What Are the Critics Saying About Costner’s New Epic Western?

Kevin Costner’s much-anticipated Western movie, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1, finally dropped at the 77th Cannes Film Festival last month, meaning some critics have already reviewed it ahead of its theatrical release.

The response has generally been positive, and fans of the Western can start getting excited to see it for themselves. There’s a strong chance that this movie will be a hit, as the genre is currently booming in popular culture.

Latest in Trending Western Genre

Costner has been trying to make his Western saga since 1988, and finally got studio backing to do so in 2022. This could be due to the recent resurgence of the Western genre in popular culture, which can be seen across various offshoots of the entertainment sector.

For example, in the slots market, the Wanted Dead or a Wild virtual slot is one of the most played games. It transports players to the American frontier, where they encounter various symbols and imagery related to the era. There are countless other Western options to choose from as well, including Wild West Wilds and Wild West Gold Megaways.

Westerns are also enjoying great success in other strands of the entertainment industry. Martin Scorsese opted for a Western theme in his recent epic, Killers of the Flower Moon, and the much-loved Yellowstone is a great example of a contemporary Western outing. With Westerns blowing up in the modern entertainment landscape, there’s likely to be a huge audience for Costner’s new saga.

Positive Early Reviews

Thanks to the picture showing early at Cannes, there were several reviews before its widespread release in cinemas. There was general positivity from critics, who praised the world-building and character development. However, the main critique was that it doesn’t exactly work as a standalone picture. Critics said that it was hard to judge, as it serves as an introduction to a longer saga that will have greater scope.  

This is perhaps the reason why Costner opted to release Chapter 2 so soon after the first film. That offering is set to drop just two months after the release of the first installment, meaning that viewers will not have long to wait to see some of the early character arcs fulfilled. There are also two other chapters planned, and these are set to start filming soon.

Potential For Future Television Series

One review in Variety stated that Costner’s new movie may have worked better as a television series, due to the level of detail and immersion on offer. This suggests that there could be potential for the franchise to explore the idea of spinoff offerings on the smaller screen once the cinematic saga has gained some traction.

In the modern age of entertainment, this is one of the best ways to expand a franchise and help it reach more viewers. Due to the epic nature of Costner’s vision, there’s a good chance that it will branch out in different ways.

It seems that the consensus is that Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 is well worth watching. However, it will only be possible to judge how good it is once the future sequels have been released.