Waterworld

Waterworld is a 1995 American post-apocalyptic action film directed by Kevin Reynolds and co-written by Peter Rader and David Twohy. It was based on Rader's original 1986 screenplay and stars Kevin Costner, who also produced it with Charles Gordon and John Davis. It was distributed by Universal Pictures.

Waterworld
Theatrical release poster
Directed byKevin Reynolds
Produced by
Written by
Starring
Music byJames Newton Howard
CinematographyDean Semler
Edited byPeter Boyle
Production
company
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
  • July 28, 1995 (1995-07-28)
Running time
135 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$172–175 million[2][3]
Box office$264.20 million[3]

The setting of the film is in the distant future. The polar ice cap has completely melted, and the sea level has risen over 7,600 m (25,000 ft), covering nearly all of the land. The plot of the film centers on an otherwise nameless antihero, "The Mariner", a drifter who sails the Earth in his trimaran.

The most expensive film ever made at the time, Waterworld was released to mixed reviews, praising the futuristic setting and premise but criticizing the characterization and acting performances. The film also was unable to recoup its massive budget at the box office; however, the film did later become profitable due to video and other post-cinema sales. The film was also nominated for an Academy Award in the category Best Sound at the 68th Academy Awards.

The film's release was accompanied by a novelization, video game, and three themed attractions at Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Singapore, and Universal Studios Japan called Waterworld: A Live Sea War Spectacular, all of which are still running as of 2020.

Plot

In 2500[4], as a result of the sea levels rising over 7,600 metres (25,000 feet), every continent on Earth is now underwater. The remains of human civilization live on ramshackle floating communities known as atolls, having long forgotten about living on land. People believe that there is a mythological "Dryland" somewhere in the endless ocean.

The Mariner (Kevin Costner), a lone drifter, arrives on his trimaran to trade dirt, a rare commodity, for other supplies. The atoll's residents see that the Mariner is a mutant with gills and webbed feet and decide to drown him in the atoll's recycling pit, a kind of liquid compost facility. Just then, the atoll is attacked by the Smokers, a gang of pirates seeking a girl named Enola (Tina Majorino) who, according to their leader the Deacon (Dennis Hopper), has a map to Dryland tattooed on her back. Enola's guardian Helen (Jeanne Tripplehorn) attempts to escape with Enola on a gas balloon with Gregor (Michael Jeter), an inventor, but the balloon is released too early. Helen instead frees the Mariner and insists that he take the two of them with him.

The three escape to open sea aboard the trimaran. They are pursued by the Smokers; they escape, but Helen's naïve actions result in damage to the Mariner's boat. He angrily cuts her hair, and then Enola's. Helen explains that she believes humans once lived on land and demands to know where the Mariner collected his dirt. He provides her with a diving bell and dives with her underwater, showing the remains of a city and the dirt on the ocean's floor, affirming Helen's belief. When they surface, they find that the Smokers have caught up to them, threatening to kill them if they do not reveal Enola, who is hiding aboard the boat. The Smokers abduct Enola and try to kill Helen and the Mariner. The Mariner takes Helen, and they dive underwater to avoid capture, with the gilled Mariner helping Helen breathe. When they surface, they find that his boat has been destroyed. Gregor manages to catch up to and rescue them, and he takes them to a new makeshift atoll inhabited by the survivors of the first attack.

The Mariner takes a captured Smoker's jet ski to chase down the Deacon aboard the hulk of the Exxon Valdez. With most of the Smokers below deck to row the tanker, the Mariner confronts the Deacon, threatening to ignite the reserves of oil still on the tanker unless he returns Enola. The Deacon calls the Mariner's bluff, knowing that would destroy the ship, but, to his surprise, the Mariner drops a flare into the oil. The ship's lower decks are engulfed in fire, and the ship starts to sink. The Mariner rescues Enola and escapes via a rope from Gregor's balloon with Helen and the Atoll Enforcer aboard. As the Mariner brings Enola to Helen, the Deacon manages to grab the rope to escape the sinking ship. He is kicked off into the water, but climbs aboard a jet ski. He fires upon the balloon, shaking Enola from the balloon and into the ocean. As The Deacon and some of his men converge on Enola to capture her, the Mariner makes an impromptu bungee jump from the balloon to grab Enola right before the Deacon and his men collide and die in the explosion.

