10 Sci-Fi Movies That Aren’t As Bad As Everyone Says

Released in 2011, Cowboys and Aliens was an expensive flop which helped spell the end for big budget blockbusters that weren't reboots of old franchises or some form of superhero movie. Bringing together 007 and Indiana Jones for the first time in screen history, the film saw Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford star as the titular taciturn cowpokes who are at odds until an alien invasion forces them to put their differences aside and kick some extra-terrestrial ass.

Sounds like some silly, light-hearted fun for the whole family, right?

Well, that's what went wrong for this one.

This surprisingly dark and serious western sci-fi hybrid did exactly what it promised on the tin, but it's a dark movie that takes its own over-the-top premise at face value. Both Craig and Ford play their part straight and the aliens are a genuine threat throughout the film, whose murky night-time shootouts give way to bigger scale action set pieces in its second half.

It's a propulsive adventure with real emotional stakes that does justice to both genres admirably. This one just could have done with a title which didn't sound so meta and cutesy.