User reviews

It's easy to figure out what Cowboys & Aliens is going to be. I'm not familiar with the comic book that it's based on but the film is definitely what the title has promised us. There are cowboys, then there are aliens. If you are fond to Western movies then you'll be entertained but if you are expecting too much aliens then you might get disappointed. You won't be seeing anything mind blowing in this film. If you want to see Sci-Fi action plus Western Violence then this film is just for you.

Cowboys & Aliens is nothing but to entertain you. The only thing that is unique here is the Western & Sci-Fi collaboration. The film is just your typical Western movie but instead of Indians or some sadistic bandit, the aliens are the antagonist of the film. The aliens are pretty intriguing but we don't see them that much until the third act. It's disappointing if you are expecting too much aliens. The only things we see them do are ride their ships, stab people, shoot with their weapons, & jump scare the audiences. It's also your typical alien invasion film.

At least the action is full of explosions. Jon Favreau sure knows how to make the action scenes exciting no matter how flawed they are. The performances saved most of the film. Daniel Craig's character is actually bland in the script so does Olivia Wilde's, but Craig's performance gives a little more character to the role. I don't know what to say about Olivia Wilde's, she is just hot. Harrison Ford & Sam Rockwell do what they do best. Paul Dano can be both fun to watch and annoying at the same time.

It's easy to recognize that the CGI effects were made by Industrial Light & Magic, since the CGI aliens looks just like any monster from J.J. Abram's films. No doubt, it's good. The score is true to its western themes. The production design is pretty decent enough for a western film.

In the end, Cowboys & Aliens is just another blockbuster released to our cinemas. I don't know if this film is going to be remembered years from now but I think the only purpose of this film is to show its gritty western violence and some sci-fi action. If you're expecting more than the title then you will be disappointed. If you are expecting more aliens than the cowboys then you'll be disappointed. Cowboys are the focus and the aliens end up being the jump scare of the movie. It's not bad nor good though. If you are careless about the story and the character development, & you're just seeking for some sheer action and huge explosions then I can recommended this. But not quite.

I see no way possible of giving this movie under a 7. I read other people talking about the actors seeming bored and I finally see it and I don't see that at all. I guess the story was kinda random but a lot of it made sense. The cast was great and the acting was great. If you are looking for a Jon Favorue or however you spell it, this didn't seem like it, but it was still really good. If you enjoy movies involving the old west, which have been popping up, and you like sci-fi this is good for either of you. The trailers didn't give a lot away so a lot of things are discovered in the movie that you were not expecting. All in all, the story was probably a 7/10, the acting a 9/10, and the cast a 9/10. I give this movie an 8/10 and hope to see more movies like this.

Having seen the trailers, I was really looking forward to this movie. And now that I have seen it, I can honestly say that I wasn't disappointed. However, the concept of cowboys and aliens thrown together into one pot still does seem a bit odd to me.

The story in "Cowboys & Aliens" is pretty easy to follow; Jake Lonergan finds himself without his memory and a pretty neat-looking bracelet around his wrist. Thrown into a desperate fight against a far superior species, Jake, the people of Absolution and the native Americans find themselves in a showdown for supremacy.

I must admit that the story is fairly much on the 'no-brainer' side of the storyboard. This is the type of movie where you can switch off your brain and just run on the adrenaline alone. There is action from the start of the movie and right up to the end of it. The fight scenes were really nice to look at, lots of guns blazing (both archaic and future guns), explosions and in-your-face action scenes.

The movie is making good use of make-up effects and CGI effects. The aliens look awesome, and they look so life-like that it is bordering on being too real. Thumbs way up for the effects team on "Cowboys & Aliens", they sure did a great job.

As for the cast, then I think they got a good group of people together for the movie. And I must say that Daniel Craig (playing Jake Lonergan) is more cut out for something like this, rather than playing James Bond. And it was really good to see Harrison Ford (playing Woodrow Dolarhyde) in this movie. He is in top shape here and putting on a really good performance, both in acting and action scenes.

"Cowboys & Aliens" is a good movie for an evening of mindless action entertainment. If not for the action sequences, then for the effects and CGI. Compared to some of the recent movies that make heavy use of CGI effects, "Cowboys & Aliens" came off as more than just a shallow story trying to stay afloat by effects alone.

