Kevin Costner’s epic western franchise Horizon: An American Saga is set to play out over the course of more than 15 years, and its sprawling timeline is already having a negative impact on one of its primary plot threads. Intended to play out over four movies, Horizon: An American Saga explores a number of eventually-intertwining stories set in the American West before, during, and after the Civil War. The first movie in the four-part series, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1, introduces dozens of characters in its three-hour runtime, and spends only a short amount of time with each.
The lack of character exploration was one of the main reasons reviews for Horizon: An American Saga were so bad. Unfortunately, due to the manner in which the epic Western saga is set to be delivered to audiences, the timeline is going to continue to be a problem in how each storyline in the series is digested. With only 12 total hours of movie planned, the rushed timeline is going to continue to be a problem. One plot thread from Chapter 1 is already suffering from the dissociation caused by the mad dash to cover time.
Horizon: An American Saga’s Rushed Timeline Hurts Frances & Trent’s Romance Storyline
Their relationship feels like it progresses far too quickly
Two of the biggest stars in Horizon: An American Saga are Sienna Miller and Sam Worthington, and their stories actually come together quickly in Chapter 1. Miller plays Frances Kittredge, a homesteader mother and wife who lost her husband and son in an Indigenous raid on her town (the eponymous Horizon), while Worthington plays Lt. Trent Gephardt, an Army officer in charge of the nearby Camp Gallant where Frances and her daughter sought refuge after the attack. Over the course of Chapter 1, Frances and Trent develop a budding romance, which is negatively impacted by the rushed timeline.
Their evolving relationship is one of the brighter spots in Horizon: An American Saga, and Miller and Worthington have decent enough chemistry. Unfortunately, their romance feels borderline unjustified due to how fast time progresses in the movie. Frances arrives at Camp Gallant having just lost her husband and son, and is entirely focused on her surviving daughter. For her to go from that place in her life to developing a relationship with an Army officer overseeing her care in the span of roughly 20-30 minutes of screentime feels incredibly jarring, even if it’s implied that many months have passed.
Horizon: An American Saga Needed More Time To Explore Frances & Trent’s Feelings
The movie sprints from hints of romance to them getting together
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2 will almost certainly continue to follow Lt. Gephardt and Frances Kittredge, but their storyline may have already been lost on audiences given how little time it had to develop. The two characters have an implied mutual attraction shortly after they meet, and their relationship starts innocently enough with some flirting and subtle gestures. However, by the end of Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1, the two have jumped into a full-fledged romance, complete with a kiss as Lt. Gephardt departs Camp Gallant.
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Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1 Key Details |
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Release Date |
Budget |
Box Office Gross |
RT Tomatometer Score |
RT Popcornmeter Score |
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June 28th, 2024 |
$50M |
$34.3M |
49% |
70% |
It’s the first of what will likely be many examples of the sped-up timeline having a negative impact on the quality of each storyline. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 was heavily criticized for essentially being a three-hour-long parade of character introductions, and while that might be fine if it was the first few episodes of a TV show, it doesn’t make for an entertaining movie. The type of character development needed in the case of Frances Kittredge and Lt. Gephardt will likely continue to be brushed aside for the sake of driving Horizon: An American Saga‘s ultimate interwoven narrative.
Horizon: An American Saga
“Horizon: An American Saga” is a series of epic Western films directed, produced, and co-written by Kevin Costner. The saga spans pre- and post-Civil War America, detailing the exploration and settlement of the American West over 15 years, and follows multiple storylines of fictional characters as they navigate the challenges and opportunities of this tumultuous period.