Waterworld

Waterworld
Directed by	Kevin Reynolds Kevin Costner (uncredited)
Written by	Peter Rader David Twohy
Produced by	Kevin Costner, John Davis, Charles Gordon, Lawrence Gordon, Andrew Licht
Starring	Kevin Costner Jeanne Tripplehorn Tina Majorino R.D. Call Dennis Hopper Zitto Kazann Leonardo Cimino Michael Jeter Zakes Mokae Luke Ka'ili Jr. Anthony DeMasters Willy Petrovic Jack Kehler Chaim Girafi Rick Aviles Jack Black Lanny Flaherty Robert A. Silverman Gerard Murphy
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release dates	July 28, 1995
Running time	136 Mins Theatrical 176 Mins Director's Cut
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$175 million

Waterworld is a 1995 post-apocalyptic science fiction film. The film stars Kevin Costner who also produced it. Waterworld was released in the United States on July 28, 1995.

Problems encountered during filming led to massive budget overrun, and it held the dubious distinction of being the most expensive film ever made at the time. Some critics dubbed it "Fishtar" and "Kevin's Gate" (references to the notorious flops Ishtar and Heaven's Gate). With a budget of $175 million, the film grossed $88 million at the U.S. box office, and was initially considered to be one of the biggest flops ever made. However, the film was successful overseas and made more than a $100 million profit, which would actually qualifiy the movie as a blockbuster. Expressed in 2005 dollars (USD), the budget for the movie was $229 million, and grossed $115.3 million at the U.S. box office and $229.9 million at the foreign box office.

Tagline

• Beyond the horizon lies the secret to a new beginning.

Synopsis

Some time in the future, the polar ice caps have melted, due to a shift in the Earth's axis, and the Earth is almost entirely covered with water. Surviving humans have forgotten the past; their creation belief is that the world was created in a deluge. So entrenched is this view that any other is regarded as blasphemy. There is, however, a common folk-belief amongst the various peoples that Dryland exists, though opinions on its physical properties vary greatly.

The surviving peoples can be classified into four groups:

• Drifters, individualistic loners who ply the water in small boats, collecting things and trading with one another as well as with atolls;
• Atoll Dwellers, who live in large floating constructs called atolls (in the movie, pronounced 'A-toll'). These are not to be confused with the natural coral formations of the same name.
• Smokers are pirates who inhabit abandoned oil tankers. They are called such because of the smoke they make by using oil-powered equipment, such as jetskis; they all smoke tobacco, and consider cigarettes one of the most valuable treasures to be stolen.
• Slavers were mentioned by the drifter the Mariner meets early in the movie but not shown.

The antihero is a drifter (Kevin Costner), who arrives at an Atoll to trade his dirt — a highly prized rarity. For most of the film, he has no name, though some refer to him as "the Mariner." He is a genetic mutant, with webbed feet and gills. He also appears to have amplified reflexes and hand-eye coordination, along with a "sixth sense", and natural mechanical ability.

The Atollers propose a deal with the Mariner: if he agrees to stay a short time — just long enough to impregnate one of their women (so as to help avoid the inbreeding prevalent in their society) — they will let him go with all the supplies he needs. However, the Mariner refuses their offer: he is clearly uncomfortable among the many people and claustrophobic surroundings of the Atoll. Angered, the Atoll's leaders have him arrested, using the excuse that he may be a spy for the Smokers. During the struggle that ensues, they are horrified to discover his mutant features; fearing him, they condemn him to be "recycled" in the Atoll's septic midden.

As they prepare to "recycle" the Mariner, however, the Smokers arrive in a raid, bringing with them a M45 Quadmount to destroy the Atoll. Their leader is the Deacon, who is the "captain" of a derelict oil tanker, the Exxon Valdez (nicknamed "the 'Deez"). They are in search of a young girl living on the atoll named Enola, who appears to have a map to Dryland tattooed on her back; one of their spies, a man who was spurned by the Mariner at the atoll, had advised them of her presence there. (The shorter theatrical version of the film does not explain how Enola acquired the tattoo, nor how she arrived at the Atoll.) An outcast in the society of the Atoll, Enola lives with her caretaker, Helen, a woman in her twenties or thirties. Helen and Enola plan to escape with Gregor (the Atoll's resident astrologer/engineer) in search of Dryland because, like the Mariner, they don't fit in.

