Customer Reviews

Cowboys & Aliens (Blu-ray+DVD+Digital Copy in Blu-ray Packaging)

5 star:		(95)
4 star:		(114)
3 star:		(52)
2 star:		(36)
1 star:		(61)

 

 

You should watch this movie expecting a great check-your-brain-at-the-door flick, and it doesn't disappoint on that count. There are wild west gunfights, love interests, and aliens trying to take over the world -- what more could you ask for?

Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, and Olivia Wilde are residents of an old western town attacked by what a local preacher calls "demons." Those demons -- what we call aliens -- pillage and plunder, terrifying the locals and motivating them to drop old rivalries to defeat the new threat.

The plot is simple, although it has a couple unexpected twists. You won't walk away with your mind blown, but you also will have enjoyed the show. The aliens are designed well, the characters are intriguing, and the plot has just enough mystery to keep you interested. This movie won't likely be winning any Oscars, but it's a fun film.

I'm not going to go into a lot of details of the movie - other reviews have done that. I will just say that this was a very enjoyable summer movie! The dialog wasn't bad, there was a lot of action, Ford and Craig played well off each other. Craig especially did a good job of playing the hard-bitten cowboy. It may not win any Emmys, but it was really fun to watch! I for one thought there was plenty of action to keep your attention fixed -( and if you're one of those reviewers who said you were falling asleep during this movie, I'd suggest the problem lies with you, not the movie. Perhaps you need more sleep, or better taste in movies)

I don't know why the nay sayers didn't like it, or exactly what they were expecting - but I for one would recommend this movie as a good family movie for the summer.

A man awakens in the desert to complete memory loss. The only clue to his past is a picture of a young woman and a metal contraption locked around his forearm. When he arrives in a nearby town of Absolution, trouble isn't far behind. But when strange lights from the sky arrive and begin shooting up the town and abducting its residents, the survivors decide to risk all to hunt the kidnappers and find their loved ones.

Daniel Craig plays the amnesiac who comes to be known as Jake Lonergan. Craig is a stoic, hard man with a soft heart. When his past is revealed it's a bit of a shock, since it seemed to be against his nature. Harrison Ford also stars as Woodrow Dolarhyde, a tough war veteran, now rich and feared by the town and his employees. Sam Rockwell is Doc, a saloon owner who tries to toughen up to save his wife from abduction. And Olivia Wilde is the mysterious and beautiful Ella who seems to know something about Jake. The acting is solid and believable. Each character stands out and made the film worth watching.

The characters and their stories are really what made the film. While the men had rough and tough exteriors, there was still plenty of heart. The feel was definitely a Western meets Alien, with plenty of violence and intense suspense and action. Clever one-liners throughout gave the film some much-needed laughs and light-hearted moments. Fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat excitement from beginning to end, Cowboys & Aliens certainly lives up to the hype.

The story is only roughly based on the original graphic novel. This is a different story, yet still has riveting characters, a mystery, and non-stop adventure. This was the film I was looking forward to most this summer. And I'm happy to say I wasn't disappointed. The Old West setting was charming yet gritty. And the aliens are brutal and extremely powerful, but underestimate humans, so it's not a completely hopeless situation, nor silly. Both genres are treated with respect. Flawlessly blending Western action and gun-slinging with a high-tech alien invasion, this summer blockbuster is completely unique and altogether fantastic.

"Cowboys & Aliens" is a film with a simple plot with a few surprises. It takes place a few years after the Civil War and Harrison Ford is still complaining about the Union generals at Antietam, as well as having to deal with a spoiled, drunken son. Daniel Craig has amnesia and a strange bracelet clamped on his wrist. And Olivia Wilde is a beautiful, gun-toting woman who seems to know what's going on with Craig, as alien spacecraft start blowing up a town and the area's cowboys, and later robbers and Apaches. The film meanders along for quite some time, but heats up in the second half, as humans band together to try to save humanity from extinction.

"Cowboys & Aliens" has some good action sequences and photography, and the aliens are ugly and scary. The main actors all do a good job, as does Keith Carradine as a sheriff and Sam Rockwell as a non-violent saloon owner who learns to shoot a rifle.

All in all, this is a well-made film, which is generally entertaining, especially in its latter stages. Three and one-half stars.

This movie reminded me of the 1950's monster/alien movies that I was raised on, with a hearty side of classic western thrown in. Obviously, this movie has much better special effects than what was available in the 50's, but the tone and acting style of the film was what gave me that feeling. The characters are believable, and any changes in character personalities were completely warranted. There was one plot twist that I totally saw coming, but it didn't detract from my viewing experience. If you're looking for a classic western story with a twist on the villain du jour, this is the film for you.

Overall, it just had kind of a 'classic film' feel to it, and I am definitely looking forward to adding it to my collection.

My low rating is not for the movie. The movie is ok. The plot is relatively novel and overall the movie is better than I was expecting given the title and trailers. Note: the aliens are likely too intense for young viewers.

