Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1

Rated R

3 hours

Starring: Kevin Costner, Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington

This movie didn’t do very well at the box office. I wouldn’t say that it’s bad, but it did seem a little hard to follow. And it’s long. Very long at three hours. The story is set during Civil War times and covers a 15-year span trying to show different sides of what people dealt with during the settlement of the west in America.  As far as the movie goes, it just felt like I was dropped right in the middle of scenes and had to figure things out for myself without much to go on. There were people protecting their land, people getting revenge, people traveling through, people on the run, people trying to survive, and people just trying to live their lives and find some meaning along the way. I felt like there were just too many stories and subplots to keep track of and remember who was doing what and why. Also, did I mention it was LONG??? I didn’t hate it and feel like there was a lot there; but, in some ways, felt like they should have gone into the character’s stories more and explained things better with maybe a few less storylines. This is just the first of four parts planned, with Chapter 2 set to release later this year. I’m thinking I might like it better as more parts are released and maybe fill in more of the story. Kevin Costner has been working for years on this and putting his own money into the production. I’ve heard him say that it might not have been appreciated right now, but that he hopes it will have staying power in years to come. I normally like his movies, so I’m hoping he’s right.

Library Link: Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1 (DVD)