The trailer for Kevin Costner’s “Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1” was a far cry from “Yellowstone.” Unfortunately, the film’s reviews also suggest that it pales in comparison to the acclaimed neo-Western series. As of this writing, “Horizon” boasts a 31% score on Rotten Tomatoes, indicating that it might not go down as one of the 21st century’s best westerns.
Directed by and starring Costner, who’s joined by Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, and other household names, “Horizon” is a three-hour adventure about settlers, bounty hunters, and other folks trying to survive the Old West during the American Civil War. That plot summary might sound vague, but the actual movie doesn’t do much to fill in the blanks. “[A] film — certainly a Western — needs to have a plot, a bit of credible characterisation, and a structure that preferably includes a beginning, middle and end,” the BBC’s Nicholas Barber wrote. “Horizon doesn’t have any of those.”
Some reviewers echoed this criticism, while others found different faults with Costner’s latest directorial effort. With that in mind, let’s look at some of the other reactions to “Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1.”
Critics think Horizon: An American Saga is boring
Kevin Costner knows how to make great westerns, as evidenced by the positive legacies surrounding “Dance with Wolves” and “Open Range.” As such, “Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1” isn’t completely meritless, but most critics found it boring. As Inverse critic Hoai-Tran Bui wrote, “Every magnificent vista and each swooningly romantic moment can’t make up for the fact that Horizon is excruciatingly dull.”
Meanwhile, The Daily Beast’s Esther Zuckerman stated that Costner’s latest effort doesn’t justify its three-hour duration due to the lack of storyline progression throughout. “There is no arc to what happens, just the seemingly unending introduction of characters,” she wrote. The reviewer also noted that the film is quite problematic in regard to its poor treatment of women and Native American characters.
Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair also gave the film a negative review, but the critic highlighted one positive effect it could have on Costner’s directorial career, writing, “At least Horizon accomplishes one staggering feat: it makes one wonder if we were maybe a little too hard on The Postman.” Maybe there’s a silver lining in every dark cloud after all.