Kevin Costner left Yellowstone to finally work on his passion project of more than three decades. Horizon: An American Saga was just an idea, when Costner started pursuing it back in 1988. It’s been 36 years since then, and the 69 year-old actor has finally put his idea to screen. The first part of the movie series, Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1, was released last month, but things are not looking too good for the actor-director maestro.
Chapter 1 of Horizon has not had the best reaction from audiences, much to the dismay of Kevin Costner. The movie currently has a 46% rating on Tomatometer, with critics giving mixed reactions. While some loved it, others found it a snoozefest, giving the movie quite polarizing reviews. But there is one thing most agree on, and that could start trouble for Costner.
Fans Give Their Verdict on Horizon: An American Saga
Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1 opened to mediocre response from critics and audiences alike. But with time, the tides seem to be turning, as more people seem to be giving the movie a better response. A lot of reviews so far have been positive, with audiences gushing about the cinematography and the cast’s performance. But the one thing they seem to have a problem with is how long the movie is. Another would be that there are too many stories going on at the same time, which can make it a little confusing.
In a subreddit in YellowstonePN, a user asked fans their thoughts on Horizon to those who have seen it. To this, most said they loved what Costner did in terms of direction and cinematography, but they felt like the first movie in the series was more of a setup than the actual story, and for that, 3 hours seemed a lot. They also had a problem with so many stories going on simultaneously, which made it a little hard to keep track of everything. And a lot of them had the opinion that it should have been made into a series or miniseries, rather than a four-part movie.
I think it was solid. Absolutely gorgeously shot, definitely an outstanding job by Costner as the director. Great score too, and I liked the cast. But the writing just kind of felt like a mess, I know there’s a part 2 coming in just over a month, but this one felt TOO much like a set up movie. It definitely did not need to be 3 hours long. Costner’s role as an actor actually was probably the weakest segments, I cared about his scenes the least. Though I liked his restraint in not forcing himself to be the main part or get most of the screen time.
Most of what I’ve read and heard from friends who have seen it has been positive, in some cases extremely positive, while most professional critics and some audiences seem to have not understood that it’s only the first chapter of a 4 part epic story and not a single story in and of itself, like most movies are.
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I thought it was ok. I wasn’t blown away by it but I didn’t hate it either. Someone on another post said it felt more like a miniseries made into a movie and I kind of agree.
Sound editing, cinematography, score, and acting were phenomenal, story was ambitious and unconventional in terms of the way it was told and sorta didn’t hold your hand. Not a perfect film by any means but very enjoyable and happy i saw it in imax, made me really excited for the next one when all the plots come together and have a more cohesive narrative.
I truly enjoyed it and I’m looking forward to the next release as well as the two in the future. Yes, it has multiple story lines which extended the run time, but it felt real and the cinematography was excellent. In a world filled with animated movies and the same old shit superhero films, I found Horizon refreshing.
Rumor has it that initially there was some thought on turning Horizon into a miniseries, but in the end, they decided to go with the movie format. Some fans also seem of the opinion that they would rather wait for the DVD to be out to watch it at home, rather than going to the theaters given the length of the movies, but that could be another disaster waiting to happen for Costner and co.
With one movie already out, and another to be released next month, things could get better for Kevin Costner and his Western saga. And it already has a lot of positives to build on, so we can only hope it does well with the upcoming installments.
Horizon: An American Saga Was a Labor of Love For Kevin Costner
For Kevin Costner, who has been trying to get this movie made for more than three decades, Horizon is so much more than a story he wanted to bring to the silver screen. After he knocked on every boat, and had meetings with one production house after the other, without any positive response, he knew he had to take things into his own hands. And that’s exactly what he did.
Costner has, so far, spent close to $40 million to get the first two movies of the series made. And that’s his own money that he has invested into this production. He could have easily let this project be when he saw that getting funding for this series would be difficult. But Costner held on to the hope and gave it his all, including his money, to make Horizon a reality. And we can only commend him for the hard work he has put in to make this happen.
Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1 is currently in theaters. Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 2 will be released on August 16, 2024.