Summary
Kevin Costner’s Western epicHorizon: An American Sagahas had a mixed response from critics, with many reviews echoing the reaction to one of the director-writer-actor’s previous projects. Although he is extremely distinguished as a filmmaker, Costner’s record in the industry is actually fairly mixed. Despite finding huge success with projects likeDances With Wolves, he has also featured in infamous flops, such asWaterworld. As a result, his involvement in a project is no guarantee of success – a trend that seems to be repeating withHorizon.
In many ways,Horizonis the definition of a passion project. In an interview withDeadline,Costner confirmed that he’d commissioned the project back in 1988, though studios were unwilling to back his vision. After decades of work, the story has morphed into a multi-chapter saga, withfourHorizonfilms in total. This ambition is laudable. However, the scale of the project hasn’t stopped critics from reacting coldly to the first installment, with just 35% giving it a positive review (viaRotten Tomatoes). In isolation, this reaction is disappointing. What’s more worrying, however, is how it seems to repeat a pattern established by a previousKevin Costner film.
8 Reasons Reviews For Kevin Costner’s New Western Are So Bad
Kevin Costner’s passion project Horizon: An American Saga is supposed to be released in four parts, but the first entry hasn’t been well-received.
Horizon Is Reminiscent of Kevin Costner’s The Postman
The Projects Have Some Worrying Similarities
Just asHorizonoffers an expansive and epic take on the traditions of the Western genre,Costner’s 1997 project,The Postman, can be said to occupy a similar narrative niche. Unlike the 2024 feature,The Postmanis set in a post-apocalyptic America, giving its Western sensibilities an interesting, futuristic edge. However, while their settings are very different, the two films have several intriguing similarities – makingHorizon’s prospects ahead of a wider theatrical releaseon June 28th, 2024 even more worrying.
$80 million
$30 million
14%
177 minutes
$100 million
–
35%
181 minutes
For starters, both movies star and are directed by Costner himself. Unfortunately, the extent of Costner’s involvement makes the two film’s flaws equally comparable. WhileHorizonholds a 35% Rotten Tomatoes score,The Postmanperformed even less favorably, rating at just 14%. In both cases, critics highlighted the two films' bloated runtime (each running to around three hours), plodding story, and self-serious tone. Given thatThe Postmanwas a critical and commercial failure, the fact thatHorizonseems to have so much in common with it does not bode well for its box office prospects.
Why The Postman Flopped So Badly
It Failed On Several Fronts
There are multiple reasons whyThe Postmanfailed to resonate with viewers. From a critical standpoint, the biggest issues were its length (177 minutes) and tone. As theRotten Tomatoescritical consensus explains, “A massive miscalculation in self-mythologizing by director and star Kevin Costner, The Postman would make for a goofy good time if it weren’t so fatally self-serious.” Some notable voices were particularly harsh, withlegendary critic Gene Siskel taking specific issue with the perceived self-aggrandizement on display(memorably calling the film “Dances With Myself” in reference to Costner’s earlier Oscar-winning feature).
As with many box office disappointments, it’s not always clear the extent to which critical dismissal contributed to poor financial performance. Nevertheless, it’s undeniable that after a comprehensive critical mauling, the movie bombed with audiences. On an $80 million budget (again, not dissimilar toHorizon’s reported $100 million),the film made just $30 million globally– a massive loss by any measure. While not as notorious as Costner’s other post-apocalyptic adventure movie,Waterworld,The Postmanactually represents a more comprehensive failure.
Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 2 - Release Date & Everything We Know
Kevin Costner’s passion project is on the way but attention is already turning towards how the Western epic with Horizon: An American Saga 2.
It’s Mirroring The Earlier Film’s Failure
Given how closelyHorizonandThe Postmanseem to align – with their shared director, actor, tonal issues, excessive runtimes, thematic similarities, and poor critical reactions – the precedent provided by the 1997 movie would seem to bode poorly forHorizon’s chances when it finally arrives in theaters. Arguably, the movie already faced an uphill struggle. As an original project, with no affiliation to a wider franchise, it was always fighting against substantial odds. Combined with the movie’s $100 million budget,Horizonhas the daunting task of needing to make around $250 million globallyto break even.
Although more than two decades separate the two films, the lessons provided byThe Postman’s failings remain true for any film. While not a hard and fast rule, it’s generally accepted that any original epic project needs positive reviews to coax would-be viewers to sit down for a three-hour theatrical marathon. Even then,Western movies can struggle to attract a substantial audience– as demonstrated by well-reviewed box office bombs like the slow-burn 2007 epicThe Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford($15 million on a $30 million budget).
WhileThe Postmanis the most obvious comparison thanks to Costner’s extensive involvement in both, the film also seems to echo the likes of Michael Cimino’s notoriousHeaven’s Gate…
Unfortunately,Horizon’s inflated budgetseemingly puts it on a similar path to historic genre flops. WhileThe Postmanis the most obvious comparison thanks to Costner’s extensive involvement in both,the film also seems to echo the likes of Michael Cimino’s notoriousHeaven’s Gate, which was critically panned (before a later critical reassessment) and made just $3.5 million against a $44 million budget. Even acclaimed Westerns can struggle if their budget becomes too inflated – a fact demonstrated by the 2023 Oscar-nominatedKillers of the Flower Moon($157 million on a $200 million budget). None of this bodes well forHorizon’s chances.
Horizon Can Still Escape The Postman’s Legacy
It Isn’t Automatically Doomed
WhileHorizon’s clear similarities to a historic failure likeThe Postmanare alarming, there are still reasons for filmmakers to be positive. For one thing, whereasThe Postman’s 14% Rotten Tomatoes score comes from a wide range of reviews post-release,Horizon’s critical reactioncomesonly from those who saw the film at its Cannes Film Festival premiere. It may be that, once more critics have a chance to appraise it, its score goes up.
A further factor is that, unlikeThe Postman,Horizonhas been promoted and conceived as part of a wider story. In some ways, this is a key point of difference between the projects, as while many critics have reprimanded the film for feeling incomplete, there is a recognition that it is difficult to appraise its worth until future chapters arrive. Even ifHorizon: An American Sagacontinues to receive negative reviews, it may be that the film is more positively received in hindsight whenHorizon: Chapter 2arrives later in 2024. Given the amount of money involved, this is clearly a risk. Nevertheless, it may be that the gamble retrospectively pays off.
