Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1 (2024)

Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1

• I had originally wanted to see this in theaters, but the three hour runtime was a big turn off. I’m normally a fan of long films, such as ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’, ‘Oppenheimer’, and ‘The Irishman’, but those feel a lot more classier and significant than what I thought this western would be. Yes, I judged this by its cover, which is hypocritical, but let me just say that I absolutely loved this, and it was worth the full three hours. No, it’s not the best western ever made, and there are flaws, but it was very entertaining to me. It’s hard to say for sure that the story was necessarily “good”, because this is only one of four chapters, and it’s certainly nothing new in the western genre. Most parts of the writing felt similar to a lot of other westerns I’ve seen, so I can't really give many points for the screenplay. A lot of the dialogue was also corny and felt forced, though some of it was good. But as stated, it was entertaining, with great action and tons of characters. The performances were pretty decent all around, with notable names such as Kevin Costner, Luke Wilson, and Michael Rooker. There were some performances that were bland and unmemorable, but some were great. Physically, all of the actors were very well fit for the time and setting. The costume design was really good, with an authentic and realistic look. All the army uniforms and cowboy garb really made everyone fit in. Lastly, the score was awesome, and has classic western sounds and great arrangements that puts lots of emphasis on each scene. Overall, this film is pretty solid, and despite the weak story, I really liked it. I’m super excited to see the next three installments, and immerse myself in the Horizon environment. I’d recommend this to all western fans. This film is officially Berry Approved, so go watch it now!