PG-13 _ Special parental guidance strongly suggested for children under 13. Some material may not be suitable for children. Motion Picture Association of America rating definitions: ``Waterworld″ is rated PG-13, for violence, nudity and language. Executive producers for the Universal Pictures release were Jeffrey Mueller, Andrew Licht and Ilona Herzberg. Tripplehorn works within the boundaries of her character and gives a tepid performance.Ĭostner, whose last three movies flopped, produced ``Waterworld″ with Charles Gordon and John Davis. Tina Majorino is adorable and feisty _ she’s not afraid of anyone and strongly believes in the goodness of Mariner. Hopper, everybody’s favorite bad boy, gets the best lines _ he calls Mariner ``the gentleman guppy.″ With his bald pate and mutilated eye, his Deacon is not entirely over the top but close to the perimeter.
One effective scene, though, is when Helen harpoons a seaplane from the Mariner’s trimaran only to have the craft wrap itself around the boat’s mast.īut few of the action sequences measure up to other summer adventures such as Bruce Willis surfing on a truck in ``Die Hard With a Vengeance,″ or the more subtle thrills of ``Apollo 13.″ Most sequences are so layered and repetitious that stunts begin to blend. Given the expense of ``Waterworld″ _ an estimated $175 million _ the movie’s second unit work (the action shots) is surprisingly uninspired and ordinary. The Smokers ultimately catch up to Mariner and abduct Enola, and a fiery climax is played out on the Exxon Valdez.
Eventually, he’s won over by Enola and Helen and there’s a sweet scene in which he teaches the child how to swim. He’s a misogynist who believes that women should be quiet and sit still, and who’s willing to give Helen to a drifter for sex. Smokers attack the atoll just as Mariner is about to slip into a vat of slop for ``recycling.″ Enola and her adopted mother, Helen (Jeanne Tripplehorn), save his life, and the three escape on Mariner’s trimaran. Mariner wants to sail the ocean and enjoy his solitude.īut when he shows up at the atoll to trade a jug of dirt for other supplies, he’s condemned to death for being a mutant. He seems to be the only one of his kind and no explanation is ever offered how he evolved. A map showing where this land might be is tattooed on the back of a child, Enola (Tina Majorino).Ĭaught in the middle is Mariner (Costner), a mutant human with gills and webbed feet. The Smokers and the survivors race to find ``dry land″ _ a mythical place where humans might once again walk the Earth.
They live on the rotting hull of the Exxon Valdez, using its last oil reserves to power their jet skis, seaplane and barge, smoking an endless chain of cigarettes along the way. They are threatened by food and fresh water shortages and the nasty Smokers _ a gang lead by Deacon (Dennis Hopper) that believes in polluting their bodies and everything else with smoke.
Survivors live either by drifting in boats, or on jerry-built atolls. Land masses are swallowed by the sea, and the Earth has become a place of endless water. The story is set sometime in the future after some unknown event or greed or stupidity lead to a Polar meltdown. And the uninspired and often inane dialogue in Peter Rader and David Twohy’s script doesn’t help. Part of the charm of so many action flicks is the fun you have with the hero: Arnold, Mel, Bruce, Wesley _ they don’t take themselves too seriously and offer steady doses of wit.Ĭostner, however, is totally humorless and as dreary as the landscape he travels. But it lacks the humor and ingenuity injected in the Road Warrior movies, and that’s one of the problems with ``Waterworld.″ It is as bleak as any vision seen by Mad Max. It is a dark and brooding vision, underscored by depressing sets and a drab world. This is not to say that the movie is a dud: ``Waterworld″ is merely harmless summer filler. And unfortunately, the movie’s first real action sequence _ an attack by thugs riding jet skis _ offers little excitement. Its opening serves only to introduce you to one of the most self-absorbed, embittered loners in the action hero legion. Kevin Costner’s ``Waterworld″ _ considered the most expensive film ever made, and one of the most problem-plagued, too _ does neither. One of the strongest indicators of a good action movie is the ability to snare an audience in the first 15 minutes and dazzle with a thrilling display or sizzling dialogue.