Better than “Cowboys & Aliens?” Another western-sci-fi mashup beat it to the draw!
“High Plains Invaders,” a 2009 SyFy Channel movie starring James Marsters, was a lot faster on the trigger than the big-budget Daniel Craig/Harrison Ford alien shoot ‘em up. Check out this excerpt.
Although the Cowboys & Aliens graphic novel came out in 2006, introducing the genre-splicing concept of crusty 19th century cowpokes fighting oozing intergalactic vermin, the high-priced movie adaptation was beaten to the draw … by two years, in fact. High Plains Invaders, set in 1890s Colorado and starring James Marsters (P.S. I Love You) and Sanny Van Heteren (Hellraiser: Revelations), is an enjoyably cheesy mashup with a giant alien bug that's actually a whole lot more interesting than the CGI-ed Alien rip-offs in Cowboys. Director/actor Kristoffer Tabori helmed the SyFy original, shot in Romania for around $2 million. Director/actor Jon Favreau is responsible for Cowboys & Aliens, which was filmed in New Mexico and cost about $163 million. Compare and contrast. Check out the High Plains Invaders clip below.