Kevin Costner knows how to make great westerns, as evidenced by the positive legacies surrounding “Dance with Wolves” and “Open Range.” As such, “Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1” isn’t completely meritless, but most critics found it boring. As Inverse critic Hoai-Tran Bui wrote, “Every magnificent vista and each swooningly romantic moment can’t make up for the fact that Horizon is excruciatingly dull.”
Meanwhile, The Daily Beast’s Esther Zuckerman stated that Costner’s latest effort doesn’t justify its three-hour duration due to the lack of storyline progression throughout. “There is no arc to what happens, just the seemingly unending introduction of characters,” she wrote. The reviewer also noted that the film is quite problematic in regard to its poor treatment of women and Native American characters.
Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair also gave the film a negative review, but the critic highlighted one positive effect it could have on Costner’s directorial career, writing, “At least Horizon accomplishes one staggering feat: it makes one wonder if we were maybe a little too hard on The Postman.” Maybe there’s a silver lining in every dark cloud after all.
If you’re a fan of this actor and director, check out the untold truth of Kevin Costner.
