Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Saga frontier.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III September 11, 2024

Kevin Costner's Horizon: An American Saga is an ambitious multi-part film series exploring the rugged American West and set during the time of the Civil War. No less than four chapters are planned in all; this three-hour first leg arrived in June, its follow-up is scheduled for a release later this year, a third chapter began principal photography several months ago, and the fourth and presumably final film is still in development. Despite its sadly lackluster performance at the box office, Horizon: Chapter 1 lays solid groundwork and its presence on home video and streaming platforms will hopefully build momentum as the months (years?) progress. Horizon may be a slow burn thus far but, like this promising first chapter, I've got a feeling that viewer patience will be rewarded even further with future installments.

Kevin Costner's involvement with Western-themed entertainment, both as an actor and/or director, has been a sporadic fixture of his output since 1990's Dances with Wolves, with a handful projects released to theaters (Wyatt Earp, Open Range) and on the small screen, including recently Yellowstone. He's hit more often than missed, yet the prospect of an ambitious four-part saga could have easily set Costner up for career-threatening critical and commercial failure in the neighborhood of Waterworld (not really as big of a bomb as you remember) and, of course, The Postman.

Part 1 may have been branded a failure due to its lower-than-expected box office take but, like the story that begins here, Horizon can't be judged accurately until the rest of its pieces are in place. For now, this three-hour drama follows a multitude of individual characters and pockets of people in the Civil War-era American West, not the least of which is Frances Kittredge (Sienna Miller) and her daughter Elizabeth (Georgia MacPhail), whose family has been slaughtered by Apache tribesmen who attacked their newly-built community of Horizon. Rescued by the Army including Sergeant Major Thomas Riordan (Michael Rooker), First Lieutenant Trent Gephardt (Sam Worthington), and Chief Scout Neron Chavez (Alejandro Edda), Frances and Elizabeth seek refuge at Camp Gallant after the dead are buried. Another lucky survivor is Russell Ganz (Etienne Kellici), who initially fled Horizon to alert the Army but now seeks revenge on the Apache by joining a posse along with survivor Elias Janney (Scott Haze) and a scalp-hunter tracker (Jeff Fahey).

As the recently-widowed mother and daughter gradually adjust to their new life and surroundings, new relationships are formed and broken while the turbulent nature of this untamed environment brings with it all manner of challenges and other obstacles; all the while, Apache raid leader Pionsenay has his own conflicts with members of his tribe, including elder Tuayeseh (Gregory Cruz), about the nature and potential threat of these outsiders.

I agree with Brian Orndorf's less enthusiastic theatrical review that Horizon: Chapter 1's first hour might be its finest, but the way in which it ultimately begins to weave this multi-faceted story together -- which unsurprisingly includes at least a dozen more focal points than those mentioned above, like horse trader Hayes Ellison (Costner), who becomes a major player in the film's second half -- feels much less like a stand-alone disappointment and much more like the start of a potentially satisfying whole. That said, it does suffer from sporadic pacing issues, mostly due to the abundance of characters introduced and followed, and certain elements of the film's comparatively limited budget don't always mesh with its otherwise cinematic scope. It's difficult to predict where the upcoming second chapter will take these characters (and presumably several others), but I'm in for the full ride and I've got a good feeling that many more new fans will be kicking themselves for not seeing Horizon: Chapter 1 in theaters after watching it on home video.

Warner Bros. has thankfully given this native 4K production the UHD treatment right out of the gate, although a separate Blu-ray edition of Horizon (linked below) is also available for those not yet equipped for the newer format. Both offer very good to outstanding A/V merits, although the total lack of bonus features -- which may not be unheard of in today's physical media climate, but probably should be -- leaves something of a bitter aftertaste.

Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

NOTE: These screenshots are sourced from the Blu-ray edition, available separately and reviewed here.

As mentioned in my Blu-ray review linked above, Horizon looks quite good in either format but UHD is where it really shines. That's not surprising, of course: this native 4K production features an overwhelming majority of well-lit outdoor locations and is thus bursting with fine detail in wide shots and close-ups alike, where grains of dirt, dormant blades of grass, and rocky edifices are tack-sharp. Skin textures, period-specific clothing details, and other production elements follow suit as well, with each of these also bolstered by this 2160p/HDR10 (Dolby Vision-enabled) transfer making great use of high dynamic range to punctuate countless scenes with deep blacks, near-glowing whites and excellent contrast and color levels to convey a truly convincing image. What's more is that this triple-layered disc affords the film more than enough real estate to run at a supportively high bit rate from start to finish while showing no signs of compression issues such as banding, macro blocking, or posterization. Needless to say, this is an exceptionally well-rounded image that never falters and undoubtedly brings the big-screen experience to those with the equipment to handle it.

Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Unsurprisingly, Horizon: Chapter 1 sounds just as good as it looks with a Dolby Atmos mix that again fully conveys its wide-open environment with consistently outstanding use of surrounds, height channels, and object-based placement that collectively give it an almost three-dimensional sonic atmosphere. Dialogue is cleanly recorded and native English conversations are perfectly understandable with barely an exception to be made, while front-forward effects enjoy an appropriate amount of weight and presence with ample room in the rears for location-based support. Though perhaps not the most bombastic audio mix in recent memory, Chapter 1 certainly turns up the heat at appropriate moments with a full-bodied yet precise presentation that again brings a true theatrical experience home. Bottom line: I have absolutely no complaints here, and again it's one of the easier 5/5 ratings I've given out this year.

Optional subtitles, including English (SDH), are included during the main feature; some are forced player-generated English subs for translation purposes and thus unable to be turned off.

Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with poster-themed artwork identical to the Blu-ray edition; a matching slipcover and Digital Copy are also included. Somewhat shockingly, no bonus features are included with this release; they're not listed on the packaging either, despite being promised by the studio's press release in July. This is very disappointing and only makes me think that a future more all-inclusive collection may be in the works.

Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1 is the decent first leg of a presumed four-part cinematic journey from director and co-writer Kevin Costner. His track record for Westerns over the last several decades has been quite good and this at least flirts with viewer expectations; future installments, and the increased depth than hopefully comes with them, may shift those expectations into "exceed" territory. For now, WB's separate 4K and Blu-ray editions have strong A/V merits but both are completely lacking in bonus features, which is disappointing and may cause budget minded-fans to avoid this in favor of a potentially more inclusive collection in the future. That said, established fans and curious newcomers will at least be getting a great-looking and sounding three-hour film here, and that's never a bad thing.