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Movies / On DVD / Waterworld
Waterworld

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Waterworld (1995)

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Reviews Counted:47

Fresh:19

Rotten:28

Average Rating:5.1/10

Consensus: 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.

Runtime: 5 hrs 13 mins

Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy

Synopsis: The future has arrived, and it brings a world composed entirely of water, due to the melting of the polar ice caps. In this desperate society one must distill one's own urine for drinking water,... The future has arrived, and it brings a world composed entirely of water, due to the melting of the polar ice caps. In this desperate society one must distill one's own urine for drinking water, and land is only a myth people dream of. Roaming the high seas is the Mariner, a surly, selfish man/fish mutant with no name. But his loner existence changes when a woman named Helen and an orphaned girl named Enola save his life, and the Mariner reluctantly agrees to take them along with him. At first the Mariner has a rocky relationship with his two passengers; then he realizes that the tattoo on Enola's back is a map leading to the never-seen "Dryland". But as the trio struggles to decipher the map, they must also try to escape a band of filthy, reckless thugs known as "Smokers", led by the maniacal, one-eyed Deacon. Then the Smokers kidnap Enola, turning the Mariner into a one-man killing machine desperate to rescue his human map. And only if he succeeds will they ever know the feel of solid ground beneath their feet. [More]

Starring: Kevin Costner, Dennis Hopper, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Tina Majorino

Starring: Kevin Costner, Dennis Hopper, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Tina Majorino, Michael Jeter

Director: Kevin Reynolds

Director: Kevin Reynolds
Screenwriter: Peter Rader, David Twohy
Producer: Charles Gordon
Composer: Mark Isham

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Waterworld

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1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Waterworld is the movie that didn't happen. Which is a roundabout way of saying that the infamous Universal film is very good, damn good -- not great, mind you, but rousing and continually entertaining.

Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee | comment Comment
01/01/00
Joe Baltake
Joe Baltake
Sacramento Bee

In the tradition of the old Westerns and Mel Gibson's Road Warrior flicks, this film provides good escapist fun.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
01/01/00
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

actually pretty good

Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment Comment
07/12/09
Walter Chaw
Walter Chaw
Film Freak Central

Has the makings of a cult movie.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Mike Clark
Mike Clark
USA Today

Nearly $200 million down the drain, and you get this astonishingly mediocre action wannabe-epic.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
02/05/04
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

It's one of those marginal pictures you're not unhappy to have seen, but can't quite recommend.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

While it is true that time, and the obsessive culture of the Internet, has lessened Waterworld's "Fishtar" reputation to some extent, this is still one massively flawed film.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
10/22/09
Bill Gibron
Bill Gibron
PopMatters

I had no idea what the characters were thinking half the time, but I had an excellent idea what they were feeling, physically.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
07/23/07
Rob Gonsalves
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com

There is the nagging feeling that much of the film's story, dialogue and character development were left on the cutting-room floor.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
01/01/00
Chris Hicks
Chris Hicks
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

It's not $200 million of entertainment, but a dead loss is one thing it definitely ain't.

Full Review Source: Film Written Magazine | comment Comment
04/02/01
Andrew Howe
Andrew Howe
Film Written Magazine

Waterworld isn't Fishtar, but Kevin Costner's pricey, post-apocalyptic sloshbuckler isn't a seafaring classic either.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
01/01/00
Rita Kempley
Rita Kempley
Washington Post

Just another special effects-laden, digitally enhanced, B-movie, adventure thriller.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bruce Kirkland
Bruce Kirkland
Jam! Movies

It's a genuine vault at greatness that misses the mark -- but survives.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
06/18/02
Mick LaSalle
Mick LaSalle
San Francisco Chronicle

It really is like "Mad Max" gone to sea, both in its retro-futuristic, salvage-yard look and i ts frenetic pacing.

Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | comment Comment
10/30/02
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Waterworld is a marginal film: always extravagant, sometimes entertaining, often preachy and dull -- a pure formula picture.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

Regardless of faults, I embrace Waterworld as the pure matinee escapism it was intended to be, readily devouring the sci-fi excitement both Reynolds and Costner are happy to dish up.

Full Review Source: BrianOrndorf.com | comment Comment
10/30/09
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
BrianOrndorf.com

Although the show grew on me, it is too ridiculous for me to recommend it.

Full Review Source: Internet Reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Steve Rhodes
Steve Rhodes
Internet Reviews

Waterworld is a near-model summer fantasy: two hours and 21 minutes of loud, expansive fun.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Marc Savlov
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle

Waterworld is ugly, loud, stupefyingly absurd.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Examiner | comment 1 Comment
01/01/00
Barbara Shulgasser
Barbara Shulgasser
San Francisco Examiner
 
 
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