Waterworld (1995)

Waterworld (1995)

Dir. Kevin Reynolds

The quick and easy way to describe Waterworld is to liken it to the Mad Max films but on water instead of land. However, what many people neglect to say is that, while there are moments that are indeed reminiscent of the good Mad Max film, i.e. The Road Warrior (1981), sometimes Waterworld is more like the travesty that was Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (1985), and the world doesn't need any more of that.

It's set during an undefined future date in which the polar ice caps have melted. The resultant elevated sea levels have left most of the world covered in undrinkable sea water.

The Mariner (Kevin Costner) is an inhabitant of that world. A drifter with a trimaran, he travels from place to place trading commodities (salvage, dirt, etc) with the small pockets of human civilisation that are scattered around. He's a guarded loner, avoiding human interaction as much as possible.

-The Mariner (Kevin Costner) smells something fishy.-

There's some minor character growth in the 135 minutes running time, but by the end of the film he's still kind of blank due to a combination of weak writing and Costner's brand of acting.

The production manages to stay afloat (heh) just fine up until the villain of the work appears: The Deacon, played by the charismatic Dennis Hopper - although for the most part Hopper appears to have left his charisma in the locker room this time.

Hopper's character is like something from a children's movie or a cartoon brought to life, albeit one that murders and spits profanities in a semi-comical way. If ever he had in his head a clear idea of what the character was while playing him, it fails to come across in the end result.

-The Deacon (right) keeps an eye on things.-

When the fun parts of Waterworld rise to the surface, it's an entertaining bag of shite — there are a couple of well-timed comedy moments that anyone who's ever tried to edit such things together will likely appreciate; it's visually interesting and even occasionally sweet-natured — but all too often it feels like a theme park ride with some rudimentary story attached, and it's one that asks nothing from a viewer other than passive or even fleeting attention.

I know that even stupid films have their fans (firsthand, because I have my own favourites that fit the definition), so, even though I don't feel similarly on this occasion, I sincerely hope that the fans of Waterworld get a better disc release someday, because the current version isn't great.