Movie Review: Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1

 

Michael's Movie Grade: A+

A top-notch western in every way. 

Westerns are sadly becoming rarer and rarer as time goes on. For fans of this genre (like me), this can be very sad. However one good thing does come out of this. That is that when a western is made today, it is often because someone is passionate about the genre. Kevin Costner (who directs, co-writes, produces and acts in this movie) is obviously incredibly passionate about westerns. This is something that can be felt in every frame of this film. This has been a passion project for Costner for about 40 years. Since the 1980's he has been trying to make a series of four movies entitled Horizon: An American Saga. All these years later the first film from this passion project is finally on movie screens. It easily proves that the wait has been worth it. In many ways this is a traditional western that harkens back to the films of John Ford and Howard Hawks. Yet it still exists very much as its own thing. This is a huge epic, but rather than doing an epic by making everything on a grand scale, this film attempts to do this by spending its 3-hour length. fully transporting you back to the old west. There is no one big storyline here but rather many smaller stories that tie together. Yet this is exactly what makes this movie so great. By going back and forth between the stories of different characters, this movie has a feeling of being something much larger and more immersive than if it had just focused on one story. Because of this type of storytelling, I became not only involved in each individual story, but in the whole aura of the old west. 

This is not to say that these stories were not very involving though. Many of them are quite emotional and will move you deep down to your soul. There are some very touching moments and some very disturbing moments, both of which work masterfully. Also, while this is a movie that has very few action scenes, it kept my eyes glued to the screen for the whole length. I was simply captivated and by the time the film ended, I simply wanted it to continue to see what happens next. Also, while there are few action scenes, the ones that there are here are incredibly exciting and well done.

This movie doesn't only capture the old west in its storytelling but in its look as well. This is incredibly beautiful looking film, and the location shooting is simply a marvel to look at. Many of the shots are simply jaw-droppingly gorgeous. 

I know many critics have been harsh to this film, but personally I think this is a truly wonderful movie and I am looking forward to the next three chapters