Surprisingly good. The basic premise sounded ridiculous, and a recipe for a mindless B-grade action-only movie. However, it's much better than that.

Plot is actually quite solid. Characters are multi-dimensional, and the humans' background story is developed well, before we meet the Aliens. Director Jon Favreau paces the film well and doesn't go overboard on the action scenes.

Good performances all round from a star-heavy cast: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Sam Rockwell, Olivia Wilde.

Good entertainment.

Cowboys & Aliens is a testament to how quickly the medium of cinema shifts because this would never be made now. A genre bending blockbuster that's unlike anything else even if it's still based on existing IP. It doesn't entirely cohere and is way more self serious than you'd expect this concept to be but the collision of a western and science fiction keeps it entertaining.

Daniel Craig was born to play a man with no name. The strong silent type is a natural fit for him and considering the overly serious tone, his performance makes for the ideal lead. As a gruff rancher with a heart of gold, Harrison Ford is also playing squarely to his strengths and Olivia Wilde does her best with the weakest character who the script completely mishandled.

Jon Favreau's direction struggles with the logistics of staging action involving cowboys, aliens and spaceships but he's really good at using the cinematic language of the western. In that first half hour, the film commits wholeheartedly to being a stereotypical western which makes the hard pivot into sci-fi (and a pretty nasty one at that) all the more effective.

If you like cowboys, dirt, Daniel Craig, or a boy with a dog, you should go. Overall, surprisingly thumbs up. Warning, the good dialogue comes at the beginning, the good horse riding comes in the middle, and the embarrassing face you make when cringing comes at the end. Yes, this is a popcorn film (I ate my whole bag), but it also does an excellent job putting some real hitch in the giddy up of cowboy flicks.

Daniel Craig shines as rough, reluctant hero, and really stuck it to the producers of Bond for not continuing his reign (making hearing him speak in an American accent all the more odd). Jon Favreau once again brought a pleasant grounding to what could easily slip into Michael Bay-let's just blow things up and move the camera really fast-territory. I am reminded of his insistence on "Elf" to do as many in-camera effects as possible before resorting to CGI, lending the tipping point of keeping it reasonable and earning his place at the table with the big boy producers of this film.

As a fan of early cowboy films of Ford, Wayne, Huston, and Steward, I was pleased to see the pacing and emphasis on the journey honored. This film is more about riding than stare offs. I just wish the destination was as much fun as the chase. At times it seemed like a chore to continue stabbing and shooting the aliens. Classics like "Winchester '73" knew best to get the killing done and wrap in up fast.

The answer to the obvious question hovering around Jon Favreau's latest action blockbuster is yes, "Cowboys & Aliens" is as ridiculous as the title sounds. Yet blame doesn't quite belong on Favreau's shoulders or that of star Daniel Craig or the rest of the cast; rather, the failure of this alien-infested Western results from the domino effect of the countless studios and producers who put their faith (and money) in a concept rather than a story.

To be fair, I know nothing of the Platinum Studios comic by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, but it couldn't have been all that good if all the hottest screenwriters in Hollywood couldn't whip together a plot worth a damn. The duos behind "Iron Man" and "Star Trek" along with "Lost" writer Damon Lindelof all took cracks at the screenplay and an earlier treatment from another pair of "it" writers who wrote next month's "Conan the Barbarian" was discarded. Frankly, criticism of "Cowboys & Aliens" all stems from a story with lackluster characters equipped with cliché motivations. Despite some cool aliens, the action doesn't offer anything unique enough to counter that we've no reason to care.

Craig stars as Jake Lonergan, a stoic outlaw in Arizona sometime in the late 19th Century who wakes up with no memory and some metal device on his wrist. When he arrives in the town of Absolution, the sheriff discovers he's wanted and attempts to ship him off for a reward. That's when the aliens attack, bombing the town and roping up locals before flying off into the night. Lonergan's bracelet activates as a weapon and suddenly he's the only one capable of defeating these things. He joins a rescue party led by a grumpy Civil War vet named Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford) and they all set off to find out what happened to their loved ones.

