Movies
“Horizon: An American Saga” Trailer Reaction
Something about Horizon: An American Saga (2024) is tantalizing my interest.
“Chronicles a multi-faceted, 15-year span of pre-and post-Civil War expansion and settlement of the American west.”
Director: Kevin Costner,
Writers: Jon Baird, Kevin Costner
Stars: Kevin Costner, Sienna Miller, Michael Angarano, Jena Malone, Sam Worthington, Michael Rooker, Jeff Fahey, Will Patton, Abbey Lee, Isabelle Fuhrman
Release: June 28, 2024
IMDB
There hasn’t been a trailer reaction on this blog in a minute. It’s time to dust off the cobwebs.
Something about Horizon: An American Saga (2024) is tantalizing my interest. The idea of a two-part American Western epic in today’s society is daunting. Kevin Costner seems steadfast on creating a second version of Dances With Wolves (1990). He admitted as much in a 2023 Instagram post while making the movie.
Over the past few weeks, the marketing push for this frontier adventure has begun. Whether or not its fruitful, the unrolling process mirrors that of Netflix’s Rebel Moon with a trailer that’s combining its multiple parts into one preview. The two projects are built on very different expectations. We know Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire (2023) fell flat on its face, but what will be the fate of Horizon: An American Saga (2024)?
From the over three-minute trailer, there is little denying that Horizon: An American Saga looks beautiful. It reminds me a bit of News Of The World (2020). The Paul Greengrass film looked outstanding but didn’t resonate with audiences. It was a film that was nominated for four Oscars, but is forgotten a bit to time. Both News Of The World and Horizon: An American Saga both hover around the Civil War era. Horizon spans 15 years according to its byline, spanning the pre and post war era.
The 15 years Horizon spans is nearly the amount of years that Costner has been building out this movie. According to a Deadline article, the two-time Oscar winner has been playing around with this idea since 1988, The man has always had a mind for the wild wild west. Recently Costner played a part in building up the television hit Yellowstone, before leaving it to eventually work on Horizon. In 2019 there was Let Him Go with Diane Lane, along with the western-esq The Highwaymen. We aren’t even diving back into the 200os or 1990s. Nobody is making Western or cowboy themed stories with the frequency or vibrancy of Costner.
Now getting back to the Horizon: An American Saga itself. The trailer is not shy showing the scope of the untamed west. Vast panoramas and majestic still shots are shown plenty within the preview. The first minute of the trailer also hints that the white people are making their way West, and there is nothing anyone can do about it. Safe to say the “army” that Danny Huston’s character is a reference to the Native Americans already living on the land.
This is going to be a delicate balance for Costner. How do you tell the story of American expansion and share the honest truth of what happened without horrifying audiences? It’s a challenge for sure. Sam Worthington is shown as a young soldier who may be thrust into a moral quandary about what he feels is right or wrong. The trailer also shows Costner riding up and being called a “bad man” by the preview’s end. There are foreshadowing of duels, action sequences, romance, and heartbreak. If you were looking for Horizon: An American Saga to hit all the expected bullet points, then look not further than this trailer.
I have a few burning questions about this movie as a whole.
The first is, who is it made for? Young people are not going to go and see this movie. It’s safe to say that both chapters of this story are going to be long, and you are asking for a commitment of 2+ hours twice within a few month span. That’s a mighty big ask for a generation that doesn’t like to sit still and doesn’t have a recollection of this movie genre or its history.
Based on the way Costner has talked about this production, I doubt he is going to want a release that goes directly to streaming. How long will Chapter 1 be in theaters before Chapter 2 arrives? What if Chapter 1 bombs, will the plans for Chapter 2’s release change? Is it already written in stone?
When it comes to award nominations…are both chapters going to be considered one movie, or is it two? What if both films are masterpieces, are both going to be nominated for Best Picture? Will the Academy feel obligated to give Horizon: An American Saga something because it’s Costner taking a bet on himself and his vision and putting it into theaters the indie way, albeit that budget is over 400 million…ish?
This is a big bet by Kevin Costner. He has gone all-in before. Sometimes it pans out like Dances With Wolves, and sometimes he goes bust like Waterworld (1995).
We will find out when Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1 arrives in theaters June 28, followed by Chapter 2 on Aug. 16.
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