Unfortunately, Gregor's escape balloon is accidentally released too early (with him on it), leaving Helen and Enola stranded on the Atoll as the Smokers overrun it. They release the Mariner, after they force him to agree to take them with him, and escape on his large trimaran. To create a diversion, they turn the Quadmount on the Deacon's boat, destroying the craft and causing the Deacon to lose an eye. Despite being rescued from certain death, the Mariner is displeased to have companions on his vessel, even after Helen offers to have sex with him in exchange for protection. The Deacon, looking now for both revenge and Dryland, has a number of skirmishes with the Mariner in his attempts to get Enola back. A mad drifter is also taken aboard the Mariner's ship for trading. The drifter wants to trade paper for Helen (presumably for sexual reasons) and also asks for Enola, with the excuse of wanting somebody to talk to (also presumably for sexual reasons, saying "Forty-five minutes with the wee one; I like to do the talkin' if you know what I'm saying."). The Mariner temporarily agrees only to trade Helen, and the drifter goes below deck with Helen and tries to encourage her to have sex with him. However, the Mariner intervenes and the drifter draws a knife, telling Helen 'this won't take a minute.' The fight is not shown onscreen, but banging and frequent swearing are heard after which the drifter appears with blood on his knife. It is soon revealed that the Mariner has used a blade to slice down the drifter's spine, which results in his death. The Mariner disposes of his body in the ocean.

Helen, meanwhile, having reasoned that the Mariner must know where Dryland is, demands to see it. The Mariner, who can breathe underwater (due to his gills), puts her in a diving bell made out of plastic and swims down to a sunken city (actually the city of Denver) to show her. As they are inspecting the sunken city, the Smokers locate and board the Mariner's vessel; when the Mariner and Helen return to the surface, the Smokers capture them. The Deacon grills the Mariner and Helen regarding the whereabouts of Enola, who is obviously still somewhere aboard the ship, but the pair refuse to provide the Deacon with any assistance; this momentarily stuns the Deacon, who has never been refused information before. The Deacon pretends to have killed the Mariner and Helen by firing a gun into the sky, which scares Enola out of hiding so that she is captured by the Smokers. The Deacon has his crew burn the Mariner's vessel (which later attracts Gregor to the location) and shoot at the pair, but they escape by diving deeper than the bullets can reach. Since Helen cannot breathe underwater, the Mariner offers to "breathe for the both of us," which results in a prolonged kiss of life while bullets rain down around them.

Helen and the Mariner grow hopeless, just as Gregor appears in his flying machine, telling them it was "good thinking" to burn the boat. Gregor then takes the pair to the beginnings of a new Atoll where several other survivors of the Smoker attack at the film's beginning have begun to rebuild. Here, the Mariner announces his intention to rescue Enola, as Helen tries and fails to convince anyone to help him.

The Mariner chases down the Exxon Valdez on a stolen jetski and boards it. Celebrating the find of "the map to Dryland", the Deacon rewards his crew by tossing them handfuls of (mostly broken) cigarettes from his car, which is driven up and down the deck of the ship, and later cans of "Smeat" from the ship's sterncastle. Unfortunately, neither the Deacon nor his crew has any idea how to read the map; based largely on the shape of the area of Dryland, the Deacon believes that the area indicated must be Japan. The arguments that ensue illustrate that the Deacon's hold on power is precarious and that he needs the promise of Dryland to keep himself in power. Further conversations indicate that the supply of oil in the 'Deez is running low, threatening the Deacon's hold on power. After a stirring speech — in which the Deacon manages to persuade the crew that he knows what he's doing — the crew begins to row the immense ship with huge oars, in the style of a Viking longship. (Since nobody aboard can read the map, they begin rowing without setting a course.)

