Chronicles a multi-faceted, 15-year span of pre-and post-Civil War expansion and settlement of the American west.Chronicles a multi-faceted, 15-year span of pre-and post-Civil War expansion and settlement of the American west.Chronicles a multi-faceted, 15-year span of pre-and post-Civil War expansion and settlement of the American west.
- Awards
- 1 nomination
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWhen shooting started in Moab, Utah, the temperature was 109 °F (43 °C). Towards the end of shooting, the temperature got to a low 9 °F (-13 °C).
- GoofsThere are a number of firearms mistakes throughout the film, mainly dealing with muzzle loading cap and ball revolvers being loaded with cartridges. The first part is supposed to take place in 1859, most common revolvers then included the Colt 1849 pocket model, Colt Dragoon, Colt Navy (which are used in the film), all of which are loaded by pouring gunpowder in the cylinders, ramming a ball or conical bullet into cylinder and putting a percussion cap (primer) on the cylinder's nipple. The first cartridge firing revolvers weren't seen until the late 1850s but were almost exclusively made by Smith and Wesson as they had a deal with the patent holder for the bored through cylinder at the time in the United States.
- Quotes
Matthew Van Weyden: All I'm trying to do is get as many of us as I can, as far as I can.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Project: Episode dated 21 May 2024 (2024)
- SoundtracksAmazing Grace
Arranged by Teddy Morgan & John Debney
Performed by Alyssa Flaherty featuring Shelly Morning Song
Published by Teddy Morgan Music (BMI); Administered by BMG and John Debney Music (ASCAP)
Produced & Recorded by Teddy Morgan & John Debney
Under license from Territory Pictures
Featured review
I'm a massive fan of the Western genre, so when I heard that Costner was making this, I couldn't have been more excited. I pre-purchased tickets the day they went on sale. I knew this was going to be Part 1 of a four-part epic, so I fully expected that the story's development would be different than a typical film. Considering that, I was relatively disappointed in this first installment. Without giving any spoilers, here's the context for the whole review: The movie sets up multiple storylines that I expect will converge over the course of the remaining three installments. Each storyline focuses on a different aspect of Western expansion. That said, here's what I liked and was disappointed by.
Let's start with the good.
The subtitle of this film is "An American Saga." It is clear that Costner intends this to be precisely that. The storylines created in this first episode touch on virtually every aspect of Western expansion and the birth of America as we know it today. You have both sides of the conflict between the settlers moving west and the native population already occupying those territories. You have the military and the civil war. You have the "Wild West" component where a specific type of man was drawn to the lawless environs that would allow him to pursue his vices virtually unrestrained. And you have the appetite to take more and profit more, which is such a factor in history.
The story does an excellent job of showing just how difficult life was for virtually everyone in that ecosystem. It adeptly demonstrates the brutality, vulnerability to the elements and conditions, and the sheer amount of work required to live in the West. There are also quite a few subtle examples of very accurate aspects of history and life in the West that show a great deal of attention to detail.
The costumes, sets, and visuals are all what you would expect out of a great western.
Most importantly, the story is interesting. I am interested in what happens moving forward. And the story is unique, which is saying a lot given the current state of Hollywood, where 90% of films being released are just reboots of existing brands and stories we've already seen.
Having said all that, here's why I was disappointed.
To start, the writing could be better. Much of the dialogue is contrived, and several conflicts don't make much sense. In addition, the acting could be better too. Maybe it's the scripts they had to work with, but many actors seem like actors. That might sound weird. What I mean is that you look at them as an actor playing a part in a western rather than buy into them as the character they are playing.
In addition, some of the plot points are hard to follow. It's unclear why characters are making the decisions or why the story took the turn it did. Some characters appear out of nowhere and cause a significant turn of events that don't have rhyme or reason. There are also substantial jumps in time, which by themselves don't bother me. Still, in these cases, it's not obvious that significant time has passed or why the character you just saw in a previous scene is now making the choices they are making with some considerable time that's happened between scenes. (With all of this, I must be purposefully nebulous to avoid spoilers.)
The third aspect that disappointed me was the look of the film. Westerns are known for their epic, cinematic quality. They have a color grading that screams, "Big Feature Film." This movie does not. It looks more like an episode of Yellowstone than a feature film. Also, for fans of the Western genre, those quintessential beautiful landscape shots that make the land a character unto itself are half of the enjoyment. This film doesn't do that. You have a few brief wide shots. But this takes place in Arizona, Wyoming, Montana, and Kansas, giving ample opportunity for gorgeous panoramas. But we don't.
I am reserving judgment until I see the remaining three installments. I was so excited to see a 10 out of 10. Instead, I got a solid 6.8. So I'm rounding up and giving this a 7. Let's hope the remaining three bring up the average and this becomes the film for the ages that I know Costner wanted it to be.
Let's start with the good.
The subtitle of this film is "An American Saga." It is clear that Costner intends this to be precisely that. The storylines created in this first episode touch on virtually every aspect of Western expansion and the birth of America as we know it today. You have both sides of the conflict between the settlers moving west and the native population already occupying those territories. You have the military and the civil war. You have the "Wild West" component where a specific type of man was drawn to the lawless environs that would allow him to pursue his vices virtually unrestrained. And you have the appetite to take more and profit more, which is such a factor in history.
The story does an excellent job of showing just how difficult life was for virtually everyone in that ecosystem. It adeptly demonstrates the brutality, vulnerability to the elements and conditions, and the sheer amount of work required to live in the West. There are also quite a few subtle examples of very accurate aspects of history and life in the West that show a great deal of attention to detail.
The costumes, sets, and visuals are all what you would expect out of a great western.
Most importantly, the story is interesting. I am interested in what happens moving forward. And the story is unique, which is saying a lot given the current state of Hollywood, where 90% of films being released are just reboots of existing brands and stories we've already seen.
Having said all that, here's why I was disappointed.
To start, the writing could be better. Much of the dialogue is contrived, and several conflicts don't make much sense. In addition, the acting could be better too. Maybe it's the scripts they had to work with, but many actors seem like actors. That might sound weird. What I mean is that you look at them as an actor playing a part in a western rather than buy into them as the character they are playing.
In addition, some of the plot points are hard to follow. It's unclear why characters are making the decisions or why the story took the turn it did. Some characters appear out of nowhere and cause a significant turn of events that don't have rhyme or reason. There are also substantial jumps in time, which by themselves don't bother me. Still, in these cases, it's not obvious that significant time has passed or why the character you just saw in a previous scene is now making the choices they are making with some considerable time that's happened between scenes. (With all of this, I must be purposefully nebulous to avoid spoilers.)
The third aspect that disappointed me was the look of the film. Westerns are known for their epic, cinematic quality. They have a color grading that screams, "Big Feature Film." This movie does not. It looks more like an episode of Yellowstone than a feature film. Also, for fans of the Western genre, those quintessential beautiful landscape shots that make the land a character unto itself are half of the enjoyment. This film doesn't do that. You have a few brief wide shots. But this takes place in Arizona, Wyoming, Montana, and Kansas, giving ample opportunity for gorgeous panoramas. But we don't.
I am reserving judgment until I see the remaining three installments. I was so excited to see a 10 out of 10. Instead, I got a solid 6.8. So I'm rounding up and giving this a 7. Let's hope the remaining three bring up the average and this becomes the film for the ages that I know Costner wanted it to be.
The Year in Posters
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- Horizon: An American Saga
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $100,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $29,035,702
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $11,052,561
- Jun 30, 2024
- Gross worldwide
- $38,235,702
- Runtime3 hours 1 minute
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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What is the Canadian French language plot outline for Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1 (2024)?
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