Sometime later, Gregor has been able to identify the tattoo on Enola's back as coordinates with reversed directions. Following the map, Gregor, the Mariner, the Atoll Enforcer, Helen, and Enola discover Dryland, the top of Mount Everest, filled with vegetation and wildlife. They also find a crude hut with the remains of Enola's parents. Realizing he does not belong on Dryland, the Mariner decides that he cannot stay as the sea calls to him. He takes a wooden sailboat and departs as Helen and Enola bid him farewell.

Cast

Production

Writer Peter Rader came up with the idea for Waterworld during a conversation with Brad Krevoy where they discussed creating a Mad Max rip-off. Rader wrote the initial script in 1986 but kept it shelved until 1989. Rader cited Mad Max as a direct inspiration for the film, while also citing various Old Testament stories and the story of Helen of Troy (with the main female character being named Helen in a direct reference). After several rewrites, Kevin Costner and Kevin Reynolds joined the project in 1992.[5]

The film marked the fourth collaboration between Costner and Reynolds, who had previously worked together on Fandango (1985), Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), and Rapa Nui (1994), the latter of which Costner co-produced but did not star in.[6] Waterworld was co-written by David Twohy, who cited Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior as a major inspiration. Both films employed Dean Semler as director of photography.

During production, the film was plagued by a series of cost overruns and production setbacks.[6] Universal initially authorized a budget of $100 million,[note 1] which by mid-1994 had swollen to $135 million, with final costs reaching an estimated $175 million, a record sum for a film production at the time.[6] Filming took place in a large artificial seawater enclosure similar to that used in the film Titanic two years later; it was located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Hawaii. The final scene was filmed in Waipio Valley on the Big Island, also referred to as The Valley of Kings. The production was hampered by the collapse of the multimillion-dollar set during a hurricane. Additional filming took place in Los Angeles, Huntington Beach, and Santa Catalina Island, and the Channel Islands of California. Before filming began, Steven Spielberg had warned Costner and Reynolds not to film on open water owing to his own production difficulties with Jaws.[8]

The production featured different types of personal watercraft (PWC), especially Kawasaki jet skis. Kevin Costner was on the set for 157 days, working 6 days a week.[9] At one point, he nearly died when he got caught in a squall while tied to the mast of his trimaran.[10] Professional surfer Laird Hamilton was Kevin Costner's stunt double for many water scenes. Hamilton commuted to the set via jet ski.

Mark Isham's score, which was not recorded and only demos were completed for approximately 25% of the film, was reportedly rejected by Costner because it was "too ethnic and bleak", contrasting the film's futuristic and adventurous tone; Isham offered to try again but was not given the chance.[11] James Newton Howard was brought in to write the new score. Joss Whedon flew out to the set to do last minute script rewrites and later described it as "seven weeks of hell"; the work boiled down to editing in Costner's ideas without alteration.[12][13]

The state of Hawaii had more than $35 million added to its economy as a result of the colossal film production.[14] Despite their reported clashes, the director and star reunited almost two decades later for the History Channel miniseries Hatfields & McCoys.

Loe Real, one of the two 60-foot (18 m) Waterworld trimarans in 2013; Newport Beach, California.

