Movies like Cowboys & Aliens (2011)
The best movies like Cowboys & Aliens (2011) are BraveStarr: The Legend (1988), The White Buffalo (1977) and 100 Rifles (1969). If Cowboys & Aliens hooked you with its science fiction and western, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedPaprika (2006)7.8/10 from 3,062 votes
- NewestEjecta (2014)Released 2014
BraveStarr: The Legend (1988)
Marshall Bravestarr is the lawman of the wild-west planet "New Texas" with help from Thirty-Thirty, his cybernetic talking horse and Deputy Fuzz, his sidekick and Shaman, his mentor. Bravestarr with his special powers fights the outlaw Tex-Hex, the leader of the Carrion Bunch, who are after the mineral Kerium, Bravestarr sets out to set things right and enforce peace and justice on "New Texas".
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe White Buffalo (1977)
In this strange western version of Moby Dick, Wild Bill Hickok hunts a white buffalo he has seen in a dream. Hickok moves through a variety of uniquely authentic western locations - dim, filthy, makeshift taverns; freezing, slaughterhouse-like frontier towns and beautifully desolate high country - before improbably teaming up with a young Crazy Horse to pursue the creature.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western
Popcorn FlickMovies like this100 Rifles (1969)
When half-breed Indian Yaqui Joe robs an Arizona bank, he is pursued by dogged lawman Lyedecker. Fleeing to Mexico, Joe is imprisoned by General Verdugo, who is waging a war against the Yaqui Indians. When Lyedecker attempts to intervene, he is thrown into prison as well. Working together, the two escape and take refuge in the hills, where Lyedecker meets beautiful Yaqui freedom fighter Sarita and begins to question his allegiances.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western
SnoozefestMovies like thisFire in the Sky (1993)
After clearing brush for the government, a group of men return to town claiming their friend was abducted. Despite no apparent motive or evidence of foul play, no-one believes their story and his disappearance is treated as murder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBoss Nigger (1975)
Two black bounty hunters ride into a small town out West in pursuit of an outlaw. They discover that the town has no sheriff, and soon take over that position, much against the will of the mostly white townsfolk.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisShanghai Noon (2000)
Chon Wang, a clumsy imperial guard, trails Princess Pei Pei when she's kidnapped from the Forbidden City and transported to America. Wang follows her captors to Nevada, where he teams up with an unlikely partner, outcast outlaw Roy O'Bannon, and tries to spring the princess from her imprisonment.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTell Them Willie Boy Is Here (1969)
While confronting the disapproving father of his girlfriend Lola, Native American man Willie Boy kills the man in self-defense, triggering a massive manhunt, led by Deputy Sheriff Christopher Cooper.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western
SnoozefestMovies like thisDead Man (1995)
On the run after committing murder, an accountant encounters a strange Native American man who prepares him for his journey into the spiritual world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSilverado (1985)
Four unwitting heroes cross paths on their journey to the sleepy town of Silverado. Little do they know the town where their family and friends reside has been taken over by a corrupt sheriff and a murderous posse. It's up to the sharp-shooting foursome to save the day, but first they have to break each other out of jail, and learn who their real friends are.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBack to the Future Part III (1990)
The final installment finds Marty digging the trusty DeLorean out of a mineshaft and looking for Doc in the Wild West of 1885. But when their time machine breaks down, the travelers are stranded in a land of spurs. More problems arise when Doc falls for pretty schoolteacher Clara Clayton, and Marty tangles with Buford Tannen.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRio Conchos (1964)
Two Army officers, an alcoholic ex-Confederate soldier and a womanizing Mexican travel to Mexico on a secret mission to prevent a megalomaniacal ex-Confederate colonel from selling a cache of stolen rifles to a band of murderous Apaches.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMars Attacks! (1996)
A fleet of Martian spacecraft surrounds the world's major cities and all of humanity waits to see if the extraterrestrial visitors have, as they claim, "come in peace." U.S. President James Dale receives assurance from science professor Donald Kessler that the Martians' mission is a friendly one. But when a peaceful exchange ends in the total annihilation of the U.S. Congress, military men call for a full-scale nuclear retaliation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTall Tale: The Unbelievable Adventure (1995)
A young boy draws on the inspiration of legendary western characters to find the strength to fight an evil land baron in the old west who wants to steal his family's farm and destroy their idyllic community. When Daniel Hackett sees his father Jonas gravely wounded by the villainous Stiles, his first urge is for his family to flee the danger, and give up their life on a farm which Daniel has come to despise anyway. Going alone to a lake to try to decide what to do, he falls asleep on a boat and wakes to find himself in the wild west, in the company of such "tall tale" legends as Pecos Bill, Paul Bunyan, John Henry and Calamity Jane. Together, they battle the same villains Daniel is facing in his "real" world, ending with a heroic confrontation in which the boy stands up to Stiles and his henchmen, and rallies his neighbors to fight back against land grabbers who want to destroy their town.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEl Dorado (1966)
Cole Thornton, a gunfighter for hire, joins forces with an old friend, Sheriff J.P. Harrah. Together with a fighter and a gambler, they help a rancher and his family fight a rival rancher that is trying to steal their water.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western
Worth the HypeMovies like thisYoung Guns II (1990)