The script introduces characters willy-nilly and provides little satisfactory explanation for anything that happens. The story paints Lonergan as a quiet badass, but one who has flashes of some woman he loved. Because his past slowly unravels with nothing revelatory to show for it as the film wears on, it's tough to care much or even see him as capable of romantic feelings. Regardless, a woman named Ella (Olivia Wilde) keeps approaching him with questions he doesn't have the answers to and she evolves into a love interest for nothing but the sake of it. Sam Rockwell has little to no bearing on the film other than serving an example of an otherwise peaceful man who will do whatever it takes to get his wife back. He's a waste in the role. As for Ford, he just gets on screen and acts grumpy and impatient. We've seen everyone on board do so much better. Did these folks not read the script? Probably not considering the number of drafts alone.

Worst of all, the script thinks we will care; after all, this is "Cowboys & Frickin' Aliens!" In the final sequence, suddenly all these supporting characters have little moments together out of seemingly thin air. What are supposed to be moments in the story tying up relationship subplots between characters end up as reminders that these relationships and subplots even existed in the first place. Consequently, the film's pivotal moments result not in hearts beating, but eyes rolling.

In fairness, Favreau shows his adeptness from an action perspective once again in this film. The movie looks good if nothing else with strong visual effects and a strong concept team behind the aliens and related technology. The genre experiment generally works from a tonal perspective, an obstacle that certainly stood in Favreau's path. The film feels like a Western and one in which aliens could feasibly exist, so no problems due to identity crisis.

Yet the film never provides a single reason to justify why it had to be a story about cowboys and aliens. In that sense, the movie results in nothing more than several studios and producers thinking we'd simply be interested in a fusion of a shoot-em-up Western with an alien invasion. All involved failed to ask the one critical question when making a film based on a concept: "is there a good story here?" No, there's not. Despite every ounce of you wanting to find a reason to care about what happens, none arrives. As such, "Cowboys & Aliens" offers watchable but lifeless entertainment.

~Steven C

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I greatly appreciate the ambition of what this movie wanted to be. A mix of two genres that couldn't be more different makes for a rare unpredictability that carries throughout the movie. On that front, the movie shines with a stellar cast and the character depth your expect to find in a classic western. The circumstantial melding of enemies really carries the film.

The wasted potential comes in the form of an unimaginative, mindless monster alien race that doesn't match the depth of the western characters, instead acting as little more than a plot device. I can see why it wanted to avoid becoming too silly, but I feel like there was more middle ground to lean into the absurdity of the premise without sacrificing the tone. The elements are there to make it work, but Favreau chose to play it safe with monsters. I respect that, but I found myself wanting it to realize its potential for a Woody and Buzz level blending of two worlds.

Would love to see the idea rebooted or expanded. In some ways I feel it's a victim of the time it came out in 2011 right in the upswing of the superhero wave. Parts of the movie, especially the VFX-heavy battle scenes, feel like it's trying to compete with those movies when it could have been something entirely unique.

I've not read the book (books?) so I have no bias in that regard. For me there were several plot issues that I had issues with. This isn't a spoiler, so I won't go into details. A simple one is size of scout ship vs. size of alien. The way the story weaves in all the players of the wild west, Cowboys, Indians and Outlaws is very well done. The performances are pretty good, but Craig plays it too much like James Bond for me. Maybe Favreau wanted him to play it quiet-cool, it just comes off as too 'Bond-ish' for me. Ford is terrific as the tough-as-nails ex. Civil War Colonel. The effects are first rate. I enjoyed it, but they could have done a little better.

Its 1873; New Mexico Territory; an  Outlaw and a Cattle Rancher must put aside their differences to stop Alien invaders hellbent on experimenting on humans and stripping the land of its gold.

There's something kooky about the title Cowboys and Aliens, B-movie-ish, yet, exciting, enticing and genius. However, even with the star talents including Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford, with the striking Olivia Wilde and excellent Sam Rockwell Cowboys and Aliens still falls short of expectations. The script is bland, every effort has gone into developing the two main leads but at a cost of the rest of the characters, the basic story and plot.  

The special and practical effects are well integrated and executed but while fantastic they are nothing that hasn't been seen before, reminiscent of District 9, Independence Day to name a few. Considering director's Jon Favreau fun and exciting Iron-man outings this offering is less satisfying. It's not the mishmash of classic genres that's the problem, it's the lazy, predicable story telling. 

