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Plot Summary
Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford star in this action-packed sci-fi western from the director of Iron Man (Jon Favreau) that critics call “wickedly original, unlike anything you’ve ever seen” (Jake Hamilton, Fox-TV Houston, TX). A stranger (Craig) stumbles into the desert town of Absolution with no memory of his past and a futuristic shackle around his wrist. With the help of mysterious beauty Ella (Olivia Wilde) and the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde (Ford), he finds himself leading an unlikely posse of cowboys, outlaws, and Apache warriors against a common enemy from beyond this world in an epic showdown for survival.
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Director
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Rotten Tomatoes Movie Reviews
TOMATOMETER
44%- Reviews Counted: 235
- Fresh: 104
- Rotten: 131
- Average Rating: 5.6/10
Top Critics' Reviews
Rotten: Takes itself much too seriously, with acts of brutality outnumbering the gags.
Rotten: The cowboys: great. The aliens: not so much. There's fun to be had here, but it falls way short of the pulp classic it could have been.
Fresh: 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.
Fresh: If you can swallow the shameless set-up, it's all highly entertaining.
Customer Reviews
A FAST, FUN, AND FEROCIOUS FILM!
"Cowboys & Aliens" was truly one of the most unique, overhyped, and underrated movies of the summer. It had an outrageously epic premise, a cast of all-star veteran actors, and some of the most creative special effects displayed in any film this year. So obviously, when we saw the incredibly epic trailer, my friends and I had to see the flick on opening day...even though it did get mixed reviews by critics. And for the most part, it didn't disappoint! Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford were incredible as the two main leads, Jake Lonergan and Colonel Woodrow Dolarhyde. They more than proved that they're still forces to be reckoned with in Hollywood. I should also give a shout-out to Noah Ringer, who made a great comeback after his terrible performance as Aang in last year's "The Last Airbender". In addition, the aliens were fantastically designed, the battle sequences were nothing short of epic, and the score fit in extremely well with the intensity of the action. However, that's not to say there weren't some slight problems with the movie. The story had a few plot holes here and there, plus it got a bit confusing and over-the-top at times. Also, some of the characters had some really bad dialogue and just didn't fit in very well with the rest of the main cast. Although, I did end up being most disappointed with Olivia Wilde, whose role as the mysterious Ella Swenson didn't really leave a lasting impression. Her performance wasn't very convincing and when the truth about her secret past was revealed, it wasn't all that surprising. But maybe I shouldn't complain. After all, this is a flick that combines the gritty action of a western film with the spine-tingling suspense of a sci-fi blockbuster. And I have to say, Jon Favreau did a fantastic job in his attempt to mishmash those two extremely different genres into one. Who cares what those snooty critics have to say anyway? My friends and I didn't walk out of the theatre talking about the quality of the acting, writing, and character development. All that was on our minds were the mind-blowing action sequences, marvelous special effects, and breathtaking visuals. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed myself with "Cowboys & Aliens". It might not be the most sophisticated or smartly written film of the year, but you'll certainly still have a great time watching it. Buy or rent it if you get the chance. It's definitely worth it!
Awesome!!!!
I cant believe the critics didnt like this movie...... this movie is the perfect crossover between the Western and Sci-Fi genres. There are several reasons why yiu should see this film.....
1. Its directed by Jon Favreau, who directs Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Zathura, etc.
2. It stars Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, and Olivia Wilde
3. Its Cowboys vs. Aliens!!!!! the title alone should make you interested
Even though this movie isn't the greatest, its still a must-see.... Screw the critics, watch it, you will not be sorry!!!!!
A+ & A+ on originality and great humor!
Dear America, Perhaps if everyone in our good ol' U.S.ofA., Canada, Mexico, England, France, Spain, and anyone else interested in serving well the people of planet Earth will write a review like this one to the powers that be at iTunes, then perhaps they will get rid of the idiots and all else that has anything to do with Rotten Tomatoes who seem devoted and determined to give bad review ratings to the majority of good movies. Maybe it's just my way of thinking, but I get the impression that the R.T. reviewers are supposedly qualified authorities on giving ratings on the quality of movies... WRONG!!! They don't know their burros from any hole in the ground. Cowboys & Aliens is an original idea for both SciFi and Westerns, and as an entertaining creation from the people that make their living at entertaining us ("us" being the movie watching world!), the folks at Universal treated us well! Why don't you people at Rotten Tomatoes go on a long vacation or somewhere that will fulfill our hopes of never hearing from you again?
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- $14.99
- Genre: Action & Adventure
- Released: 2011
- © 2011 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.