Waterworld

Waterworld (1995) is a movie that I have always adored, is in my DVD collection and is currently available on Netflix. The storyline follows a futuristic society where the world has been completely covered in water and resources are hard to find and very valuable for trade. Everyone is in survival mode and is looking for the legendary land which some people think is a myth and some think is a lie. When a strange mutant arrives at an outpost with worldly things and encounters a child with strange marks on her body...the outpost becomes a launching pad for a battle to find clues to land.

This movie is directed by Kevin Reynolds (Robinhood: Prince of Thieves) and stars Kevin Costner (Dances with Wolves), Dennis Hopper (Easy Rider), Jeanne Tripplehorn (The Firm), Tina Majorino (Napoleon Dynamite), Zakes Mokae (The Serpent and the Rainbow) and Leonardo Cimino (The Monster Squad).

This film is essentially Mad Max on water. I will never know why it initially received bad reviews and didn't do well in theatres. I love this movie. The costumes, circumstances and storyline are perfectly presented and very well executed. The cast is awesome and both Hopper and Costner played their characters to perfection. The special effects are very good as is the ruthlessness of the situations. The ending is also very rewarding and makes the long run time worth it.

Overall I will always feel this is an underrated gem that is very well done and worth your time. This is a science fiction, apocalyptic gem that is a must see. I would score this a 9/10.

Ok, it was a financial disaster. So what? The film itself may have a few too many cliches but is not bad; I'd say it is actually very enjoyable for sci-fi fans.

I only just saw this movie for the first time the other day and was surprised that it was pretty good, because I had heard so many bad things about it. From now on, I will not be taking public opinion so seriously and will watch anything with a promising premise and good actors.

Tina Majorino was, as always, (see "When A Man Loves A Woman" and Corrina, Corrina") believable. It amazes me how many tears this child can summon and I still believe each one of them.

Kevin Costner wasn't really anything special. I had just seen The Postman the week before (which prompted me to watch Waterworld), and he seemed to me to be the same character. I could go on and on about comparisons, but I'll leave it at that. Although, I have to let you know there was a strange deja-vu thing happening between plot points and character developments.

Jeanne Tripplehorn was quite convincing. I thought their tans were all apt considering the habitat of the characters, but a bit overdone.

The most disappointing thing for me was how the film turned from a unique, (pre-Postman) fairly intelligent plot into a typical action film with explosions and chases. There were explosions toward the beginning that were a little overdone, but I felt they were necessary to introduce us to the Smokers and to Dennis Hopper's character. This film could have turned out quite well, if the last few scenes were completely re-written.

I want the Costner bashers to sit down and watch "Rebirth of the Mothra III" on Sci-Fi Channel some time. Then they'll know that they have seen the worst movie ever made.

"Waterworld" is an escapist fantasy/action picture, not unlike the James Bond and Indiana Jones pictures. Costner's performance works on exactly the same level as the Connery/Moore/Brosnan portrayals of 007 and Harrison Ford's portrayal of Indy -- straightforward, grim, stoic, a little mean-spirited, a little cruel, unafraid of dirt, grime, death, or salt water.

It's not perfect by any means. I'm sure Costner hacked it to pieces in order to accommodate the two-hour-running-time maxim imposed by the studio, so that corporate could get their investment back. Now is the time for the extended DVD version; maybe that will explain where all those cigarettes came from, and how the Smokers converted raw crude into gasoline.

7 out of 10. Costner bashers should get over themselves and start giving Michael Bay and George Lucas what they deserve.

Waterworld (1995)

*** (out of 4)

Talk all you want about how this thing was a bomb at the box office. I've personally never seen how good or poorly a movie does at the box office should have any impact on its entertainment or quality level. Is WATERWORLD flawless? Not even close. There are countless problems with this film but for the most part I've always enjoyed its ambition and it keeps me entertained. The story is pretty simple as in the future all the world is covered by water, although there's rumors of land somewhere. A part-man, part-fish (Kevin Costner) gets involved with a family (Jeanne Tripplehorn, Tina Majorino) and soon must defeat some bad guys (led by Dennis Hopper) who has kidnapped the girl. WATERWORLD runs on a bit too long, loses focus on any type of story and yes the budget was crazy but in the end it's still a pretty entertaining summer blockbuster. I think a lot of credit has to go to the actual look of the film, which of course turned out to be some of the biggest issues with the production. I thought the director managed to do a good job creating a world where the viewer really did feel was nothing but water. The futuristic atmosphere also worked and the look of the costumes, ships and supplies were all realistic and fun. The action scenes were also extremely well handled and especially the ending with all the explosions and fires. The battles at sea were really just things we had previously seen in pirate movies but they were still fun. Costner also turns in a good, not great, performance in the lead and he at least keeps you interested in everything going on. Hopper delivers that crazy type of performance we all love and Tripplehorn is good in her supporting bit. Majorino is also fun as the young girl who befriends Costner. I remember watching this when it was originally released and everyone was going crazy about the budget. Everyone seemed to forget that the people leaving the theater actually liked the movie. It's too bad WATERWORLD was doomed from the start but it remains a fun movie.