Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1 (2024)

Horizon Chapter 1 is often criticized because with its intention to tell a story over the course of 4 movies, is structured more like a TV series than a big screen film. It sets into motion a number of narrative threads featuring a cast of multitudes that don't always appear to be connected at first. On a streamer spread out over 10 episodes, this would be recognizable way of telling a story and people would binge it in a weekend. But as a film, audiences don't know how handle it. For me I don't think that sort of criticism makes sense. While I may have some other issues with the film, it's ambition isn't one of them. 

The first chapter of Horizon lacks the sort of beginning/middle/end that a lot of first-in-a-series have. Intended franchises such as Dune parts One and Two or the Lord of the Rings films handled that better, despite having an over arching story, still gave some single arc structure to each part. Horizon eschews that for the sort of meandering openness of story telling that a more serialized sort of storytelling uses, like we'd see on TV. It doesn't mean it doesn't work it just means we have to understand how to consume it differently. Perhaps that's why it found more of an audience once it was available to watch at home.

Like a lot of TV shows, I found some stories and characters in Horizon more compelling than others. It didn't always hold my attention for each aspect of its narrative. I appreciated how it tries to tell a varying number of perspectives instead of necessarily siding with one view or culture. But sometimes this felt a bit forced For me Horizon's problems were less in its score and more in its inconsistency. But there was enough I found interesting that I'd be up for watching Horizon Part 2. Hopefully it will start to feel a little more cohesive and find its tone and style. This one may or may not have got there on its own but there is potential. 

Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1

Starring: Kevin Costner, Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Will Patton, Jamie Campbell Bower, Giovanni Ribisi, Michael Rooker, Danny Huston, Jena Malone, Michael Angarano, Abby Lee, Luke Wilson, Jon Beavers, Owen Crow, Tatanka Means, Will Patton

Director: Kevin Costner

Writers: John Baird, Kevin Costner