Inspired by racing trimarans built by Jeanneau Advanced Technologies' multi-hull division Lagoon, a custom 60 foot (18 m) yacht was designed by Marc Van Peteghem and Vincent Lauriot-Prevost and built in France by Lagoon. Two versions were built, a relatively standard racing trimaran for distance shots, and an effects-laden transforming trimaran for closeup shots. The first trimaran was launched on 2 April 1994, and surpassed 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) in September of that year.[15] The transforming version was first seen in the film as a sort of raft with a three-bladed egg-beater windmill. When needed, levers could be triggered that would flatten the windmill blades while raising a hidden mast to full racing height. A boom emerged, previously hidden in the hull, and the two sails were automatically unfurled. Once the transformation was complete, this version could actually sail, although not as well as the dedicated racer.[15] The transforming version is in private hands in San Diego, California.[15] For many years, the racing version was kept in a lake at Universal Studios Florida,[15] before being restored for use as a racing trimaran named Loe Real, which was (as of 2012) being offered for sale in San Diego.[16]

Kevin Reynolds quit the film before its release due to heated battles with Costner over his creative decisions.[17] Reynolds still received full credit as director.

Release

Box office

Due to the runaway costs of the production and its expensive price tag, some critics dubbed it "Fishtar"[18] and "Kevin's Gate",[19] alluding to the flops Ishtar and Heaven's Gate, although the film debuted at the box office at #1.[20][21] With a budget of $172 million (and a total outlay of $235 million once marketing and distribution costs are factored in),[2] the film grossed $88 million at the North American box office. The film did better overseas, with $176 million at the foreign box office, for a worldwide total of $264 million.[3] However, even though this figure surpasses the total costs spent by the studio, it does not take into account the percentage of box office gross that theaters retain, which is generally up to half;[2] but after factoring in home video sales and TV broadcast rights among other revenue streams, Waterworld eventually became profitable.[22][23]

Critical reception

Contemporary reviews for the film were mixed. Roger Ebert gave Waterworld 2.5 stars out of 4 and said: "The cost controversy aside, Waterworld is a decent futuristic action picture with some great sets, some intriguing ideas, and a few images that will stay with me. It could have been more, it could have been better, and it could have made me care about the characters. It's one of those marginal pictures you're not unhappy to have seen, but can't quite recommend."[24] Owen Gleiberman gave it a B in Entertainment Weekly. He commented that while its massive budget had paid off by genuinely creating the sensation of a world built on water, the film generally came off as a second-rate rip-off of The Road Warrior, with weaker, slower-paced action sequences and less startling villains. He praised Costner's performance, but found the film's environmental message pretentious.[25] James Berardinelli of Reelviews Movie Reviews was one of the film's few supporters, calling it "one of Hollywood's most lavish features to date". He wrote: "Although the storyline isn't all that invigorating, the action is, and that's what saves Waterworld. In the tradition of the old Westerns and Mel Gibson's Mad Max flicks, this film provides good escapist fun. Everyone behind the scenes did their part with aplomb, and the result is a feast for the eyes and ears."[26] Mick LaSalle, reviewing the film the week of its release on home video, argued that it did not deserve some of its more negative reviews, since "despite its confused impulses and occasional slow spots, 'Waterworld' ... has an elusive, appealing spirit that holds up for more than two hours. It's a genuine vault at greatness that misses the mark -- but survives." He commented that while the film succeeds at its high ambitions for isolated moments, the clash between its earnest ambition and intrusive flashiness makes it generally fall short of its reach.[27]

Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 46% based on reviews from 59 critics, with an average rating of 5.2/10. The site's critical consensus is: "Though it suffered from toxic buzz at the time of its release, Waterworld is ultimately an ambitious misfire: an extravagant sci-fi flick with some decent moments and a lot of silly ones."[28] Metacritic gives the film a score of 56/100, based on reviews from 17 critics, in the range of "mixed or average reviews".[29]

In a 2020 retrospective, Ben Child of The Guardian described it as "a perfectly watchable sci-fi cult classic" that deserves reappraisal. He acknowledged that much of the plot was illogical and absurd and some of the action set-pieces "preposterously ambitious", but argued that both of them offer excitement and B-movie charm.[30]

