Cowboys & Aliens

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Cowboys & Aliens

PG-13

2011

1h 58m

Sci-Fi

Western

Action

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Popcornmeter

44%

Tomatometer

254 Reviews

43%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Bearing a mysterious metal shackle on his wrist, an amnesiac gunslinger (Daniel Craig) 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 (Harrison Ford). 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

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.

Rated: B+

Sep 8, 2017

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

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.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jan 27, 2012

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Ed Gibbs

Sydney Morning Herald

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.

Rated: 7/10

Aug 19, 2011

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Bill Newcott

AARP Movies for Grownups

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.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 1, 2023

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

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.

Rated: 3/4

Mar 9, 2023

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Martín Rodríguez

En Filme

If you're into action movies in which a hero overcomes multiple difficulties in spite of his tumultuous past, then Cowboys & Aliens is for you... [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 2.5/5

Feb 1, 2023

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Oaklee D

Any film about Cowboys & Aliens should never take itself as seriously as this does, it becomes a chore to sit through as a result.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

10/14/25

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Mitchell S

We always see the modern society take on aliens. It was cool to see a more limited civilization take them on for a change. Then there's the underlying theme of redemption!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/13/25

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Chris T

It's Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford as cowboys fighting big ugly aliens, what's not to like? Yeah the plot gets messy at times, but just turn your brain off and enjoy the ride.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/27/25

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Jamie M

This fils allover the place makes no sense. But I actually enjoyed it

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/23/25

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Audience Member

Aliens were depicted as not so intelligent, polluting, dusty and untidy which is a departure from usual.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

09/22/25

Full Review

jude h

Unique storyline, excellent acting, good special effects. I don't understand the poor reviews but this movie is always moving and never boring. I mean, c'mon, Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford fighting aliens on horseback? What's not to love? It's just so good!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/21/25

Full Review

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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

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Synopsis

Bearing a mysterious metal shackle on his wrist, an amnesiac gunslinger (Daniel Craig) 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 (Harrison Ford). 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: Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Scott Mitchell Rosenberg
Screenwriter: Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, 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

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