6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.3 |
A spaceship arrives in Arizona, 1873, to take over the Earth, starting with the Wild West region. A posse of cowboys are all that stand in their way.
Starring: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Adam BeachAction | 100% |
Sci-Fi | 53% |
Comic book | 26% |
Western | 8% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Jon Favreau's "Cowboys & Aliens" (2011) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include archival audio commentary by Jon Favreau; archival cast and crew interviews; and vintage promotional materials. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
Kino Lorber's release of Cowboys & Aliens is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, The Blu-ray is Region-A "locked".
The combo pack release presents two versions of Cowboys & Aliens: Extended Cut, which is approximately 135 minutes long and placed on the Blu-ray, and Theatrical Version, which is approximately 118 minutes long and placed on the 4K Blu-ray.
Please note that some of the screencaptures that appear with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc.
Screencaptures #1-24 are from the Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #26-39 are from the 4K Blu-ray.
Cowboys & Aliens made its high-definition debut with this release in 2011. I do not have this release in my library, so I cannot reference it.
In 4K, Cowboys & Aliens cannot be viewed with Dolby Virion or HDR grades. I viewed it in its entirety in 4K and later sampled various areas of the 1080p presentation on the Blu-ray. On my system, a lot of visuals looked mighty impressive. However, I immediately have to state that many had a distinct digital quality as well, which of course should not be surprising considering that Cowboys & Aliens was completed in 2011. The most impressive material was the one with the outdoor panoramic footage, but this is where the digital roots of the special effects were most obvious as well. Colors are very lush. During the flashbacks, perhaps even too lush, borderline garish, but this is clearly a stylistic choice. Image stability is excellent. While comparing the 4K and 1080p presentations, I noticed that a couple of background areas begin to crush, but this is something that could very well have been introduced during the mastering process. It is difficult to tell because the amount of digital stylization work is at times rather overwhelming. I could not see any substantial improvements on the 4K presentation to declare that it is the superior one. However, some viewers with very large screen could discover that the optimized encoding does offer some meaningful benefits.
There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
I viewed the entire film with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Its dynamic potency is impressive, but this is to be expected from a big-budget summer blockbuster. The battle footage has the most impressive sound design, and several segments boast what I think is reference quality. The use of music is excellent, too. There are no encoding anomalies to report.
4K BLU-RAY DISC
Very little separates Cowboys & Aliens and Battlefield Earth, so if you decide to spend a night with the former, prepare to have your IQ assaulted and insulted in a variety of different ways. I viewed the shorter Theatrical Version on the 4K Blu-ray, but the entire experience still felt like an endurance test because a lot of the material is not good and does not gel well. Kino Lorber's combo pack offers solid presentations of the two versions of Cowboys & Aliens. However, the Theatrical Version, which is the only one on the 4K Blu-ray, cannot be viewed with Dolby Vision or HDR grades.
Extended Edition
2011
DVD Packaging
2011
2011
2011
Theatrical Edition | Rental Copy
2011
2011
Extended Edition
2011
2011
2013
Limited Edition / Reprint
2018
2008
2007
2013
2016
2011
2017
2012
2013
The Richard Donner Cut
1980-2006
1999
Extended and Theatrical versions
2011
Unrated
2011
The Richard Donner Cut 4K
1980
1971
2013
2018
2019