After cutting a murderous swath through the bowels of the ship, the Mariner walks out onto the now-empty deck and threatens to throw a flare down into the oil holds unless the Deacon returns Enola. The Deacon ignores Enola's warning that the Mariner never bluffs, and refuses, telling the Mariner that he would be crazy to blow up the ship. The Mariner responds by dropping the flare into the oil hold. The flare ignites the remaining oil, consuming the 'Deez in a massive explosion.

As the crew of the 'Deez run for their lives, the Mariner manages to recapture Enola and escape the ship. They float at sea for a while and then engage in one last battle with the Deacon (who survived the blast) before being rescued by Gregor, who has joined with several other castaways and drifters in search of a place to start anew. En route to finding Enola and the Mariner, they found Helen, who has joined their quest. Gregor finally figures out the map — after the Mariner comments that the Earth's magnetic poles have reversed — and steers his balloon off in the direction of what does, in fact, turn out to be Dryland: Mount Everest (not mentioned in the original version of the film but revealed in the extended cut). Gregor, Enola, Helen and the others start civilization anew on the island. The Mariner, uncomfortable on dry land, builds a boat and sails away, back to his old life — but before he leaves, Helen gives him a proper name "from an ancient myth": Ulysses. A warrior who journeys away but eventually returns home.

Cast

• Kevin Costner – Mariner/Trader/Ulysses
• Jeanne Tripplehorn – Helen
• Tina Majorino – Enola
• Dennis Hopper – Deacon
• Robert LaSardo – Smitty
• Michael Jeter – Old Gregor
• Jack Black – Floatplane pilot
• Jonathan Higley – Old Quicksilver

Production

The movie was intended to have a cost of approximately $100 million, but a series of transportation problems (since the movie was shot in the ocean off Kawaihae, Hawaii), bad weather, sea-sickness from some of the cast, as well as a mysterious accident (in which one of the atolls came loose, killed a marine and crushed a number of boats) caused the budget to soar. Also adding to the multi-million-dollar budget was Kevin Costner's expensive seaside bungalow at an exclusive Hawaiian resort. All this made it the most expensive movie as of that time.

The film begins with a variation on the Universal Studios globe logo, which then shows the continents on the globe logo slowly being covered by water.

The underwater city the Mariner shows Helen is actually Denver, Colorado. A sunken nuclear submarine and a ski-hill lift are visible in the underwater city.

The aircraft in the movie was a Helio Courier (H-295 model). The aircraft actually towed one water-skier in the movie, and the other skiers were superimposed in. Because of excessive drag, the aircraft could not attain more than a few hundred feet of altitude. In the scene where the Mariner hooks a grappling hook to the floats, the aircraft accidentally crashed, and an aircraft shop in Carlsbad, CA, had to provide another aircraft for the studio, which delayed filming. The plane was sold back to the fabricator, and is still in the paint-scheme of the movie. It was painted to appear rusted and in bad repair, but it is in fact in airworthy condition.

The beach shown in the movie when dry land is first spotted is the black-sand beach of Waimanu Bay on the Big Island of Hawaii. The beach is only accessible by hiking from Waipio Valley or by boat.

During filming, the Atoll was anchored in Kawaihae Harbor on the Big Island.

Reception

The movie received rather mixed reviews, but audiences were shocked by the film's lavish $175 million budget. It earned $88 million in the US, but managed to recover its budget abroad. It was considered one of the biggest flops of 1995.

Extended release

An editing decision removed the revelation that when the Mariner, Helen, and Enola arrive on Mount Everest, they find a shack with the skeletons of a man and a woman. Also in the dwelling are tattoo implements, dyes, and designs that match Enola's tattoo. In the extended version, these people are revealed to be Enola's parents; thus explaining why she had the tattoo of the location. Unfortunately, while explaining that, it left open why people on "dryland" would need to make such a map, and how Enola survived and got to Helen without anyone knowing about her link to Dryland in the first place. In the edited theatrical version, Gregor suggests that Enola's parents knew they were dying. It is left to assumption that they tattooed the map on Enola so she could find her way back if she survived the basket-float.

