Waterworld 4K Ultra HD


"Road Warrior on the water" is a perfectly accurate pitch for Waterworld, a B-movie concept that became the most expensive production in movie history after the casting of Kevin Costner.  The film aspired to nothing more than building off that clever concept, with monstrous practical sets, a tricked-out trimaran and some not-so-subtle environmental posturing buoyed by incredible stunts and an outrageous performance by Dennis Hopper.   There are no pretensions, just pulp sci-fi extravagance.  

But Costner backlash doomed the project from the start, as journalists eagerly reported the rising budget so they could watch the film sink upon release.  The fact that Waterworld was actually profitable didn't stop them from labeling it a failure, however.  And what should have been a celebration of the last pre-CGI action spectacle of the '90s became a pile-on of unwarranted animosity and exaggerated criticism.

 

There's no denying director Kevin Reynold's film has its flaws.  It's intentionally derivative of the world created by George Miller, with Costner cast in the Mad Max role of the Mariner (although the asshole factor is upped substantially), set upon by a gang of "smokers," jet ski riding ruffians who search the endless ocean in search of new communities to rape and pillage.  The addition of a Nola (Tina Majorino), a child whose tattoo holds the hope of finding dry land, gives the Mariner some hope of redemption despite the fact that his mutation (a set of sexy gills behind each ear) marks him forever an outcast.

 

Despite a cheese factor that elevates whenever Hopper appears onscreen (his cartoonish bad guy is a poor match for Costner's low-key performance), Waterworld is a non-stop sizzle reel of stunts and state-of-the-art effects.  But it's the world-building that's most impressive; the details around life of the isolated atolls where every drop of water, every grain of dirt is precious; the elaborate vessel of the Mariner, rigged to operate with hands and feet like a wondrous one-man-band; and the submerged relics of a destroyed civilization where something a impractical as ski boots are fought over like a religious artifact.

 

For those who enjoy Waterworld's mix of popcorn thrills and sci-fi scenery, your day has finally come.  Arrow Video's 3-disc limited edition 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray includes three versions of the film: the original theatrical version (the only version presented in actual 4K), the extended TV version, and the "Ulysses Cut" which re-inserts all the censored shots and dialogue to the extended version to create the most complete version yet.  But there's also a feature length documentary, which provides some perspective on the film's production troubles plus the original slate of extras from earlier home video releases.  All that plus a poster, collector's postcards and a 60-page book with new writing on the film and archival reviews.

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