NOTICE: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR “HORIZON: AN AMERICAN SAGA - CHAPTER 1.”
Starting this summer, The Amarillo Pioneer will be bringing you reviews of some of the latest films to hit the big screen in the Panhandle. Next up, the first chapter in Kevin Costner’s new epic Western film series, “Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1.”
“Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1” is the first film in what is expected to be a series of between three and four films produced, written, and directed by Kevin Costner. The film stars Costner, along with a cast of other notable players, including Michael Rooker, Sienna Miller, Luke Wilson, Sam Worthington, and Danny Huston.
Set amid several backdrops from the early American frontier, the film tracks four mini-plots across the period. Yet, notably, none of the subplots collide at any point in the film. This fact seems to contribute to the film’s failure to deliver any meaningful story during its three-hour runtime.
Most everything that happens in the film feels like exposition for the future entries of the series. Notably, at the end of the film, a strange sequence of scenes to come is shown, with the apparent intent to grab audiences’ interest in coming back to the theater for more installments. Unfortunately, more happens in this short two-minute sizzle reel than happens in the entire first chapter of the “Horizon” series.
Additionally, the film struggles to weave its stories together and fails — for the most part — to develop audience connections to its characters. This is likely due to the fact that many characters are introduced to appear in one or two scenes in the film before being killed off or simply just disappearing. The one major exception to this criticism is likely Sienna Miller’s performance as Frances Kittredge, a grieving mother coping with the death of her husband during a raid on the family’s homestead. Her performance was clearly one of the most emotional in the film — and was the only one that felt like it would leave audiences wanting more.
As for Kevin Costner, while his character has been at the center of the film’s advertising campaign, he really doesn’t seem to be the centerpiece of the film. His character, Hayes Ellison, appears about an hour into the film and has an interesting story that seems to go nowhere in the end. However, the teaser reel does suggest he might be more present for “Chapter 2.”
While the film has a lot of issues, one area that deserves praise is the sweeping cinematography showcasing the American frontier landscape. America has some truly awe-inspiring scenery and the film expertly captured that. The film also showcases some sequences that remind us of the bravery and perseverance of those who journeyed through the American West.
However, movies depend on stories and characters to drive audience satisfaction, and “Chapter 1” just doesn’t deliver as a standalone movie.
If you’re willing to watch the film in hopes that “Chapter 2” might deliver on the conclusion of some of these disjointed plots, then you’re more than welcome to do so. However, it seems fairly likely that many audience members won’t stick around for “Chapter 2” after enduring the uneventful three-hour runtime of “Chapter 1.”
“Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1” is now playing in theaters. According to the MPAA, the film is rated R due to violence, some nudity, and sexuality.