Cast reception

Kevin Costner said he's very fond of the movie: "It stands up as a really exotic, cool movie. I mean, it was flawed — for sure. But, overall, it’s a very inventive, cool movie. It’s pretty robust."[31]

Dennis Hopper also really enjoyed the movie: "I thought Waterworld got a bad name for itself in the United States, but it did really well in Europe and Asia. I think the studio sort of shot themselves in the foot by announcing it was so over budget, blah blah blah, it's going to be a failure… All this came out before we released it in the States. But I enjoyed it."[32]

Home media

Waterworld was released on DVD on November 1, 1998, on Blu-Ray on October 20 2009,[33] and on 4K Blu-Ray on July 9 2019.[34]

Awards and nominations
Award Subject Nominee Result
Academy Awards[35] Best Sound Steve Maslow, Gregg Landaker and Keith A. Wester Nominated
Saturn Awards Best Science Fiction Film Nominated
Best Costumes John Bloomfield Nominated
BAFTA Film Awards Best Visual Effects Michael J. McAlister, Brad Kuehn, Robert Spurlock and Martin Bresin Nominated
Golden Raspberry Awards Worst Picture Nominated
Worst Actor Kevin Costner Nominated
Worst Director Kevin Reynolds Nominated
Worst Supporting Actor Dennis Hopper Won
Stinkers Bad Movie Awards Worst Picture Nominated
Worst Actor Kevin Costner Nominated

The film was repackaged in a number of forms, including a 1995 Gottlieb Amusements (later Premier, both now defunct) pinball machine.[36]

Video games

Video games based on the film were released for the Super NES, Game Boy, Virtual Boy, and PC. There was to be a release for the Genesis, but it was canceled and was only available on the Sega Channel. A Sega Saturn version of the game was also planned, and development was completed, but like its Genesis counterpart it was cancelled prior to release. The Super NES and Game Boy releases were only available in the United Kingdom and Australia. While the Super NES and Virtual Boy versions were released by Ocean Software, the PC version was released by Interplay.

Novelization

A novelization was written by Max Allan Collins and published by Arrow Books. It goes into greater detail regarding the world of the film.

Comic books

A sequel comic book four-issue mini-series entitled Waterworld: Children of Leviathan was released by Acclaim Comics in 1997. Kevin Costner did not permit his likeness to be used for the comics, so the Mariner looks different. The story reveals some of the Mariner's back-story as he gathers clues about where he came from and why he is different. The comic expands on the possible cause of the melting of the polar ice caps and worldwide flood, and introduces a new villain, "Leviathan", who supplied the Deacon's Smoker organization. The comic hints at the possibility that the Mariner's mutation may not be caused by evolution but by genetic engineering and that his origins may be linked to those of the "Sea Eater", the sea monster seen during the fishing scene in the film.

Theme park attractions
Main article: Waterworld: A Live Sea War Spectacular

There are attractions at Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Japan, and Universal Studios Singapore based on the film. The show's plot takes place after the film, as Helen returns to the Atoll with proof of Dryland, only to find herself followed by the Deacon, who survived the events of the film. The Mariner arrives after him, defeats the Deacon and takes Helen back to Dryland while the Atoll explodes.

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See also

Notes
  1. In an interview with Starlog, Costner stated that the original budget was approximately $135 million, but Universal, which was wary of greenlighting a film with a budget over $100 million, greenlit the film with a $65 million budget.[7]

