I don't usually review films here on IMDb, in fact this is my very first, but I thought this behind the scenes doc deserved one, as there were none at the time of writing this.
I remember well when Waterworld came out in 1995, as well as the reports from the supposedly chaotic production leading up to its release. Especially the moniker "Kevin's Gate" stuck to my memory, a reference to the ill-fated 1980 film Heaven's Gate, which went far over budget and schedule, turning into an economic disaster for its financiers (though still a film well worth checking out).
Waterworld was also reported to have an ever expanding schedule and budget, as well as plenty of behind the scenes drama, so I've always been curious to watch a behind the scenes documentary about its making. 23 years after the whole affair, we finally got one.
To my suprise, this is not an exposé about a doomed film production, in the vein of other greats in this genre, such as Burden of Dreams, Dangerous Days, Hearts of Darkness and Lost in La Mancha. Rather, this is fairly traditional fare, laying out the production with some nice behind the scenes footage, as well as talking head interviews with most of the key crew members. Noticeably absent are the actors, including star Kevin Costner. There are mentions of a difficult post-production process, which seems to have been the most troubled part of this production, but neither director Reynolds, nor producer Gordon, seem very willing to talk openly about it, somewhat understandably.
All in all, this is an interesting documentary that does give quite a bit of insight into the making of some of the film's key set pieces, expansive sets, costumes, etc., but sadly does not delve deeply into what seems to be the more interesting aspects of this production, which is of course the seemingly at times contentious collaboration between some of its key players, as well as the disappointing reception upon its release, although these are mentioned.
If you're a fan of Waterworld, this doc is well worth your time, just to learn more about the nuts and bolts of making it. For more casual viewers, more interested to learn about the creative frictions during the production, you might find less of interest here. In the end, I personally find it somewhat curious why this documentary was made, 23 years after Waterworld came out, if the filmmakers weren't going to attempt to expose more of the difficulties behind the production. A bit of a missed opportunity to make a possibly great making of documentary, but still a worthy effort.
