Cowboys & Aliens
Cowboys & Aliens Image
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Metascore
50 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 41 Critics What's this?

User Score
6.1 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 336 Ratings

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0 out of 10
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  • Starring: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde
  • Summary: 1873. Arizona Territory. A stranger with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution. The only hint to his history is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist. 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. 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. Screaming down with breathtaking velocity and blinding lights to abduct the helpless one by one, these monsters challenge everything the residents have ever known. Now, the stranger they rejected is their only hope for salvation. As this gunslinger slowly starts to remember who he is and where he's been, he realizes he holds a secret that could give the town a fighting chance against the alien force. With the help of the elusive traveler Ella, he pulls together a posse comprised of former opponents—townsfolk, Dolarhyde and his boys, outlaws and Apache warriors—all in danger of annihilation. United against a common enemy, they will prepare for an epic showdown for survival. (Universal Pictures)

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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 41
  2. Mixed: 20 out of 41
  3. Negative: 5 out of 41
  1. Tampa Bay Times
    Reviewed by: Steve Persall
    Jul 28, 2011
    83
    This movie, saddle sores and all, is a lot of fun.
  2. Empire
    Reviewed by: Dan Jolin
    Aug 1, 2011
    80
    A simple entertainment in a summer of overcomplicated disappointments. Also much harder-edged than you may have expected.
  3. Movieline
    Reviewed by: Michelle Orange
    Jul 27, 2011
    60
    Like the Inuit and their many words for "snow," Jake has a thousand squinty faces and they all mean "Bugger off."
  4. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Rick Groen
    Jul 28, 2011
    38
    Over on the aliens side, it's hard to make out faces, but there's no doubt about their place of origin: These slimy, growling, bug-eyed and distinctly non-scary things are straight from central casting.

See all 41 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 82 out of 134
  2. Mixed: 32 out of 134
  3. Negative: 20 out of 134
  1. AdamWilson
    10
    At first I thought, woah, this seems like a pretty ridiculous movie. The aliens would just pulverize the cowboys but I thought hey, it'll be a good laugh i'll rent it anyway. and boy was I surprised, it was actually a pretty good film, the story was pretty good and made you think about it and the fight scenes were also rather well made. I don't see why people are rating it down so much, it's a good film.… Expand
  2. Ironmonger
    8
    The movie has great action, plot, and character growth. The aspect of memory loss in the main character helped the plot grow. It was nice to see a western movie, and alians didn't add a bad touch. In all honesty, i don't believe this movie deserves a 10, but it doesn't deserve anything below a 7… Expand
  3. Zilcell
    5
    Very formulatic despite very appealing special effects and acting.
  4. Tokyochuchu
    4
    Cowboys & Aliens is a bit of a mixed bag. It opens strong with a distinct western flavor but when the aliens turn up, it gets a bit choppier. I love sci-fi, but I can't help thinking that Cowboys & Aliens was a lot more interesting when it was just Cowboys. That said, it's uniqueness pulls it through and it winds up as a solid splurge of B-movie shlock.… Expand

See all 134 User Reviews

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