Amazon.com: Let's be honest: this 1995 epic isn't nearly as bad as its negative publicity led us to expect. At the time it was the most expensive Hollywood production in history (it had a Titanic-sized $200 million budget), and the film arrived in theaters with so much controversy and negative gossip that it was an easy target for ridicule. The movie itself, a flawed but enjoyable post-apocalypse thriller, deserves better. Waterworld stars Kevin Costner as the Mariner, a lone maverick with gills and webbed feet who navigates the endless seas of Earth after the complete melting of the polar ice caps. The Mariner has been caged like a criminal when he's freed by Helen (Jeanne Tripplehorn) and enlisted to help her and a young girl (Tina Majorino) escape from the Smokers, a group of renegade terrorists led by Dennis Hopper in yet another memorably villainous role. It is too bad the predictable script isn't more intelligent, but as a companion piece to The Road Warrior, this seafaring stunt-fest is adequately impressive. --Jeff Shannon
Beware: HD DVD can ONLY be played on an HD player As the title states this DVD can only be played on a special player. Therefore, it was useless to me. My fault. I didn't realize that when I bought it. I thought it was like watching HD television, if you don't have that service, it's just not as clear. I was wrong. An HD DVD REQUIRES and HD player. I LOVE this movie which is why I was looking for a copy for my library.
One of the worst of all time. Boring! Boring!! Boring!!! Costner was riding high up until this junker. This movie kind of ruined any credibility he used to have. One of the worst movies Hollyweird has ever done. Lame acting, boring direction, a story that could have come from a fifth grade class. UUGH, Costner sitting on a boat looking at the water, oh joy!!! I'd put Water World in my top twenty of worst movies of all time ANY DAY. AVOID!!!!!!!!!!!
Forget what you've heard, it's not that bad. Thousands of people all over the world want to come out and denounce this movie as terrible. Why? Because some people just don't want to be laughed at for liking something other people don't. This film was HYPED as bad before it even opened. That's right, hyped. It died before it ever got a chance to breathe.
But I watched it in the theater during its initial release and I was absolutely blown away by it. I didn't listen to the hype. I thought for myself. I still love this movie 15 years later. Here's why...
1.) Kevin Costner is unlikeable. He's an anti-hero. He's a loner and likes it that way. He didn't ask for the people who come on his boat and for the villains chasing them. They were thrust on him. When he throws Tina Majorino overboard, I cheered. Yes, I admit it. Finally, a hero who acts on his impulses rather than think about what is PC. It's those same homicidal impulses that are going to serve him as a warrior later when he takes on an army of villains. And just watch how when Costner sails the catamaran he becomes ONE with the boat. It's not man and vessel, they merge. It's sheer poetry.
2.) Dennis Hopper is crazy. This film was a warm up to his even better performance in "Speed", but for now, just marvel in how outrageously hysterical he is as he throws away line after line after line. There have been some very well-crafted villains since Alan Rickman defined the type in "Die Hard." Hopper does his best to keep up with the rest in this film.
3.) The film is a riot in the humor department. Just watch the scene when the guy strapped into the dual-50 caliber machine gun boat loses control and slowly drifts his shots toward Hopper et al. They try to stop him by screaming his name "Chuck." To this, Hopper says, "Maybe he doesn't respond to Chuck. Call him 'Charles!'" I lose it every time.
4.) Stunts. What else can I say. The action set pieces were stunning. The work involving the jet skis was incredible.
I'll leave it at that. I'm sure I'll get a million people responding to how stupid I am, but I don't care. If you watch it for yourself and not for how other people are thinking, Waterworld is a terrific ride.
Atmospheric Yep, as a movie, it kind of did present the same old tired American formula action film in yet another way--no better and no worse than the rest. Still, it ranks among my favorites for the atmosphere. All that water is just a striking thing to me. I gave it a three solely for the atmosphere, which I thought was a weak five. The action and humor by themselves are worth watching once anyway. I don't see that it deserved the negative attention it received any more than any other such film. I associate that with Hollywood's reception of Costner's lack of leftist, anti-American leaning in his work. Oh well.
Road Warrior with Water This is a bona fide Big Budget Bomb.
It is pretentious, silly, earnest, and dumb.
Also boring.
The only interesting thing happens within the first 15 minutes: the recycling toilet.
The gills are a little interesting, but predictable.
Apart from that it is straight (wet) melodrama.
As with the Postman (Costner's next Big Budget Bomb), there are heavy End of The World overtones.
Hopper is his standard-villain self. Tripplehorn looks appropriately embarrassed.
Costner sleepwalks, or sleepswims, through the role.
I have heard that the DVD has 2 extra hours of coma-inducing boredom. The original (VHS) is already 3 stupefying hours.
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