Parents' Guide to Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1

Kevin Costner's three-hour Western, the first of four proposed chapters, meanders a bit and often looks more small-screen than big-screen spectacle, but if you give it a chance, it grows on you. Directed and co-written by Costner -- his first feature since his well-crafted, low-key Open Range -- Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1's biggest challenge is the fact that the story isn't over yet. In other words, it's hard to judge it completely, given that we don't yet know exactly how things will pan out yet. Costner was clearly inspired by the gargantuan How the West Was Won (1963), which told a similarly sprawling story of the American West. It, too, was split into segments (each directed by different filmmakers), but it was easier to follow than Costner's film, which jumps back and forth between three or four storylines. (One is introduced in the third hour, which is a little confusing.)

And it's disappointing that the filmmaker who offered a sympathetic look at Indigenous people in Dances With Wolves resorts to more traditional techniques here, like villainous "Indians," which feels like a step backward. Nonetheless, as the movie's three hours roll along and certain of the dozens of faces start to become recognizable (most of the performances are solid), things start to come together in a familiar rhythm, and it captures your attention, especially for viewers interested in Western-type stories. But the real test of Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1 will be seeing how it ties in with the rest of its story.