Introduction:
“Horizon: The film comprises four parts that are Kevin Costner’s West his directorial, and the final part is Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1. This grandiose was filmed against the background of the American Civil War and mainly touches on problems in connection with the development of the land of the Appalachians, the suffering of the people, and the confrontation with Native tribes. This is because it is a three-hour-long movie, and thus presents the audience with a detailed picture of the West which as explained earlier is pretty exotic and grisly.
Release Date:
“Horizon: “An American Saga – Chapter 1” was introduced to the public in Cannes on May 19, 2024 and was released in the U.S. theaters on June 28, 2024. The film is mostly shot in English but the creators have provided some of the versions with subtitles in different languages such as Spanish, French, and German.
Crew:
| Role | Person(s) |
|---|---|
| Director | Kevin Costner |
| Producer | Kevin Costner, Howard Kaplan, Mark Gillard |
| Story Writer | Jon Baird, Kevin Costner, Mark Kasdan |
| Screenplay | Jon Baird, Kevin Costner |
| Editor | Miklos Wright |
Cast:
| Actor/Actress | Character Name |
|---|---|
| Kevin Costner | Hayes Ellison |
| Ella Hunt | Juliette Chesney |
| Sam Worthington | Trent Gephart |
| Jena Malone | Lucy |
| Michael Rooker | Sgt. Major Thomas Riordan |
| Jon Beavers | Junior Sykes |
| Georgia MacPhail | Elizabeth Kittredge |
| Danny Huston | Albert Houghton |
| Luke Wilson | Matthew Van Weyden |
| Michael Angarano | Walter Childs |
| Isabelle Fuhrman | Diamond Kittredge |
| Will Patton | Owen Kittredge |
| Angus Macfadyen | Desmarais |
| Tom Payne | Hugh Proctor |
| Tatanka Means | Taklishim |
| Giovanni Ribisi | H. Silas Pickering |
| Jeff Fahey | Tracker |
| Dale Dickey | Mrs. Sykes |
| James Russo | Abel Naughton |
| Scott Haze | Elias Janney |
| Elizabeth Dennehy | Mrs. Riordan |
| Charles Halford | James Sykes |
| Etienne Kellici | Russell Ganz |
| James Landry Hébert | Flagg |
| Alejandro Edda | Neron Chavez |
| Douglas Smith | Sig |
Story:
The setting of the story is being placed around the San Pedro Valley during the year 1859 and in the middle of it, there is a new strip of land called Horizon which provides the prospects of steady employment and no fighting.
- Ellen’s Escape: A wife, who has to run away from her husband’s violence, and has a few more issues with her and with her child.
- Settler Conflicts: As the settlers interact with the native people the clash which ensues once the settlers start to encroach on native lands.
- Wagon Train Journey: A wagon train subplot that enables the direction of more characters into the story and depth to the plot line.
As these stories develop they are told somewhat chaotically and as such the audience is left with the impression that the movie is not a story all by itself but rather a story in one and this is why the packaging is in this form.
Review:
Kevin Costner’s ambitious frontier saga “Horizon: “An American Saga—Chapter 1” is a complex, fifteen-year story of pre-and post-Civil War expansionism and westward pioneers. Although Costner does not lack ambition in outlining this story from a broad range of perspectives, the scope of the first chapter is too broad to engage the audience as a separate endeavour.
The film depicts American families, friends and enemies, who are all in a race to discover what the United States of America is and will turn into during the period of the Civil War from 1861 to 1865. Costner stars in the great company of Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone and many others.
Audiences are said to have appreciated the gritty narrative that defines the Western theme with emphasis on the cast. However, at some points, the storyline may be inconsistent and not well developed at certain parts and scenes may be repetitively conceived. The pacing of the movie can also be problematic in some parts of the movie, especially in its first half where character development seems to drag out the story.
Despite its flaws, “Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1 can be considered as a combination of Action, Drama which has strong elements of family and survival felt in the context of early settlers of America. Those who enjoyed Costner’s earlier turn in Westerns should find plenty to like about this grandiose attempt at kickstarting a four-part epic.
Positives:
- Cinematography: The movie has striking visuals that depict the conditions of the American Southwest that help to reinforce the movie plot.
- Ambitious Scope: Even though many of the thematic elements in Costner’s picture were seriously flawed, the effort to approach serious topics such as Manifest Destiny or the issue of the American identity in the Alamo cannot be deemed unworthy.
- Character Depth: I believe that the film presents the audience with a diverse cast of characters, each of which has problems that enrich the movie’s plot.
Negatives:
- Pacing Issues: In movies where the pacing problem is the main concern, one of the recurring questions that one can ask is that because this is almost a three-hour movie some of the scenes that are shot are bound to be plain boring and some are bound to be rushed through.
- Disjointed Narrative: Unfortunately the multiple storylines do not flow perfectly from one episode to the next, causing a general aura of confusion and the confusion of an ending.
- Abrupt Ending: One disadvantage is that they employ a cliffhanger at the end of the film, which is usually when the movie ends; there is a short preview of the next movie, which is tiring some viewers.
Technical Aspects:
- Direction: Kevin Costner is interesting as a director for a movie personality, however, the film is loaded with some of the worst editing and pacing in motion picture history.
- Soundtrack: This is because the score somehow serves the theme in the movie to make significant scenes more emotional.
- Production Quality: Was very professional throughout with very high production standards to equal that of the costumes and set designs.
Performances:
- Kevin Costner: Hayes Ellison performed well; still, the plot of the character is not very inspiring as compared to the other roles.
- Jena Malone: As for the movie, it was successful in depicting the mixed feelings of the character Ellen.
- Supporting Cast: Some of the talents include Sam Worthington and Sienna Miller however, some characters are subdued as one can observe the film is overpopulated.
Moviepoptime Review:
First, I like Kevin Costner, I always do and always will. Oh, I like Dances With Wolves or rather Dances With Wolves as we may call it. I love Yellowstone. Like many of his films. But Horizon stinks. I also agree that it cannot be quality writing when one writes something like this. The dialogue and the story are horrible and so they are unfocused. I think some typos were the following or that it was due to poor editing as well. That is what I feel, maybe the writing must be very bad.
I was able to identify the following about writings in the two films I watched; Yellowstone and Dances with Wolves. Horizon has terrible writing. I think that Costner should have hired a great writer – like Taylor Sheridan or some other great writers because the writing is probably the highlight of any great movie. Why should some man be allowed to write the screenplay for this movie series if he is not yet capable of writing one?
Conclusion:
“Horizon: The film is titled “An American Saga – Chapter 1” and what it wants is to try and convey the essential shoot ’em up values of life at the frontier. In cinematography and revelation of the characters, there is merit in the film; however, the cessation of flights and uneven pacing of the narrative negatively impact the movie. Despite its mistakes, the film presents a story that unites all viewers in anticipation of the events that will take place in the consequent films. Despite the effort put into developing this storyline, Western enthusiasts as well as Costner’s followers could lift some value from this e-design whereas other movie lovers may not appreciate it due to various unchecked loose ends.
Also Read: THE FALL GUY Movie Review