References
  1. "WATERWORLD (12)". British Board of Film Classification. July 26, 1995. Retrieved May 24, 2012.
  2. Weinraub, Bernard (July 31, 2010). "'Waterworld' Disappointment As Box Office Receipts Lag". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 24, 2010.
  3. "Waterworld (1995)". Box Office Mojo. September 26, 1995. Retrieved January 3, 2010.
  4. Although no exact date was given in the film itself, it has been suggested that it takes place in 2500.[The Making of Waterworld by Janine Pourroy (August 1995). Production designer Dennis Gassner states: "The date was 2500.]"
  5. Johnson, Kim Howard (September 1995). "Rime of the Future Mariner". Starlog (218): 40–44 – via Internet Archive.
  6. Eller, Claudia; Welkos, Robert W. (September 16, 1994). "Plenty of Riptides on 'Waterworld' Set: With key crew people quitting and reported turmoil, logistical and organizational problems, the big-budget film, scheduled for release in summer of '95, could end up costing more than any movie ever made". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
  7. Shapiro, Marc (October 1995). "Storm Gathering". Starlog (219): 50–53 – via Internet Archive.
  8. "'Waterworld' at 25: How Kevin Costner's choice to ignore Steven Spielberg resulted in one of the most expensive movies ever". Yahoo Entertainment. 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  9. "Stashed Chats: Kevin Costner talks "Draft Day"". thestashed.com. April 10, 2014. Archived from the original on April 12, 2014. Retrieved August 5, 2014.
  10. "Kevin Costner's Hawaii Uh-Oh". people.com. May 29, 1995. Retrieved August 5, 2014.
  11. "Waterworld (James Newton Howard)". Filmtracks. August 1, 1995. Retrieved January 3, 2010.
  12. "Waterworld and troubles for Blu-ray?". Mania.com. Archived from the original on May 4, 2010. Retrieved January 3, 2010.
  13. Robinson, Tasha (September 5, 2001). "Joss Whedon". The A.V. Club. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
  14. "The Most Expensive Movies Ever Made". Forbes.com. Retrieved January 3, 2010.
  15. "The Mariner's Trimaran". October 27, 2009. Archived from the original on October 27, 2009.
  16. ""Loe Real" - 60' Jeanneau Custom Trimaran". Morrelli & Melvin. 2012. Archived from the original on April 19, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
  17. Goldstein, Patrick (September 15, 1999). "Costner's Feeling a Little Less 'Love"". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  18. "Waterworld (PG-13)". The Washington Post. July 28, 1995.
  19. "Married with Movies: Waterworld - Two-Disc Extended Edition". Archived from the original on March 10, 2011. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
  20. Natale, Richard (July 31, 1995). "Waterworld Sails to No. 1 : Movies: The $175-million production takes in $21.6 million in its first weekend. But unless it enlarges its appeal, it will probably gross about half its cost". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
  21. Eyerly, Alan (July 31, 1995). "Strong Opening Weekend for 'Waterworld': Fans: Why do people endure epic waits in line to see big movies? It's, like, a party". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
  22. Fleming Jr., Mike (August 7, 2013). "Isn't It Time To Take 'Waterworld' Off The All-Time Flop List?". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 8, 2015.
  23. Stewart, Andrew (August 11, 2012). "B.O. reality gets lost in perception". Variety. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  24. Ebert, Roger (July 28, 1995). "Waterworld". The Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved March 28, 2011.
  25. Gleiberman, Owen (August 4, 1995). "Waterworld". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  26. Berardinelli, James (1995). "Waterworld". Reelviews. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
  27. LaSalle, Mick (January 26, 1996). "Film Review -- `Waterworld' Isn't All Wet / Pricey Costner Epic has Appealing Spirit". SFGate. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  28. "Waterworld (1995)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
  29. "Waterworld Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
  30. Child, Ben (July 30, 2020). "Waterworld: is Kevin Costner's damp squib a cult classic in the making?". the Guardian. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  31. https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_3386174?icid=hp_entertainment_popular_art
  32. https://avclub.com/random-roles-dennis-hopper-1798215268/amp
  33. "Waterworld DVD Release Date". DVDs Release Dates. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
  34. Waterworld 4K Blu-ray, retrieved September 30, 2019
  35. "The 68th Academy Awards (1996) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
  36. "Internet Pinball Machine Database: Premier 'Waterworld'". Retrieved June 26, 2009.

Further reading
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