“Ambitious” is probably a word that’s being used too loosely when it comes to Kevin Costner’s new movie series,Horizon: An American Saga.From being planned as a huge interconnected story that spans a lengthy period and covers some of the most poignant times in US history, it also plans to tackle some of its most controversial legacies head-on. Depicting sweeping narratives, with each part done as an epic Western film, Costner isn’t shying away from the daunting project despite the drama encircling his personal life and recent divorce that all played out very publicly.
Instead, the multi-award-winning veteran star has co-written the film series, already starred in, directed, and produced the first part himself, and plans to do the same for the remaining three films, too. He initially seemed to have gotten off to the best possible start, with an early screening of the film at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival resulting in an 11-minute standing ovation that left him in tears as he delivered a moving speech to the audience afterward.
However, as beautiful as it was to see a truly fantastic actor and filmmaker receive his due appreciation for all he’s given audiences over the years, it only lasted as long as it took for the first reviews to come in. After those early reviews were released, many havelabeledHorizondisappointingor underwhelming. While no one is saying it was poorly made, there’s a growing sentiment among audiences and even some reviewers that the film and the project shouldn’t have been a film saga. Let’s explore some of the reasons whyHorizon: An American Sagamight have worked better as a TV series.
Is Horizon: An American Saga Too Ambitious?
Given all ofKevin Costner’s immense successover the years as an actor and a director, especially in Westerns,many anticipated thatHorizonwould be the magnum opusto his body of work in the genre. However, the latest feature film he takes on from behind the lens has big shoes to fill. After all, his return to directing Westerns comes amid the legacy of his work onDances with Wolves,afilm that took home seven Academy Awards, amid 12 nominations, including a win for Best Picture, with Costner being nominated that year for Best Actor and winning the award for Best Director.
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Aside from starring in many other Western films, while arguably none reached the same acclaim asDances with Wolves, Costner would later again be the toast of the genre for his incredible work on theYellowstonefranchise. Whilethings may have ended unceremoniouslywith that project, what the franchise did was firmly place Costner back in contention as one of thegreatest Western actors there’s ever been.
WithHorizonreminding us that he’s also a notable filmmaker in the genre, sadly, the weight of his own achievements has caused many to wonder if he may have bitten off too much this time.Horizonis bold and certainly has some noble ideals since it seeks to correct the historical legacy of the USA — one that has grown to be much-maligned for how it’s often perceived as a sugarcoated version that glorifies white conquest while brushing aside the darker sides of that story.While Costner unselfishlytries to realign the tale with reality and has shown a type of directorial bravery with his choices, many believe the overall scope of what he needs to cover inthe saga is too ambitious, even for four epic films.
Will the Current Horizon Format Be Able to Do the Full Story Justice?
Read Our Review
Given the scope of the saga, many commentators and reviewers have been comparing it to Francis Ford Coppola’s epic sci-fi film,Megalopolis,whichscreened in competition at Cannes in 2024. Horizonis already athree-hour filmand has three more parts to it. It will encompass an enormous cast of characters that’s already seen the likes of Kevin Costner himself, Sienna Miller, and Sam Worthington take part in it. However, despite its grand scale and slow burn, many are still wondering if the overall project will be enough to do the subjects and historical legacies it tackles justice.
With the significance of the story it wants to tell, it certainly needs a coherent approach or runs the risk of losing its punch over time, especially if it can’t stick to release plans, ends up being delayed, or becomes disjointed in any way over time. It alsoneeds to cover many significant stories and historical realitiesthat have been altered, covered up, or ignored by history for too long. Its sweeping nature means it will encompass both sides ofthe Civil War, among many other significant periods and conflicts in American history.
Between the horrific parts of history that saw the decimation of many indigenous tribes, the treatment of Chinese railroad workers, and, of course, the nightmarishhistory of slaveryin America,Horizonhas some pretty sensitive and deep stories to tell. When the complexities and nuances of these periods are considered, plus the perfectly welcome telling of the resilience of the settlers too, it’s suddenly pretty clear thata series may have been the better optionsince each of these legacies could have been properly fleshed out over entire seasons to do some true justice to just how much of an impact they each had on shaping the nation as it exists today.
We’ve Already Seen How Good the YellowstoneSaga Is
Regardless of how sweeping the scope ofHorizon’stimelines and characters are,there’s another compelling argument for why it should have been a series. We already know fromtheYellowstonefranchisejust how fantastic a series it could be. After all, those shows have done the same thing, mostly revolving around the core of one family.
However, with the spin-offs1883,1923,and others planned,it now also spans multiple decades and generations, encapsulating many characters, stories, and poignant moments along the way. However, the fact that it was all drawn out in this manner also never made it feel like anything significant was left out or rushed, withplenty of character development made possible by its format.
Yellowstoneprovides a perfect template for how goodHorizoncould be as a multi-season series. With Costner’s practiced hand as a Western actor and being the kind of restrained director a story of this nature deserves, there are many reasons whyHorizon: An American Sagacould have been a series — and an exceptional one at that! Here’s a bit of what the famedRoger Ebertsite had to say about the film in its review:
“Horizon” isn’t trying to subvert the Western, relying on many well-worn tropes. It’s also a slow build of intersecting stories that takes so long to get going that Costner doesn’t even appear on screen until an hour in. Instead the first third of “Horizon” is merely a long preamble, a structural decision indicative of a film grinding and failing to prove itself as a standalone feature. The sizzle reel that ends Chapter One, in fact, featuring a library of clips and characters for future movies, does well to tease the kind of high-motoring film we could get but don’t necessarily find here.
Watch the trailer forHorizonbelow, and see the film in theaters.Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 2hits theaters on Jul 23, 2025.