The films opening is strong and intriguing, building up to the tension of Ford's character Colonel Woodrow Dolarhyde meeting with Craig's Jake; its Jones meets Bond, perfect. Both are excellent giving weight to the proceedings. Horses are flipped, guns and gauntlets go wild, aliens leap and stomp on cowboys. But after the first few alien attacks the film wavers onto familiar territory. Although it has a fabulous cast beneath its hat and sweeping, breathtaking Western landscapes under it's belt - it buckles under it's own weight. 

Even with its somewhat serious tone it's not brave enough to explore or commit to its own themes leaving it underdeveloped. But it also omits much needed fun leaving the whole film unseasoned and as empty as the plains of Arizona. Debatably, flop Wild Wild West (1999) infused the sci-fi and Western genre more successfully. 

Cowboys and Aliens is entertaining, it looks good, has a superb cast but it's painfully predictable and just not that great.

Somewhere out West. Man (Craig) wakes up in the desert, bleeding. Weird metal manacle on his wrist. Doesn't know who he is. Doesn't know how he got there. Kills some passing lowlifes. Rides to the nearest town: Absolution.

Ordinary kinda place. Usual kinda folks: kindly preacher (Clancy Brown), fretful barkeep-cum-doctor (Sam Rockwell), dog-tired sheriff (Keith Carradine), purty mystery lady Ella (Olivia Wilde), young troublemaker (Paul Dano).

Turns out the latter boy's untouchable, bein' son of local bigwig Dolarhyde (Ford) an' all. Figures he can push the stranger around. Figures wrong. Turns out it's Jake Lonergan - a bigger villain than old man Dolarhyde.

So just another day in Absolution. Til nightfall that is, when a bunch of machines swoop down from the sky, blow the town to smithereens and make off with half the people usin' some kinda fancy lassoes.

Aliens. Doggone.

Only thing that'll stop 'em is Jake's fancy wrist cannon. So if they want their folks back, everybody's gonna have to put their differences aside and posse up to track them unidentified flying varmints down.

Along the way, Jake gradually gets his memory back. Runs into his old gang too. And some Apaches.

Also finds out what mysterious Ella's all about and what the ETs want (same thing as everyone else, truth be told).

It's all based on one o' them graphic novels. But with a tale as outlandish as this, it proves a wise move to play it straight. Mostly.

Course, there's a gutful of guffaws to be had, but it all pans out like 3:10 to The Alamo. With more alien splatting.

Director Favreau has great fun with his flashbacks and dandy effects and such. Even throws in a few sly nods to the genre, yessiree.

But what he needs is a manly, clenched jaw or two to carry it off. And what he gets in Craig and Ford. That's what they do.

The set-up's terrific. Pacing's a mite skew-whiff though. The search and rescue bit kinda drags. Favreau needs to put his spurs in more often. Bringing the sheriff's grandkid along don't speed things along none either. Coulda made more use of the dog too.

It ain't free o' clichés. But then what western is? Want a mash-up that does what it says it's gonna do? Saddle up.

Saw cowboys and aliens on a special screening in California......well the cow boys and aliens was a fun ride and I must say it is entertaining but I can't ensure that you will love the movie as it has a lot of loop holes....this is not a great movie....well direction is alright performances of the lead actors were reasonably well(especially Olivia Wilde)the movie lacks that x-factor needed for a movie to be gr8.....watch it as it is a fun ride but it is not a must watch..... direction:6/10 plot:6/10 screenplay:8/10 entertainment value:9/10 acting department:8/10(especially due to Olivia Wilde visual effects:9/10 promotion:8.5/10

Jon Favreau has proved to me (once again) that he is an expert filmmaker. Being a major fan of Iron Man 1 & 2, I thought this project could do no wrong, especially with Steven Spielberg as producer. And thank god, I was right.

Cowboys & Aliens embraces both sci-fi and western, Favreau truly found the perfect balance between those two genres. The cinematography, actually, pretty much everything visual about the film, was absolutely terrific, pure eye candy. It also knows when to be silly and when to be serious, which is a good thing. One of my biggest fears was the thought of the movie drowning in cheesiness and embarrassing lines, but there was only a few of them, luckily. Like I said, the balance between silliness and seriousness is phenomenal, just like Iron Man.

While it's fun to think of it as "007 meets Indiana Jones" I must admit, Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford were really good as Jake Lonergan and Woodrow Dolarhyde, respectively. Not for a moment were I reminded of some of their previous great roles, but only the two roles they were playing in this movie.

