Cowboys & Aliens

Right now you can watch Cowboys & Aliens in the UK on BBC iPlayer — and it goes further with its ideas than most genre entertainment bothers to. It says what it needs to say in one sitting, no filler. 5,498 people have weighed in on TMDB, and the verdict leans heavily positive. Daniel Craig sets the tone, and the world-building does the rest. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on BBC iPlayer.

There is a reason Cowboys & Aliens keeps coming up in conversation. Cowboys & Aliens uses its genre premise as cover for asking bigger questions. A stranger stumbles into the desert town of Absolution with no memory of his past and a futuristic shackle around his wrist. With the help of mysterious beauty Ella and the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde, he finds himself leading an unlikely posse of cowboys, outlaws, and Apache warriors against a common enemy from beyond this world in an epic showdown for survival. Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford lead a cast that never lets the concept overwhelm the characters. It was released in 2011. The rules of Cowboys & Aliens's world are consistent enough that the big swings never feel like cheating. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

For late-night viewing or a proper weekend binge, Cowboys & Aliens fits the bill. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. It is a manageable watch, easy to fit into a single evening. Watch for Daniel Craig in particular — the performance elevates the material. Satisfying on multiple levels.