Product Details

• Actors: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Abigail Spencer, Buck Taylor, Olivia Wilde
• Directors: Jon Favreau
• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Dubbed: French, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Universal Pictures
• DVD Release Date: December 6, 2011
• Run Time: 119 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (600 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B004EPYZSK
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,756 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • #15 in Movies & TV > DVD > Westerns
  • #64 in Movies & TV > DVD > Science Fiction
• Learn more about "Cowboys & Aliens" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Cowboys & Aliens fuses rip-snortin' horse opera with some whiz-bang sci-fi, melding dry and austere badlands with slimy, mucusy aliens. Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig, of James Bond fame) wakes up in the midst of sagebrush with a mysterious gadget around his wrist and no idea who he is--but he sure does remember how to take care of the bounty hunters who want to bring him in. His path soon crosses with a ruthless cattle baron named Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford, of Indiana Jones fame), who's not too happy with Lonergan, who got Dolarhyde's son in trouble. But their fracas becomes beside the point when spaceships descend and start lassoing people like cattle. The humans, including a mysterious woman (Olivia Wilde, Tron), a Native American tribe, and some snaggletoothed outlaws, band together to fight off this invasion from another world. The first two-thirds of Cowboys & Aliens is peppy fun, with its tongue-in-cheek Wild West-ness and colorful supporting cast (including Sam Rockwell, Keith Carradine, Paul Dano, and Walton Goggins) and fairly understated CGI. The last third, with the obligatory assault on the alien vessel and a mess of clichés and inconsistencies, deflates a bit, which isn't surprising given that six screenwriters were involved. Director Jon Favreau (Iron Man) does what he can to keep things lively. Fortunately, the good spirits of the first two-thirds will carry most viewers through to the end. --Bret Fetzer

Stills from Cowboys & Aliens (Click for larger image)

Product Description

A stranger (Craig) with no memory of his past stumbles into the hardscrabble 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 (Ford). 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 mysterious visitors 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 what he's experienced, 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 (Olivia Wilde), he pulls together a posse comprised of former opponents-townsfolk, Dolarhyde and his boys, outlaws and Chiricahua Apache warriors-all in danger of annihilation. Unlikely allies united against a common enemy, they will prepare for an epic showdown for survival.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

217 of 241 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Spoiler-Free August 8, 2011

By Joshua Lake

Format:DVD

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.

196 of 235 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Spoiler-Free Review July 28, 2011

By SciFiChick TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

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.

44 of 54 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A well-made, generally entertaining film August 2, 2011

By Steve

Format:DVD

"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.