My one star rating is for the "ultraviolet" option that apparently comes with this particular combo pack version of the movie. First of all, it was not clear (and still is not) from the Amazon advertisement that this was part of the blu-ray/dvd/digital copy combo pack. If it were clear and if I had known then what "ultraviolet" was, I would have thought twice about purchasing this combo set. I usually purchase the blu-ray/digital copy combo pack versions of new movies so that I can have a digital version for my mobile content viewers (phones, laptops, tablets etc). Ultraviolet is a "new" streaming option that is now being pushed and included by some of the studios in combo packs. The idea being that the ultraviolet digital version exists as part of "your" cloud account on the particular studio's server. This version can then supposedly be streamed to any of your devices at any time (if you have the right hardware and software). Merits and practicalities of streaming video content aside, because the studios are so intent on trying to establish this new format you cannot download the traditional digital copy that is included with the combo pack without FIRST signing up for an ultraviolet account on the studio's website. Yes, yet another group wants to know your demographic, to know your email address and to subject you to their spam. To add insult, once you have signed up for an ultraviolet account, you are only able to get your iTunes digital copy version via the net and not off of the combo pack dvd inserted into your computer as you normally would. What used to take 5 minutes to add to an iTunes library now takes 90! what a feature!

Even if one ignores the fact that this streaming model requires a studio-specific website account, the net value added of an "ultraviolet" option seems less than obvious. If you are at home you can already stream the entire contents of an iTunes library via AppleTV (or from a PC via similar hardware) and if you are not at home you would only be able to effectively stream from the studio's cloud if you had a good internet connection at your location. Considering that the memory capacities of mobile media players are growing rapidly and that most now come in versions that are able to hold much more than a day's worth of movies, why do we really need streaming at all? We probably don't. The studios, however, do benefit from this new format. It instantaneously it tells their marketing departments who is watching their content and when and how often. More importantly it provides them with a new format to sell and a new reason to raise prices. We already pay a premium for the higher quality of blu-ray and a premium for inclusion on the blu-ray release of a digital copy for our mobile devices. Streaming is not free. The studios have to maintain accounts and servers to support it. Personally "ultraviolet" streaming is not something I will ever use and thus I have no desire to support it or to pay for the premium that will surely be associated with it.

if you wish to push back on format creep and costs then do not purchase combo packs that include an ultraviolet version

Obviously it would be helpful if Amazon made it clear when these options are being included

When did movies stop being truly fun. Indiana Jones? Star Wars? Say what you will about them they were fun, above all else. That's what makes them classics with tons of re-watch-ability.

Cowboys V Aliens is fun. If i had to describe it i would say mix Indiana Jones with a Luis L'Amour book and a Sci-fi war movie and keep the setting and plot believable and interesting you would get C v A. Love It.

P S: Don't watch this if you have no imagination.

No spoilers here, because I hope you'll see this fun film!

The title gives you the main plot. Aliens encounter Earthlings, but they don't do it in the modern era, but back 125 years ago, perhaps 20 years after the Civil War. And why not? Do aliens wait until the present time to decide to take a side trip to good ole Earth?

Playing as a straight Western, which is where most of the movie is set, Cowboys and Aliens is a pretty darn good one. Based upon a graphic novel (fancy comic book), C&A has a great look. It's dirty and dusty, and the small, dying Western town looks just right. Cinematographer Matthew Libatique uses the New Mexico locations to his advantage here. The rugged landscape is forbidding, stark, and desolate.

The plot as a Western isn't terribly original, but it's a decent one. There are good guys in the town, and bad guys, with a ne're-do-well son of the town's richest citizen making trouble as they just seem wont to do.

Then, the aliens show up.

The special effects, some of which are done by Industrial Light and Magic, and as good as you'd expect (although why do aliens always have to be so complex looking? They ooze mucus, they have body parts which open up and reveal surprises, and they just don't look as streamlined as, say, humans do.). Anyway, the special effects are excellent, the flying craft excellent, and the explosions are very well done.

Over all, the film gets four-and-a-half stars. Harrison Ford is looking as craggy as he ages nicely. Daniel Craig is as tough as they come, and Olivia Wilde (best known as one of the docs from 'House') is pretty, thin, and angular as you remember. The pace never falters, and the action non-stop, and there are the predictable surprises that bring a big gasp from the audience. There are a few plot 'huhs?', such as the reason for the aliens moseying down the space trail to Earth, but it is internally consistent if you buy why they are here.

Recommended. A good, solid, big-budget summer blockbuster from Dreamworks.

Not good as a western and very short on science in the science fiction category. A couple of big name stars that will surely be nominated for razzies.

I have to admit I was intrigued by the concept. I'm not a huge fan of either westerns or Sci-Fi, but a Western Sci-Fi? Hmm... maybe. When you add the star power of Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford it becomes something you want to see.

The movie starts out well. The sets look authentic. The clothes are plain, but nice. Daniel Craig plays the steely man's man to perfection. Harrison Ford growls as a semi-evil cattle baron. There's some cool fight sequences. You're really interested... then the aliens show up and ruin everything that was interesting. Character development gets thrown to the wind in favor of cheesy action sequences.

Mind you, it will keep you entertained up until it's illogical final battle sequence. It's worth a watch, but the lost potential is a little depressing.