There’s no denying that Yellowstone has brought the Western genre back to a more meaningful place in pop culture – or that it’s kicked off a new chapter in Kevin Costner’s career. So, the idea of Costner directing his own Western epic to extend the genre’s resurgence to the big screen makes total sense. Yet, while Costner’s grand vision for the genre is clearer than ever, the first entry in his multi-part film series, Horizon: An American Saga, suffers greatly from too much set-up and not enough satisfaction. 

The film is set in 1860s America where residents of the titular frontier town are decimated by an Apache raid. From there, viewers follow the remaining residents as well as other characters scattered throughout the American West as everyone searches for new opportunities and establishes fresh roots. With the film bursting with characters, stories, and history in every frame, it’s impressive how Costner characterizes this era of America through this wildly large scope. Seriously, the cinematography by J. Michael Muro is absolutely stunning and he makes the seasonal and location shifts throughout the film a genuine visual marvel. The hypnotically vast plains and stark mountain backgrounds are gorgeous and a key element of Costner bringing a classic, golden-age Western back to the big screen. 

Costner adds in all the “little details” that make Horizon a nostalgic Western and is admirably dedicated in crafting that experience. The color hats everyone wears says something about their morality – black hats usually mean bad guys, white hats are for good guys, and gray is for everyone in between. The score carries some modern tones, but ultimately feels ripped from one of Costner’s old Westerns. Plus, the dialogue and approach to character dynamics are very in-line with the feel and themes of the genre’s old-school trappings. Aesthetically, Costner brings all the right pieces together to build this experience and effectively returns the Western genre to its glory days. 

However, the narrative is too overstuffed (yet somehow still hollow) to be enjoyed. Right from the beginning, Costner establishes this thematic arc that will likely evolve over the course of the series. It’s tied to Westward expansion, this innate desire for discovery, and the gifts and consequences of staking your claim. There’s this interesting thread that highlights the land battle between new settlers and Apache as well as the philosophical beliefs that spur immense bloodshed. There’s also some good conflicts in personality and demeanor that add some solid bumps in the road and lead to compelling interactions. The strife between the leader of a mobile settlers group and a couple of hopeful newbies to the lifestyle evoke the cultural impact of Westward expansion perfectly and could easily go deeper with more films. There’s absolutely a lot to chew on with Horizon and it’s more than just cowboys blasting guns and riding horses. 

Unfortunately, it’s hard to really connect with everything the film is trying to provoke because it has way too much going on. The film is so clogged up with characters and exposition that you could go roughly 20 to 30 minutes without checking in on another storyline that’s playing out. So, by the time you’re back with certain characters, you have to do a mini-recap within yourself to remember what was even happening with them. It makes the introduction of new characters an absolute headache and ultimately causes a lot of the characters and their stories to become unmemorable. Not to mention, the amount of notable stars shoved into this film is far too distracting. 

Costner assembles a cast chock-full of talent and everyone gives a solid performance at the very least. There are definitely some big standouts like Michael Rooker, Sam Worthington, Abbey Lee, and Ella Hunt who mesh with the genre well. Also, to no surprise, Costner is excellent as well. But there are other additions, like Luke Wilson and Danny Huston, who stick out like sore thumbs because they don’t blend in at all. They’re far too modern-feeling and it’s also a shame to see other beloved talent like Isabelle Fuhrman be mostly sidelined because there’s not enough of the spotlight to go around. 

More importantly, this first chapter doesn’t exactly make the best first impression for general audiences as it features a limited experience that could keep them from fully enjoying everything – or seeing the film at all. Because of how much the film stretches its narrative to cover a lot of ground, the three-hour runtime feels incredibly bloated with shaky pacing. Also, although Costner’s dedication to creating an authentic Western revival is commendable, it can result in dialogue that’s super wonky, dated, and almost laughably overdramatic. Plus, with the film never reaching the depth it desires with its story, you feel like you’re not getting a complete experience. There are definitely ideas and themes within the characters that feel like they’re forming and an interesting Apache perspective and depicting that’s felt. But, it’s far from reaching satisfying conclusions and it’s hard to say that the film does enough to warrant watching this story continue – let alone over the course of three more films.  

Costner is definitely tapping into something big with his first Horizon film, but it suffers greatly from being an incomplete Part 1. It presents this larger than life return to form for the Western genre that’s undoubtedly impressive, but its potential isn’t enough to overcome the depth and focus it clearly lacks or the commitment viewers will have to have to see it all through. Costner is unabashedly confident in Horizon’s potential, but this first entry doesn’t instill the same confidence in viewers that it’ll attain the greatness it seeks.

Watch the Trailer Here: