Kevin Costner’s love of the frontier was well-documented long before he became the Dutton patriarch on Yellowstone. After directing and starring in movies like Dances with Wolves — which won seven Oscars — and Open Range, his latest project is possibly the one he’s most passionate about. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One hits theaters June 28, and critics are calling it everything from an “all-out cinematic experience” to a “numbingly long, incoherent disaster.”
First reactions to the epic Western were mixed, despite its stacked cast (which includes Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Giovanni Ribisi, Jena Malone and Luke Wilson to name just a few) and the impressive countryside featured in the Civil War-era story of American West expansion. However, our own Mike Reyes loves how this first piece of a four-part saga (and possibly more) lays the groundwork for what’s to come while still providing a magnificent standalone feature. In CinemaBlend’s review of Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One, he rates it 4.5 stars out of 5, writing:
Without knowing the line between confidence and coercion, a less steady hand could have seen this absolute epic crumble under its own weight as it sets up a substantial future. Kevin Costner and his collaborators know not to fall into that trap with Horizon: An American Saga’s first chapter. It naturally entices the audience into wanting more. By the time the tease for Chapter 2 arrived at the end, I was grinning ear to ear with excitement. So far, Horizon: An American Saga presents itself as an all-out cinematic experience that tells a story so classically cinematic, it's hard not to admire the results while waiting to see what's next.
James Mottram of TotalFilm rates it 4 out of 5 stars, writing that Horizon feels like episodic TV for the cinema. He says Kevin Costner has finely woven together an absorbing ride into the Old West that is a slow burn on the grandest of scales. The critic continues:
Scripted by Costner and author Jon Baird, running at three hours, Chapter 1 is as unhurried as they come. It takes considerable relish in establishing characters who, in some cases at least, have much more story to tell. Among those that intrigue are Sam Worthington’s dashing United States Army First Lt. Trent Gephardt, for whom romance blossoms as the film progresses. Further texture comes courtesy of sturdy turns from such stalwarts as Danny Huston, Will Patton, and Michael Rooker. Meanwhile, the due attention paid to the Indigenous characters is hopefully a sign of more to come.
Helen O’Hara of Empire gives it 3 out of 5 stars, noting its stunning landscapes and impressive performances. However it’s difficult to see the settlers as heroes in this day and age, and while some empathy is shown for the Indigenous tribes displaced by the American frontier, there is also “appalling savagery” that undermines the sentiment. In the end, O’Hara concludes of Horizon: Chapter One:
Really, it’s a series of vignettes: an attack, a stand-off, a chase, a comedy skit. Some are thrilling or funny; others drag. Yet after three hours, most of our presumptive leads are still to see the titular town of Horizon, or meet one another, and there’s little sense of how their destinies will intersect. Then, the film just… stops. Only two months until the next one, but it would have been nice to make this feel like a complete story, like the classics that inspired it.
Nicholas Barber of BBC, meanwhile, gives the movie just 1 star out of 5, calling it a “numbingly long, incoherent disaster.” After three hours its characters are half-formed, the historical context is fuzzy and there’s no discernible structure for the overarching project. Barber writes:
Costner simply hasn't shaped the material into any kind of distinct entity. The various storylines barely get started before he presses the pause button. It's like the tantalising pilot episode of a television series – but a pilot episode that drags on and on for three hours.
Owen Gleiberman of Variety says Horizon’s first chapter doesn’t work as a stand-alone film because it’s too busy laying down narrative tracks that at this point don’t seem to be going anywhere. It’s at times “convoluted, ambitious, intriguing and meandering.” Gleiberman continues:
The real problem is the script (by Costner and Jon Baird), which is shapeless. It doesn’t weave these stories together; it stacks them next to each other like a series of cabooses. Yet I think the idea is that the design of it all will come into focus as we see Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 2 (later this year), and then, at some point, Chapter 3 (which is now scheduled) and maybe, if all goes according to plan, more chapters. I seriously hope not. I’m not sure how much juice there is to squeeze out of these characters, but even if there is some I don’t want to see movies turn into television.
While the trailer shows Horizon’s massive scale, the views don’t make up for the lack of a cohesive story in the eyes of some critics. If you want to give it a shot on the big screen, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One hits theaters on Friday, June 28, with Chapter Two on the 2024 movie release calendar for August 16.
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