Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1 (DVD)

I am honestly amazed that this movie hasn't gotten better reviews. Perhaps it is a sad commentary on the quick-fix mentality of much of our modern culture. The filming, and the scenery, are beautiful. The storylines are well written and pull you along with believable and interesting characters. The scenes of action and otherwise give a very realistic feel. My only complaint is that it would be nice to have some more characters who display real Christian concern and virtue... which I would think would have been more prevalent at that time than now... even out west. Overall, I really hope the other chapters will all be released in 4K. Based on this first section, I believe this series of films will end up being considered one of the great classics of film history.

There's plenty of action too. A lot of hype about this 3 hour epic but in my view it's a worthy saga in my collection of terrific westerns. A classic ? I'm not sure, I usually watch something like this twice before deciding.A reservation is that it seems to be an epic series of about 10 episodes that has been condensed down to one long film (we were expecting a break at some point but managed to binge watch the whole lot in one go). So I might advise anyone to stop at 90 minutes to catch your breath.The several different threads are entertaining with everyone putting in great performances. The setting is dirty and gritty, no white hats in sight, some violent scenes but we are spared the gore of scalping and other brutal acts. It is still a very violent film be warned. It is not a sanitized John Wayne type of western thank goodness --- times have moved on.English subtitles if you need them.

The Digital copy was missing and the disc looked used. Amazon refunded it and “will refund the difference” after I repurchase it since it’s no longer on sale. I know it’ll require talking to customer service again to get my money back.As for the movie, it’s much better than so many Costner directed disasters. It’s long, but doesn’t feel like it. The storyline kinda goes in and out of different characters and towards the end there’s this huge montage of scenes that makes no sense. The sequence was off a bit, but tolerable. I know they were trying to squeeze as much in and understandably so. The end was more of a preview of the what’s-next-to-come in the sequels, but I think it’s sloppy and confusing. Overall, it’s 4 stars.I don’t know how true-to-life the story is, but it seems to be a good description of that time period. The cowboying and countryside locations were enjoyable to watch.

Great subject w/Great directing.

We were lost for the first 45 minutes but hung in there because we usually love these kind of movies and Kevin Costner. Hoping chapter 2-4 will be better! Super sad start for sure!

When I saw this film on screen, I thought it was amazing. Beautifully filmed and edited, realistic story…yes, it actually had a story. And I was looking forward to seeing more! I hope Kevin Costner releases the remaining episodes.

Horizon is a beautiful film to look at, but that’s about where the praise ends. The cinematography is stunning, capturing vast Western landscapes with all the grandeur you’d expect from a Kevin Costner epic. But beyond the visuals, the movie is a mess. The story is all over the place, juggling too many characters and plotlines without giving any of them the depth they deserve. The dialogue is weak, the pacing is painfully slow, and at nearly three hours long, it feels more like a chore than an adventure. It reminded me of Waterworld—big, ambitious, and ultimately disappointing.I wanted to like this, but by the time the credits rolled, I knew I’d never watch it again. In fact, I quickly donated my brand-new 4K copy to my local charity shop, and honestly, I feel bad for whoever picks it up next. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve told friends and family to skip this one. Costner is a talented actor, but maybe it’s time to let others help with the writing, directing, and editing. If this is why he left Yellowstone, he should have stayed. If there’s a Chapter 2 coming, I won’t be along for the ride.

This movie is really very good. It's not action packed, but the storytelling is great. It follows multiple characters through various stories all happening around the same time. It was shot and released with the intention of it being a 4 part saga, so this is mainly giving the audience a big set-up for things to come. It was perhaps overly ambitious to stake the success of such a thing on box office sales, because that is the main reason that Part 2 did not release in August 2024 as planned. Part 2 is finished, and was screened at a film festival, so there's a chance it'll be available to rent or buy digitally... but I wouldn't count on the full saga to come anytime soon.