Three of the original five "young guns" — Billy the Kid, Jose Chavez y Chavez, and Doc Scurlock — return in Young Guns, Part 2, which is the story of Billy the Kid and his race to safety in Old Mexico while being trailed by a group of government agents led by Pat Garrett.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRancho Notorious (1952)
A man in search of revenge infiltrates a ranch, hidden in an inhospitable region, where its owner, Altar Keane, gives shelter to outlaws fleeing from the law in exchange for a price.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDecision at Sundown (1957)
A man and his partner arrive at a small Western town to kill its most powerful man because the former blames him for his wife's death.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Way West (1967)
In the mid-19th century, Senator William J. Tadlock leads a group of settlers overland in a quest to start a new settlement in the Western US. Tadlock is a highly principled and demanding taskmaster who is as hard on himself as he is on those who have joined his wagon train. He clashes with one of the new settlers, Lije Evans, who doesn't quite appreciate Tadlock's ways. Along the way, the families must face death and heartbreak and a sampling of frontier justice when one of them accidentally kills a young Indian boy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBarbarosa (1982)
Karl Westover, an inexperienced farm boy, runs away after unintentionally killing a neighbor, whose family pursues him for vengeance. He meets Barbarosa, a gunman of near-mythical proportions, who is himself in danger from his father-in-law Don Braulio, a wealthy Mexican rancher. Don Braulio wants Barbarosa dead for marrying his daughter against the father's will. Barbarosa reluctantly takes the clumsy Karl on as a partner, as both of them look to survive the forces lining up against them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western
SnoozefestMovies like this¡Three Amigos! (1986)
A trio of unemployed silent film actors are mistaken for real heroes by a small Mexican village in search of someone to stop a malevolent bandit.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Salvation (2014)
In 1870s America, a peaceful American settler kills his family's murderer which unleashes the fury of a notorious gang leader. His cowardly fellow townspeople then betray him, forcing him to hunt down the outlaws alone.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both western
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTwo-Gun Caballero (1931)
A cowhand named Bob Blake visits with Sally Thompson and her kid-brother, Jimmy, on their hard-scrabble homestead adjoining the Steele Ranch where Bob works. He learns that their father just died, and he plans on seeing if he can make things a bit easier for them.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both western
Ejecta (2014)
Two men witness an unexplainable event in the sky as a historic solar storm approaches, and they try to survive as a terrifying life form hunts them.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisRidin' Down the Trail (1947)
Jimmy finds a dying Ranger Braden who asks him to give his money belt to his sister. When he rides into town he finds another man claiming to be Ranger Braden. When the money belt is found in Jimmy's saddle bag, the fake Marshal tries to arrest him. But Jimmy escapes and hopes a telegram to Ranger headquarters will clear him.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both western
Trailing Danger (1947)
Convicted killer Jim Holden is rescued from the sheriff by his gang, led by Mason and Riley. He is out to get the Hathaway Stage superintendent George Bannister, who was responsible for his conviction and learns the Bannister, his niece (Kay) and Hal Hathaway, son of the stage line owner, are on a cross-country stage. Johnny, a rancher, and Waco, local stage representative head for the stage to warn the passengers, including entertainer Paradise Flo and coffin salesman Pennypacker. Hal takes the stage into Holdin. Johnny and Waco rescue Hal and Bannister before the gang succeeds in hanging the pair.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both western
Live.com (TBA)
Late at night two girls discover a voyeuristic website with horrifying consequences.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
Legends of the Fall (1994)
In early 20th-century Montana, Col. William Ludlow lives on a ranch in the wilderness with his sons, Alfred, Tristan, and Samuel. Eventually, the unconventional but close-knit family are bound by loyalty, tested by war, and torn apart by love, as told over the course of several decades in this epic saga.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both western
Worth the HypeMovies like thisImpostor (2001)
A top-secret government weapons designer is arrested by a clandestine government organization on suspicion of being a clone created by the hostile alien race wanting to take over Earth.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPaprika (2006)
Dr. Atsuko Chiba is a research psychologist who uses a device called the DC Mini to enter her patients' dreams, wherein she adopts the alter-ego "Paprika". When the device is stolen, she must stop rogue elements from merging the dream and waking worlds.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Invasion (2007)
Washington, D.C. psychologist Carol Bennell and her colleague Dr. Ben Driscoll are the only two people on Earth who are aware of an epidemic running rampant through the city. They discover an alien virus aboard a crashed space shuttle that transforms anyone who comes into contact with it into unfeeling drones while they sleep. Carol realizes her son holds the key to stopping the spread of the plague and she races to find him before it is too late.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Cowboys & Aliens?
The closest matches to Cowboys & Aliens are BraveStarr: The Legend (1988), The White Buffalo (1977) and 100 Rifles (1969). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Cowboys & Aliens?
Start with BraveStarr: The Legend (1988), the closest match to Cowboys & Aliens.
What is the highest-rated movie like Cowboys & Aliens?
Paprika (2006), rated 7.8/10 by 3,062 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Cowboys & Aliens?
Ejecta (2014) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Cowboys & Aliens?
Yes: BraveStarr: The Legend (1988), The White Buffalo (1977) and 100 Rifles (1969).
How are movies similar to Cowboys & Aliens chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Cowboys & Aliens, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.