Westworld: 10 Key Offbeat Westerns To Watch Next

6. Cowboys & Aliens

westworld movie
Universal Pictures

NO IMAGE AVAILABLE. Harrison Ford swapped blasters for six guns in a wild, wild romp that attempted to create something a bit different for blockbuster season. Based on a graphic novel, this high concept, no nonsense chunk of Western action laid its cards on the table in the hope of a straight flush at the box office.

Instead of a posse of bandits riding into town to cause mayhem, the heroes of this flick had to contend with a race of hostile extraterrestrials. The invaders were tied to Daniel Craig's good old boy suffering from memory loss and Olivia Wilde's mighty fine alien hunter. Harrison Ford supplied the growling and the stubble as a cattle-herding ally.

With Jon Favreau at the helm this looked to be a shoo-in for multiplex loot, but for some reason Cowboys & Aliens underperformed. While it did exactly what it said on the tin, it seemed audiences were fed up with canned goods for the time being.

Contributor
Contributor

I am a journalist and comedian who enjoys American movies of the 70s, Amicus horror compendiums, Doctor Who, Twin Peaks, Naomi Watts and sitting down. My short fiction has been published as part of the Iris Wildthyme range from Obverse Books.