By Jonathan Klotz
| Published
Westerns were once the most dominant genre in Hollywood, peaking in the 50s and 60s, before slowly falling out of favor despite a few standouts in the last few decades, but there have been a few standouts, and most of all, one man has worked tirelessly to bring the genre back to prominence. Kevin Costner, star and director of Dances with Wolves, star of Hatfields & McCoys, and star of the modern Western Yellowstone, finally brought his passion project, Horizon: An American Saga, an epic four-part movie series that sought to redefine Westerns to theaters. The problem is that the first film bombed so badly that the sequel’s release has been indefinitely postponed, but there’s still hope, as Horizon is now a massive success on Netflix.
A Great Start
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 debuted on Netflix in early January and, ever since, has been part of the streamer’s top 10. The first part of the epic saga features a massive cast of characters, some of whom we don’t even see until the ending teaser for Chapter 2, across multiple storylines that have yet to intersect. Chapter 1 is not a complete movie, with none of the stories reaching anything resembling a conclusion, but what it is is a bold experiment in bringing the structure of television to movies.Â
The film starts with an Apache raid on the new settlement of Horizon, which serves as the catalyst for the first two storylines, which follow some survivors taking shelter in a military encampment and others who are out for revenge. At the same time, in the less developed storyline, a wagon train is on its way to Horizon when it comes to the attention of the Apache, and the threat of an impending attack hangs over the settlers. Yet another storyline follows a young woman on the run from her abusers, while Costner, as the mysterious Hayes Ellison, finds himself wrapped up in her wake while falling for Marigold, a woman of the night.
Every storyline shows potential, and a few of the characters, including Jena Malone’s Ellen and one of her pursuers, Caleb Sykes, played by Jamie Campbell Bower (you know him as Stranger Things Vecna), stand out among the ensemble. There are some standout moments, including a tense, well-shot shoot-out that proves Costner knows what he’s doing behind the camera, but for the most part, Horizon: An American Saga- Chapter 1 has so much going on, it’s easy to miss the details, which is likely why it’s taking off on Netflix.
We May Never See The Entire Saga
In theaters, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 bombed, earning $38 million alongside an onslaught of middling reviews, with most critics and fans agreeing that the film was ok but had a lot of setup with no payoff. Originally, Chapter 2 was going to arrive in theaters two months after the first film’s June debut, but in early July, the second film was pulled from release, and to date, no replacement has been announced. Given the success of the first film on Netflix, there could be a future for the series, which still has three more movies to go, on the streaming network instead of theaters.
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 debuted on Max last Fall, but the Warner Bros streaming service lacks the footprint of Netflix, and more people have likely watched the film in the last week than in the last few months combined. It would make sense for the streaming service to pick up the franchise, especially since Kevin Costner self-financed the production, driven to bring his passion project to life after toiling away on it for decades. Netflix needs content, and after spending hundreds of millions on Zach Snyder’s Rebel Moon, Costner’s Western epic could likely be acquired for a sum that the streamer would consider a rounding error.
For now, if you haven’t seen Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1, it’s still worth checking out on Netflix, if for no other reason than to see Kevin Costner pour his heart out on screen for three hours. At least now that it’s streaming, you can pause and take a bathroom break. And if enough people stream it, we might someday get to see the rest of the epic.