Horizon: An American Saga: Chapter 1 left me slightly gob smacked. To be clear, this wasn’t in a good way, I was just stunned at how many Western tropes that Costner was able to throw into the film. Truth be told, I am not sure even if I should refer to this as a film so and more of an opus … Mr. Costner’s Gluttonous Opus …. I mean Part 1 of Mr. Costner’s Gluttonous Opus. I mean this whole experience had me wondering what it must have been like to sit in with Costner during an editing session. Perhaps the editor said something to effect of “Mr. Costner, I am not sure we need this much exposition in the film”, to which he replied “Nah … we are keeping all of it.”
It’s a huge ask of audiences to come out and spend their money on a film which speaks to a very narrow target demographic. Men in general will not have a problem with the subject matter, but it’s hard to invest in any movie, let alone one which meanders like Part 1 Costner’s Gluttonous Opus. Costner certainly wants the world to feel his passion for these stories of times gone by but doesn’t provide us with much in the way of plot either. Part 1 is essentially showing us that settlers out of west came from all sorts of places, their lives weren’t great, and moving across west at 14-hour clips in barely constructed wagons, doesn’t help much either.
Costner had a tough time getting this film off the ground and with good reason. There isn’t any resembling a plot of which audiences can invest in. He obviously felt otherwise, which is why he has invested so much into the project. My guess is he felt that the allure of the old west was enough to overcome any issues in the story. Costner has visions of commercial success for Horizon: An American Saga: Chapter 1. He is sadly mistaken.
Dewey Singleton has been reviewing new releases in television and film for many years. Dewey's reviews have been heard in multiple markets (Houston Atlanta, Tampa). Dewey's past work has been with awardswatch.com, awardsradar.com, and bleeding cool. Dewey is a proud member of the CCA.