In previous decades, from the 1950s through the 1980s, the Western genre was alive and well. Many Western movies were made each year, featuring the hottest actors of the day, such as John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, and many others. Since the 1990s, however, Western movies have been few and far between. Several years have had no major Western movies made at all. The Western genre has given way to crime movies, superhero movies, space adventures, and modern-day action.

Now, that is about to change. Slowly, the Western genre is starting to creep back into the world of movies once more. Over the past few years, several successful movies have come from the Western genre. Take a look at some of these movies and find out why Westerns are coming back.

Rango
In 2011, a tongue-in-cheek animated Western movie was released. The movie focuses on a lizard who is suddenly dumped from his owner’s cage during a move and lands in the desert. In the desert, he finds a town of animals living in true Western style. They must work together to restore water to the town and fight the evil that is nearby.

Cowboys and Aliens
You wouldn’t think a movie that had cowboys and aliens mixed together would make a good movie, but you’d be wrong. Cowboys and Aliens was an experimental project released in 2011 by Stephen Spielberg that shows that with enough talent, even the most ridiculous-sounding storyline can be awesome. In the movie, an amnesic cowboy suddenly finds himself thrust into the drama of a small western town when some townspeople are captured by aliens.

Django Unchained
In response to the positive reviews from recent Western movies, Quentin Tarantino directed Django, a story about a freed slave on a mission to save his wife from an evil plantation owner. The movie won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor. The movie brought in over 430 million dollars worldwide, which made it the most successful Quentin Tarantino movie of all time.

Upcoming Western Movies
Thanks to these trailblazing Western movies, there are currently several other westerns set to be released in the near future. Upcoming movies for 2013 and 2014 include:

•    A Thousand Guns
•    Gallowwalkers
•    Dead in Tombstone
•    The Brigands of Rattleborge
•    Mad Max: Fury Road
•    A Magnificent Death from a Shattered Hand
•    A Million Ways to Die in the West

This is quite the upswing from previous years when there may have been a single Western movie or none at all. A new interest in old-school action and the popularity of steam punk has opened the world back up to Western themes.

It is apparent that the Western genre is back and the public is ready to embrace the old-world once more. Thanks to trailblazing Western movies, it is likely we will continue to see an influx of Western-themed movies for the next several years. So hold on to your hat and grab your gun, because it’s going to be a wild ride.

Writer Biography
This is a guest post by Lindsey Mcmahon. Her interests are entertainment, television, parenting and health but she is constantly extending her field of view to incorporate interesting news suggested to her by her readers. She currently works for www.direct2tv.com.