James Newton Howard's exotic score (replacing a rejected score by Mark Isham) is breathtaking and I seriously recommend you hunt down the soundtrack CD. There is so much escapism in the stunning seascapes and tropical feel. It's everything an action/sci-fi movie should be. Not happy with anyone leaving the party The Duke sends his army of filthy smokers to catch The Mariner and discover Dryland for himself. When the Atoll is seized by crazed madman baddie boss Dennis Hopper as The Duke of the Deez (as in Exxon Valdeez), The Mariner escapes with Enola, a little girl who may hold the secret of Dryland and her guardian Helen (the totally gorgeous Jeanne Tripplehorn). Set hundreds of years after this particular cataclysm, Waterworld follows the journey of The Mariner (Kevin Costner, who is only referred to a few times but never actually named), a man who is one step beyond human as he has the ability to breathe underwater and has webbed feet.Įarly on in the movie, The Mariner comes across an Atoll, a floating small town complete with its own hill.er Waterbillies. So just, for a minute, believe that if the polar ice caps DID melt that the world WOULD be covered in water. Yes, but so are the POTC plots involving fish-men, giant squids and Orlando Bloom as anything remotely masculine. Does sound like a flop to you? The plot is far-fetched. This is before video, laserdisc, TV, DVD, HD-DVD and Blu Ray sales as well as all of the merchandise. Upon release, Waterworld actually managed to prove critic expectation wrong and be a good movie, receiving good (albeit ignored) reviews and finally earning a grand total of $255 million at the Box Office. Boasting a budget of £175 million (the most expensive ever until Titanic 2 years later) it was sure to be a flop, especially with the snooty public and critics blasting it before its release. But because it has Johnny Depp in mascara the whole world loves it! Hypocrisy! With a lot of behind the scenes trouble (Reynolds walked off the film and Costner had to finish the final third of filming himself) and negative pre-release buzz, everyone expected Waterworld to fail. Waterworld also cost $75 million less than DMC. Why do people hate Waterworld? Why was it instantly disregarded before it was even released? When you really think about it, how much different IS Waterworld from the more recent Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest? They are quite similar if you think about it. I honestly don't understand what all the fuss is about. Costner bashers should get over themselves and start giving Michael Bay and George Lucas what they deserve. 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.ħ out of 10. 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. 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. "Waterworld" is an escapist fantasy/action picture, not unlike the James Bond and Indiana Jones pictures. Then they'll know that they have seen the worst movie ever made. I want the Costner bashers to sit down and watch "Rebirth of the Mothra III" on Sci-Fi Channel some time. Still, it's not a bad movie by any means, and I really think all the negativity toward it is unnecessary. If he'd had the good sense to be a little more tongue-in-cheek, it would have helped a LOT. The brooding, gloomy hero shtick works, but he's still far too serious for a movie like this. If anything brings it down, it's Kevin Costner's performance. The script has thoughtfully and intricately worked out a new way of life in a post-apocalyptic world, and the supposed "plot holes" aren't as big as everyone makes them out to be (OK, we never really find out why dirt is so important in the future so what? Is that enough to ruin the whole movie?). It's an interesting take on the genre, with some nice sets and costumes, a great soundtrack, and the coolest boat to ever appear on a movie screen. Sure, it's borrowing a lot from "Mad Max," but it's not like "Mad Max" was original fare to begin with. This is unfortunate, because it really is a good movie. "Waterworld" is one of those movies that everyone would rather passively make fun of rather than take the time to watch.
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