Cowboys and Aliens - Blu-ray Disc Review

What happens when you combine classic western cowboy themes with alien invaders from another planet? That is the premise of the feature film Cowboys and Aliens. The film concept is taken from a popular graphic novel of the same name but there are significant changes as a result of collaboration between Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, and Brian Grazer. Several writers notable writers, including Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof were brought in translate the story to film, and Jon Favreau was brought into direct.

The film did not realize its full anticipated box office potential and also received mixed reviews. However, Cowboys and Aliens is now available on Blu-ray. To find out if the this film and Blu-ray disc package is worth getting for your colllection, keeping reading this review...

Studio: Universal

Running Time: 118 Minutes (Theatrical Version), 136 Minutes (Extended Version)

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Western

Main Cast: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell

Director: Jon Favreau

Discs: One BD50 50GB Blu-ray Disc, One DVD-9 DVD Disc)

Video Specifications: Video codec used - AVC MPEG4, Video resolution - 1080p, Aspect ratio - 2.40:1 - Special features and supplements in various resolutions and aspect ratios.

Audio Specifications: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (English), DTS 5.1 (French and Spanish), D-Box Motion Code.

Subtitles: English SDH (Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard-of-hearing), French, Spanish.

Navigation and Access Functions:

U-Control (Picture-in-Picture function that allows access to bonus material while viewing the movie)

pocketBlu App (A free downloadable app that allows your iphone/ipad, android phone/tablet, and PC or MAC to be integrated into the Blu-ray disc viewing experience).

BD-Live (Provides access to additional bonus content via the internet).

Universal Second Screen (A flexible picture-in-picture function that works in conjunction with on-disc content as well as content access via the pocketBlu App.

Ultraviolet Digital Copy (A cloud-based copy of the film that allows you access it anywhere on a compatible internet connected portable device - only available in U.S. at the time this review was written).

DVD copy of the film

Bonus Features and Supplements:

Igniting the Sky (Multi-part feature on the making of Cowboys and Aliens).

Finding the Story (Discussion of the genesis and execution of the film).

The Scope of the Spectacle (A behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film).

Outer-Space Icon (A look at the design and execution of the alien characters).

A Call to Action (A behind-the-scenes profile of director Jon Favreau).

Absolution (A look at how the town of Absolution was created for the film).

Conversations with Jon Favreau (Jon Favreau sits down with several key cast members, filmmakers, and writers associated with the film for some enlightening discussion a variety of topics connected to film and other activities).

Feature commentary with Jon Favreau.

For your consideration: A stranger (Daniel Craig) wakes up in the middle of the Arizona Territory in 1873 (although the movie was filmed in New Mexico), but can't remember who he is and exactly where he is. However, he is wounded, and there is a strange unremovable bracelet attached to his wrist.

Just as he is gathering his senses, he is confronted by some opportunistic bandits, but has enough wits and old west fighting skill to promptly dispose of. The stranger then makes his way, finally finding himself in the New Mexico town of Absolution.

The stranger proceeds to get cleaned up and get some aid for his wound from a sympathetic gun-toting preacher (played by Clancy Brown), but he still needs to find out some answers as to his identity. That turns out not to be such a great idea, as the town Sheriff (played by Keith Carradine) recognizes him as a wanted outlaw and places him in jail as arrangements are made to transport him to the the next highest authority.

However, all that has to wait as mysterious flying vehicles appear out the night sky to attack the town, blowing up buildings and kidnapping town citizens using aerial grappling devices. Amid the chaos of the attack, the no-longer stranger turns hero as he discovers that his new bracelet is actually a weapon, which he promptly uses to free himself from his holding chains and proceeds to shoot down one of the flying vehicles.

As a result of these turn of events, everything is now upside down as an unworldly menace has disrupted the lives and the politics of the old west town. However, don't fear, a strange, but beautiful, woman (Olivia Wilde) seems to know what all this is really all about...

What follows is an interesting attempt to combine the atmosphere and romance of the western with the intensity of a sci-fi alien invasion movie in a sort of alternative-history, what-if, wouldn't it be cool to have cowboys fight aliens, concept that appears to have a lot of promise from the great opening scenes. However, as the film progresses, although entertaining, doesn't quite live up to its full potential.

Despite some shortcomings in story and script, the 1080p resolution Blu-ray transfer definitely does justice to the visual scope of the film. Shot in a wide 2.40:1 aspect ratio, the western vistas look great and communicate well the openness and grandeur of the New Mexico landscape, and, by the same token, how the populace of the time is dwarfed by the wide expanse of open land. However, it must be noted that you will see black bars on the top and bottom of the image on both 4x3 and 16x9 TV and projection screens.

Color and detail are excellent. Especially impressive is the texture detail on clothing, and also wood structures and metal tools. When things are supposed to bright and shiny, they look bright and shiny. When things are supposed to look dirty and worn, they look authentically dirty and worn. Also, with respect to color, Cowboys and Aliens emphasizes earth tones and more muted reds, blues, and greens, giving the film a more realistic look, which is more emblematic of a spaghetti western, rather than those old 50's Hollywood Technicolor films.

In addition, black level detail was also top notch. The best example here is a night scene inside a derelict steamboat with minimal lighting where the cowboys are being stalked by a murderous alien, in an obvious nod to the movie Alien.

On the other hand, while I felt that while the video transfer from film to Blu-ray was excellent, it wasn't perfect. Both full-size mechanical and CGI aliens were used, and the Blu-ray transfer emphasized the quality differences in the detail and texture between the two types. Although the CGI versions of the aliens were effective, the texture was softer, which was especially noticeable in the bright daylight scenes.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 channel soundtrack is fantastic, with excellent balance between all the channels with very active use of the surround channels. I didn't get the sense of excessive dips when sounds moved from channel to channel, and both subtle and loud sound effects had excellent detail and clarity. Scenes of note include the initial alien attack on the town, and several scenes of cowboys vs alien flying machines. Also, if you enjoy a good subwoofer experience, put this Blu-ray on your list.

Proceed to Page 2: Bonus Feature Evaluation, Pros, Cons, Final Comments, Equipment List