Almost every cliché of the genre is lovingly excavated for the first chapter in Kevin Costner’s epic four-part western, but its traditional approach is part of its charm.

It’s too early to declare Horizon a success, a disaster, or even a noble failure, though this first instalment makes it clear audiences traveling west with Costner should prepare for a lengthy trek.

Horizon is big and bold and majestic, with cinematographer J. Michael Muro capturing those expansive Utah vistas and John Debney’s score making sure that the film sounds just like the Westerns that play in the heads of everybody...

Costner's longtime passion project also is more tedious than involving, a series of dramatic setups without sufficient payoffs. From a storytelling perspective, perhaps it would be a better fit as a television miniseries.