interact much, the "big" action pieces are fairly ho-hum, and the movie just cowpokes along when it seems like it should be having a lot more galloping fun.

September 8, 2011 Full Review Source: American Profile
American Profile

As always, the men's transformations -- from selfish, ignorant individuals into something like a community -- are helped along by their union against a common enemy.

September 8, 2011 Full Review Source: PopMatters | Comment (1)
PopMatters

I don't think too many people are going to wander into the theater expecting The Tree of Life. The film delivers exactly what it promises.

September 2, 2011 Full Review Source: Christianity Today
Christianity Today

So in much the same way that 'Transformers' is essentially a robot war with a few humans stumbling around trying to get laid; this film should really have been called 'Alien Bracelet Vs. Aliens... With Some Cowboys Falling Off Their Horses'.

September 2, 2011 Full Review Source: Fan The Fire | Comments (3)
Fan The Fire

I'm now convinced that the non-cast related quality of the first Iron Man happened entirely by accident.

August 28, 2011 Full Review Source: Projection Booth
Projection Booth

Audience Reviews for Cowboys & Aliens

Daniel Craig was great. Ford had his moments. But this movie could have been so so so much better!
August 17, 2011
jmanard52

Super Reviewer

A
July 20, 2012
Joseph Mcnicholas

Super Reviewer

    1. Jake Lonergan: I'm a wanted man.
    2. Colonel Dolarhyde: I could have sworn I saw Jake Lonergan die in that cave.
    3. Sheriff John Taggart: Damn shame. I was hoping to hang him myself.
    4. Jake Lonergan: Jake chuckles and rides off into the sunset.
    – Submitted by Stephan V (6 months ago)
    1. Meacham: [to Doc - learning to shoot] Don't yank on it - it's not your pecker.
    – Submitted by Brien M (17 months ago)
    1. Meacham: Not bad for a country preacher.
    – Submitted by Trypp B (18 months ago)
    1. Ella: I told you not to look in the light.
    2. Jake Lonergan: Yeah. Right.
    – Submitted by Lucas M (22 months ago)
    1. Ella: If it's all the same, I would like to ride along too.
    2. Meacham: Yes, ma'am. We've got a kid, a dog, why not a woman?
    – Submitted by Lucas M (22 months ago)
    1. Jake Lonergan: Demons took your gold. When you get to Hell, you can ask for it back.
    – Submitted by Moeslim A (22 months ago)

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July 29, 2011:
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Following San Diego Comic-Con last weekend, movie news slowed to a trickle this week, mostly...
July 29, 2011:
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This week at the movies, we've got bronco-busters and extraterrestrials (Cowboys and Aliens,...
July 29, 2011:
Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci Talk Cowboys & Aliens, Star Trek 2, and More
The in-demand screenwriting duo discusses their crowded slate.

Foreign Titles

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  • Cowboys & Aliens (UK)
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