'Waterworld' comes up somewhere in between, due both to the rather unpleasant future world it imagines and its casting. 'Waterworld' falls into the grand tradition of the post-apocalyptic thriller, which can range from the visionary (the Mad Max films) to the dreadful (anything with Dolph Lundgren in it). Though a drifter with little idealism, the Mariner will come to crusade against Deacon (Dennis Hopper) over a local peasant mother (Jeanne Tripplehorn) whose young daughter Enola (Tina Majorino) holds the key to a mythical place called "Dryland." Mariner must make a choice - continue to rob and scourge, or defeat Deacon for the very future of mankind. Costner stars as the Mariner, one of a race of more evolved humans that have grown gills and can breathe for longer periods of time under water.
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Struggling for survival, humans have formed their own small societies - some civilized, some more savage - that barter for food, supplies and shelter. The story goes like this: sometime in the future, the Earth's ice caps have melted and almost all of the planet is submerged under water. Okay, so maybe this is no 'Jurassic Park,' but 'Waterworld' is a bit better than its reputation suggests, and if nothing else, deserves a better hand than it has been dealt. Despite taking a heavy drubbing by critics, it earned decent returns worldwide, and even inspired a stunt show at the Universal Studios theme parks. Truth be told, though, 'Waterworld' was not a flop.
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And that, of course, is exactly what happened. Dubbed a boondoggle by the press as its budget rapidly escalated (reported at nearly $200 million by the time production wrapped) and as on-set tensions flared between star Kevin Costner and director Kevin Reynolds, it quickly became clear that unless 'Waterworld' became one of the biggest hits in the history of cinema, it was going to lose money. I suppose you know you're in trouble when you have to start a movie review by saying, "Well, it really isn't that bad." But there's no other way to introduce 'Waterworld,' a film that became so notorious months before its release that it seemed doomed to failure before even a foot of film unspooled in theaters.