I finished watching it yesterday… and I loved it ! First, the landscape is amazingly represented. Since we follow the story of different characters, we travel around the United-States and we’ve got the chance to see the wilderness of America. From the hot desert to the snowy forests, the backgrounds are beautiful and rich. Then the casting! I think that Mr. Costner has wisely chose the actors for the movie, all of them give an excellent performance and stand as strong individuals with their own personality, especially for women. For a French cinema lover, it was my first time to see some actors, as their less known in France. I think each actor fit their characters pretty well. Finally, I’ll talk about the movie itself. I think Kevin Costner has amazingly directed the movie. We have a lot of different shots which are very interesting to see. Also, the change of setting when we switch to another story helped me to follow the story easily. The only thing that bothers me is the script. It is well written and very interesting, but I found myself a bit lost from time to time due to the multiple characters, but it didn’t take me long to catch up with the story. I can’t wait to watch the next movie! A saga that I Will follow closely for sure. For me, it is an absolutely to be seen movie!

In “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1” , Kevin Costner directs the beginning of a four-part western epic that focuses on the fierce struggle for land and freedom in the undeveloped expanses of the Midwest at the time of the Civil War. During the three-hour running time, the focus is on worldbuilding and numerous characters are introduced, which initially makes it difficult to keep an overview. However, as the story progresses, the narrative thread becomes clearer and the characters gain depth. Costner knows how to realistically portray the brutal conflicts and the harshness of life in the West without morally glorifying one side. His directorial work impresses with breathtaking landscape shots and a powerful soundtrack that bring the wildness and harshness of the West to life. The set and costume design are of outstanding quality and contribute to the authenticity of the historical portrayal. Despite some unclear time jumps that make it slightly difficult to get your bearings, the film captivates with its dense atmosphere and gripping constellations of characters and remains a fascinating cinematic experience that takes up the spirit of the classic western with modern means. Those who can accept that “Horizon” is only the prelude, in which the big story is not yet revealed, will be rewarded with images that only unfold their full effect on the big screen.

Film Review: Horizon: An American Saga I've been eagerly awaiting "Horizon: An American Saga" by Kevin Costner for months, despite reading mixed reviews. To my delight, the film exceeded my expectations and proved to be an incredible experience. While it has its flaws, it’s a captivating journey through the American frontier. The film is a historical narrative in a Western style, portraying various events along the American frontier. From the first scenes accompanied by John Debney's sweeping score, I was hooked. The themes of exploration, survival, conflict, and cultural clashes are all vividly depicted through multiple storylines. Costner's passion for this project is evident, and he takes his time to meticulously unfold each narrative without rushing. One of the film's strengths is its ability to showcase the nuances of frontier life, from settlers claiming new lands to the complex relationships with Native Americans. Costner successfully illustrates the grey areas of these interactions, avoiding a simplistic good versus evil portrayal. This nuanced approach, combined with the strong technical aspects of the film—such as the impressive sound design, visual effects, and authentic costumes—immersed me completely in the story. The ensemble cast delivers solid performances, with Sienna Miller and Sam Worthington standing out. The choice to use lesser-known actors added to the film’s authenticity. While some have criticized the film for having too many characters and a lack of a central protagonist, I appreciated this decision as it provided a broader perspective of the frontier. However, the film isn't without its drawbacks. The pacing can feel slow, especially given the film's three-hour runtime, and some viewers might find it long-winded. Additionally, while the music is excellent and enhances the film, the dialogue and script could have been stronger. Costner's decision not to use IMAX cameras was a missed opportunity to make the visuals even more grandiose. Despite these minor issues, I thoroughly enjoyed "Horizon: An American Saga." It felt like a classic Western, capturing the spirit of the genre while providing a fresh perspective on frontier life. I eagerly await the next installment and hope Costner gets the chance to complete his vision for this ambitious project. Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Horizon: An American Saga is directed by and stars Kevin Costner and a long list of a star-studded cast in this western set over the course of 15 years across three different stories mainly around a man who comes across a woman and child in need of help to get away from killers that are after the child. I was intrigued to see this movie as it seemed like a solid, old-fashioned western and Kevin Costner appeared to put a lot of passion into it. This was well-performed and has some solid world and story-building with great action sequences and likable leads, but since it has such a vast scope, the character and relationship development feels simultaneously rushed and absent at times. This would have functioned much better as a television series since each story packed into the film felt like it could have had a whole season dedicated to it and would have resulted in a more layered and memorable product. While the cinematography and landscape are beautiful, the filming style also very much looks like a TV show. Those issues stated, I did like this film a fair amount and I wish the second part’s release wasn’t recently pulled from the studio schedule. I hope to see the second part in the future if they ever let it hit screens after this one bombed at the box office. I was impressed with the grand scale that the story attempts to extend and you can see the big picture of what Costner was wanting to portray which makes for an effective western. However, I would have liked to see Costner’s character be a little more than just the ‘tough guy’ with no faults or weaknesses as the macho gunslinger act feels tried and tired. It gave me the same impression of Clint Eastwood directing himself hooking up with young women in The Mule. It was just a bit odd and feels like self-worship. A little vulnerability goes a long way, but nonetheless - this was an entertaining western despite feeling unfocused due to its overtly large scope condensed into three hours. 3/5 STARS #movie #filmfanatic #weekendmovie #movies #film #filmcritic #moviereviewer #filmreview #review #blog #2024movies #movieblog #movienerd #filmblog #cinema #movieland #filmreviews

For years I’ve been wanting Hollywood to return to big Westerns and it looks like the studios have listened because Kevin Costner’s mammoth project Horizon: An American Saga is absolutely huge. Both in its scope and its writing. This is only part 1 of a 4 part series and you can really tell because of the way Costner spends the majority of the of the film setting up all these different storylines with subplots within them. There’s alot of characters to keep track of really but I didn’t mind it. Performance wise everyone really did knock out of the park! Kevin Costner has still got it as an actor all these years later. Seinna Miller is wonderful and so is Sam Worthington. Technically the film is just absolutely gorgeous to look at with stunning cinematography that is truly staggering and shows the beauty of old western America in the 1800s. The action is fierce and never lets up. Editing wise I think it’s about right pacing wise. The film is 3hrs long but it uses its run time to great effect. John Debney’s score is operatic and beautifully composed. I honestly admire Kevin’s ability to self finance all 4 of these projects himself and to have the courage to make a huge epic western saga again. I really did love this but it’s definitely an intro to a much larger story. Thank goodness Chapter 2 releases in August this year! 8/10.