‘Horizon’ Chapter 1 Hits Netflix: How to Watch Kevin Costner’s Western Epic

Dan Clarendon January 5, 2025, 11:05 am

Kevin Costner as Hayes Ellison in 'Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1'? — Warner Bros. Pictures

In case you wanted to see the film that drew Kevin Costner away fromYellowstone but weren’t one of the (relatively few) moviegoers who saw it in theaters, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 is now streaming on Netflix.

The Western epic was a passion project for Costner, who produced, co-wrote, directed, and starred in the film — and who and spent $38 million of his own money to bankroll the production, per The Hollywood Reporter. And it was scheduling conflicts between Horizon and Yellowstone that reportedly led Costner to depart the latter project.

How can I watch Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1?

Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 is now streaming on Netflix. The streaming service quietly added the film to its library on December 30, according to various reports.

Meanwhile, the film is still streaming on Max, as it has been since August 24, 2024.

What is the film about?

Warner Bros. describes Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 as “a multi-faceted chronicle covering the Civil War expansion and settlement of the American West.”

The studio adds that the film explores “the lure of the Old West and how it was won — and lost — through the blood, sweat, and tears of many” in an “emotional journey across a country at war with itself, experienced through the lens of families, friends, and foes all attempting to discover what it truly means to be the United States of America.”

Who stars in Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1?

Joining Costner in Horizon are Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone, Owen Crow Shoe, Tatanka Means, Ella Hunt, Tim Guinee, Danny Huston, Scott Haze, Tom Payne, Abbey Lee, Michael Rooker, Will Patton, Luke Wilson, Isabelle Fuhrman, Jamie Campbell Bower, Alejandro Edda, Michael Angararo, Jon Beavers, James Russo, Jeff Fahey, and David O’Hara, among other actors.

What have critics said?

Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 received mixed reviews from critics — the film has a Metascore of 49 out of 100 on Metacritic and a Tomatometer rating of 51 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Costner and co-writer Jon Baird “carefully plant loose ends, in the form of side characters whose desires, ideas, or resentments are suggestive of dramas to come,” wrote The New Yorker’s Richard Brady. “But not one of these characters comes off as anything other than plot-generating machinery, a set of dramatic springs and gears.”

Rolling Stone’s David Fear says the problem with the film is that none of the storylines “are able to stand up on their own, much less as parts of some visionary cinematic mural.”

The Observer’s Wendy Ide seemed to enjoy Horizon more, saying, “This is the kind of handsome, well-nourished film-making that looks an absolute treat up on the screen, but is about as authentically Old West as a set of dental veneers. Still, it’s not uninvolving.”

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When will Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2 come out?

Costner envisioned Horizon as a four-film series, but Chapter 2’s theatrical release date seems to be a question of “if” and not “when,” since Chapter 1 was a box-office flop.

After the first film earned just $22 million in its first 10 days in U.S. theaters, against a budget of about $100 million, Costner’s Territory Pictures and distribution partner New Line Cinema decided to postpone the release of Chapter 2, according to THR.

Chapter 2 — which also had a price tag of around $100 million, per THR — was originally scheduled to open on August 16, 2024, two and a half months after the first installment hit theaters. As of the time of this writing, no updated release date has been announced.