A WILD-WEST town dominated by a cattle baron comes under attack by invaders from another world.
It falls to a mysterious stranger with no memory to unite the townsfolk, a gang of outlaws and an Apache tribe into an army to fight back against the aliens, and learn the truth about his own past.
Directed by Iron Man's Jon Favreau, and with a cast including Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford, the winning pitch is in the title.
However, something got lost in the translation from comic book page to big screen, and like recent flop John Carter, the first act plods like an aged colt when it should gallop like a racehorse.
The other problem is that everyone takes it a bit too seriously. However, despite its faults, it has its moments, and as she proved with Tron: Legacy, Olivia Wilde can light up the dullest movie.
It cost $163m and grossed $174m worldwide, so Cowboys & Aliens 2 looks unlikely.
