Talk about confusing. Firstly, Waterworld was supposed to be a hit. It wasn’t. In fact it became a way to describe a bomb film. Secondly, Universal unwisely uses the box art for this new Blu-ray release that they used on the extended cut DVD release but doesn’t put on the extended cut. Help, I’m drowning.
In the distant future, the polar ice caps have melted and flooded the world. Dry land is a thing of the past and humanity has taken up seaward existences. The Mariner (Kevin Costner) has come to a man made floating city to try and sell a jar of dirt, a valuable commodity in this watery time.
During his bargaining it’s discovered that the newcomer has evolved webbed feet and gills. This spooks the natives and they decide to cage him and lower him into their brine pool to “recycle” him.
Around the time of his execution, a group of pirates, known as “Smokers” (since their craft are powered by oil and emit smoke), attack the atoll. Their leader is the Deacon (Dennis Hopper). He’s looking for an orphan named Enola (Tina Marorino) because it’s rumored that she has a map that will lead to the last patch of dry land tattooed on her back. Enola is under the care of Helen (Jeanne Tripplehorn). Their plan is to escape with the inventor Gregor (Michael Jeter) who has fashioned a hot air balloon craft.
The plan is dashed when Gregor accidentally takes off during the Smoker’s attack. Helen and Enola then pin their hopes on rescuing the Mariner and taking off with him on his vessel. However, the duo now has to deal with the misanthropic Mariner as well as the pursuit of the vicious Smokers as they try and discover the whereabouts of the last bit of dry land.
Waterworld was periodically known as both “Fishtar” and “Kevin’s Gate” in reference to the failures of financial flops Ishtar and Heaven’s Gate. It was the most expensive film made at the time, costing 175 million, and when all was said and done the film’s box office was 265 million, making it about 90 million in the hole after it was run through theaters. The general rule is that a film has to make twice its budget to start showing a profit. Waterworld was not even close.
The thing that struck me at the time when I first saw the picture is that it reminded me of a Roger Corman film idea that had tons of money thrown at it. I could also imagine that if Corman was given 175 million that he probably could’ve cranked out 175 films (1 Waterworld and 174 sequels to it?).
Even for its massive budget, the production exhibits some dodgy special effects. The film would also be the last time that Costner and Kevin Reynolds would work together. Seems to me that the stories behind-the-scenes might be more interesting that the one up on the screen, but alas no special features tells those tales (not that the participants have been willing to discuss them either).
The plot is clearly in the Mad Max apocalyptic mold, but sets its scenes on water. The sea can be a cruel mistress as the production found out as most of the cost overruns came from storms, destroyed sets, and some even came close to losing their lives on the film, including Costner himself.
The film would end up nominated for four Razzie Awards, Hopper winning for worst supporting actor, and would develop the reputation for being a massive flop. It’s not particularly terrible, but you can’t help but scratch your head at how much money was spent on bringing it to the screen.
Again, Roger Corman could’ve made it and actually come out making a tidy sum using a fraction of the budget that the film actually cost. An extended cut aired on television and adds in about 40 minutes of footage. What is sure to confuse consumers more is that this Blu-ray release actually uses the box art that was used when that extended cut came out on DVD last year. The version on the Blu-ray is the 136 minute theatrical cut.
I would’ve thought that with Blu-ray’s larger storage capacities that both versions would’ve fit, but I guess that somebody somewhere is still trying to make some money for the film with another release down the line. Though I think the extended scenes were in poorer shape than the actual theatrical scenes and the DVD was “edited for television.” Not that I’d want to sit through another 40 minutes of Waterworld mind you.
Waterworld is presented in a 1080p high definition transfer (1.85:1). The disc is BD-Live and D-Box enhanced, but there’s nothing else save for a teaser trailer. It would’ve been grand to hear what Costner or anyone else might’ve said about the film and the controversy around it. I’m sure it would’ve been more of a rationalizing of why it was a good film though.
Waterworld is nothing new and takes most of its cues from other post-apocalyptic films… but with water. The notorious flop is not given much respect on Blu-ray and the extended cut is not to be found on the disc (unless released somewhere down the road onto Blu-ray – ca-ching).
That being said, fans of the film will be delighted that it’s out in high definition but your mileage, or is that leagues, may vary.
Waterworld [Blu-ray] is now available at Amazon . Visit the DVD database for more information.
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