Cowboys & Aliens was something of a risk, and while I expected a little more action, Jon Favreau did a great job and made it into a great genre mash-up. Overall, I can't recommend this film enough if you love cowboys and aliens. Unless you were ready to choke yourself as soon as you heard about the movie, the average movie-goer should have nothing to worry about.

Moose finds this film worthy of a 9.

We were all excited to see this, me and 6 of my friends had our tickets pre-purchased and we trekked out to the theatre which is in its own little way becoming more and more uncommon. I wasn't expecting much... i knew it was a comic (not that popular) and i knew it had a lot of cash and production muscle in it, not that it means its going to be good ... but the point is that i really wasn't expecting to be dazzled, maybe some Harrison/Craig action mixed with some sci-fi and sexy-ol' Olivia Wilde right? Wrong. At about 45 mins into the movie i had fallen asleep, my one friend sitting next to me noticed this and found it quite funny but, interestingly enough, the one sitting next to me on the other side didn't notice because he was asleep also. Noticing that we were quite peaceful i guess he decided to let us be for the remainder, which for the most part we both did. Im 25, I've been going to movies for a while now ,not to say that i know more than anyone else my age, or that this implies some sort of knowledge, but I've never come close to falling asleep in a theatre. Apparently neither had my friend. Consider what kind of a feat it is to fall asleep in a modern movie theatre, consider now the added problem of explosions at max volume and attractive women doing exciting things purely for ones enjoyment... how did we sleep for 80% of the film? Better yet how did i (and my friend) still manage to walk away with a perfect understanding of the storyline? Needless to say the film didn't deliver the action it promised, never mind all the other characteristics of good films...

This movie is a lot of fun but very hard to rate. There are scenes that are spectacular, like the opening sequence where Jake awakens naked in the desert and has to fight off some very bad men. There are scenes that make you cringe, like every time Paul Dano opens his mouth. There are great performances and terrible performances. There are funny lines and lines that make you want to punch someone. There are great special effects and there are really bad special effects. The worst part of the movie is the middle, which drags on forever. The beginning is absolutely great and the end is pretty much okay.

This is the kind of movie you should only watch on DVD. Just watch the opening credits, the fight scene, and the attack on the town. Then fast forward to the last twenty minutes. Everything in between is pretty terrible, except that Harrison Ford is surprisingly intense as Colonel D. He acts like he's in a real Western!

I put off watching this movie for some time, for the simple reason - it sounded like a slightly spoof or comedy sci-fi/western due to the name. In fact this is nothing of the sort (thankfully) and is actually a very decent shot at combining typical western fare with an alien element. From the first (quite violent)and bloody fist fight you'll realise this isn't silly kids stuff. Too often these days, a movie like this would have been dumbed down and littered with comedic or slapstick scenes. The story such as it is, is basic, but believable. The way the movie plays, at no point do you question the believability of having cowboys fighting aliens with their obviously superior technology. It was something that concerned me before watching but it works out right and makes sense. No issues with any of the acting, or the effects. Overall a decent effort, worth watching especially for sci-fi fans.

I remember this film being absolutely panned, so I dodged it. When I did watch it a few years ago, i thought it was alright. Watched it again the other night and was surprised quite how good it was. A stellar cast, well written, directed and produced. I don't understand why it hasn't gone on to become a bit of a cult film. I would like to add that Daniel Craig's hat really annoyed me. Why would a Clint Eastwood style character where such an over-sized floppy rimmed hat, it made him look a bit goofy! If you liked the 'original' star wars, then you will like Harrison Ford, he plays the dark Hans Solo character, until George Lucas re-edited it and softened him into that fun loving guy.

Oh boy, this was at the top of all time worst movies on my list. With all the money and talent that went into it it is hard to believe. They should refund peoples admission price for this embarrassment. Absolutely do not waste your time on the DVD, even if your buddy lends it to you. You will be ticked off that you wasted the 2 hours.

The story is such a garbage bag of camp movie idioms that it is impossible to achieve that willing suspension of disbelief. It is scriptwriter masturbation gone bad after too many scotches. I can visualize the writers getting drunker and drunker, stupider and stupider, trying to one up each other with crazier and crazier ideas. The producer who actually allowed it all into the movie should have his career ended by one of Aliens or Cowboys or maybe the Indians or Indiana Jones or something.

I want my two hours back !