Summary
Kevin Costner’s massive epic Western seriesHorizon: An American Sagahas a runtime and release schedule that requires a significant commitment from any moviegoer, but that level of patience isn’t something Costner has earned with me. To be clear,Costner is behind some truly great filmsas an Academy Award-winning director and veteran actor whose career spans five decades. I grew up appreciating Costner in his classics from the 1980s and 1990s, likeBull Durham,The Untouchables, andTin Cup, but for every memorable film he’s made, there’s a bomb to match it.
His latest movie,Horizon: An America Saga - Part 1, is essentially banking on his target audience granting him a certain amount of grace due to his long and storied history. Unfortunately, just because it’s Kevin Costner directing and starring in a Western movie doesn’t mean I’m automatically investing my time or patience on the series.His infamous exit fromYellowstonecertainly plays a role, but my reasons for distrusting an epic Western from Costner go back many years.
Costner Needed A Strong First Movie To Make Audiences Commit To Horizon’s Future
Part 1being all set-up for the future doesn’t lure anyone in
Early reviews forHorizon: An American Saga - Part 1are rough; as of this writing, the movie boasts a 45% Tomatometer score onRotten Tomatoes. While Rotten Tomatoes is not the final word on a movie’s quality, it does provide insight into the common themes of the positive reviews. Many claim that the first part of the planned four-part series is overly long, and despite its length it never actually progresses into a coherent story.It’s a parade of famous actors being introduced as characters, and then they are swiftly moved on from so that another may be introduced.
It’s clear that the structure is intentional on Costner’s part.The release plan for theHorizonmovies, in whichPart 2releases just six weeks afterPart 1, indicates that the two movies are meant to be seen as two parts of a whole. Unfortunately for Costner,that simply isn’t a sound strategy for introducing a franchise to a brand-new audience, especially given that it’s relying on traditional Western tropes as opposed to bringing something new to the table.
Horizon: An American Saga - Part 3has already begun filming despite neitherPart 1norPart 2having been released.
If there was any chance of Costner picking up steam on his saga, he needed to lure people in with the first movie, and if early reviews are to be believed, he failed in that regard.Horizon: An American Saga - Part 1’s massive runtimeasks that viewers commit to three hours, which even by today’s cinema standards is lengthy. If they aren’t drawn in by an engrossing story in that first movie,there is no motivation for them to return for the sequel, much less three sequels (all of which reportedly boast a similar runtime).
Kevin Costner Still Hasn’t Moved Past His Awkward Yellowstone Exit
Costner won’t return for the end of season 5
Like many others, I was upset with how Kevin Costner chose to exit Taylor Sheridan’s hit neo-Western dramaYellowstone. By leaving in the middle of season 5, he all but forced Sheridan to wrap up many plot lines in just the final few episodes. While plenty of rumors swirled about Costner’s abrupt departure from the show, the most prevalent washis desire to pursue his long-gestating passion project, which isHorizon: An American Saga. Leaving his fellow actors, the show creators, and avid fans well short of his seven-season plan forYellowstonewon’t help encourage anyone to seeHorizon.
Kevin Costner’s Track Record With Epic Movies Works Against Him
Costner has a long list of critical and box office failures
In addition to the bad taste he’s left in the mouth of his current fans, Costner doesn’t have the greatest track record with movies that could be classified as “epics.“Dances with Wolvesis the crown jewel of Costner’s career, but outside that,many of his epic movies have been massive failures. In fact, the best comparison forHorizon: An American Sagais 1994’s biographical epicWyatt Earp.Costner now risks repeating that box office nightmarewithHorizon, given that many of the flaws that critics found withWyatt Earpare the same issues they’re now lamenting withHorizon.
2002
7%
1997
14%
3000 Miles to Graceland
2001
15%
2005
21%
1994
25%
Stepping outside the Western genre, Costner has a habit of putting together bloated, big-budget critical failures. His most famous might beWaterworlddue to the sheer notoriety of its box office failure, butepics likeRobin Hood: Prince of ThievesandThe Postmanoperate on a similar scale toHorizon, andthey were both widely panned by critics. Simply put, Kevin Costner’s track record with epics isn’t enough to earn my patience when it comes toHorizon: An American Saga.
Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1
Cast
Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1 is set in 1859, following families as they settle in territories from Wyoming to Kansas. The narrative centers around a cowboy on the run with a prostitute and a young boy after a deadly confrontation, exploring the challenges of life in the Old West.