In March 1998, Waterworld was shown on U.S. network television for the first time. The ABC network held a special two-night event of Waterworld, which included an extended version of the film — Universal and Kevin Costner took the film from director Kevin Reynolds's hands during post-production, and edited it down to the theatrical length of 133 minutes. This version added approximately 40 minutes of deleted scenes, including the Mount Everest ending, and thereby returning at least some of Reynolds's intended vision. Some, but not all, scenes were edited due to swearing, violence, gore, nudity, and "indecent exposure" (the scene where the Mariner is urinating into a cup).

This same extended version was shown on the SciFi network on June 21, 2007.

Cut scenes

• A Hydro Addict is trying to trade his hair for fresh Hydro. There are other people banging on the gates trying to get into the Atoll.
• A scene that reveals that the two skeletons found in the shack near the end of the movie are indeed the girl's parents, instead of just letting the audience guess it.
• Scenes that show the Mariner building the new boat he uses to leave the island at the end of the movie.
• In a longer goodbye scene, Gregor gives the Mariner dirt and laughs hysterically at his own silliness, while the Enforcer says all he can offer is a firm handshake, which the Mariner says is enough.
• The Mariner is also given the name Ulysses by Helen.
• Helen and Enola standing atop the cliff watching the Mariner depart before the film's end credits. As they are standing there, they uncover a plaque which tells us that they are at the peak of Mount Everest.

Cut Scenes Restored for TV

These are scenes which were re-inserted and edited back into the film for the VHS and DVD versions (as opposed to simply being compiled together in a separate "deleted scenes" or "special features" area) and appeared on most television airings.

• After the Mariner's capture at the Atoll, the inhabitants of the Atoll examine his belongings. Among them, they find a Thighmaster, which they think is a torture device; a yo-yo, which they believe is an assassin's weapon used to strangle people; and a clarinet, which they think is used as a spy's listening device. This is also where the Atoll decides to dump the Mariner into the Recycling Pit.
• Helen attempts to defend the Mariner during the "hearing," and the crowd turns on her, mentioning rumors that the Smokers are looking for Enola and that the two of them should be put out to sea. The Enforcer puts an end to the talk, but it explains Helen's urgency to leave in the later scene with Gregor.
• A scene that explains where exactly the Mariner got the jet-ski he uses to reach the Deacon's ship to rescue Enola. The survivors of the Atoll massacre are ambushed by two of the Deacon's men on jet-skis; the Mariner kills both men, and takes their weapons and one of the jet-ski craft.
• A scene that shows how the Mariner was able to find his way to the Deez so easily.
• At least 10 minutes worth of new scenes that further detail life aboard the Deacon's ship, including how they obtain their cigarettes and other equipment.
• A scene that shows how Gregor managed to find Helen and the Mariner after their boat was burned down.
• A scene which shows the Deacon preaching to his men and a prisoner on the Atoll, providing his namesake, and also providing another reason why he was so anxious to shoot the remaining prisoner.

Video games and novelization

Waterworld video games were made for the SEGA Genesis, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and Nintendo Virtual Boy video game systems. The one made for SEGA Genesis was released in Europe. The Super Nintendo Entertainment System version was released only in Europe. A Nintendo Virtual Boy version was released worldwide, but the game and system are rare. There were also Waterworld computer games produced for MS-DOS and Windows.

A novelization of the film was also published to coincide with the release of the film. The ending epilogue of the book revealed that the Mariner's boat was attacked by pirates a few months later, and that he drifted back to Dryland where he decided to stay with Helen and Enola.

Stunt Show at Universal Studios

The two Universal Studios Theme Parks in Universal City, California and Osaka, Japan feature a "Waterworld" stunt show among their most popular attractions. The shows include numerous stunts and special effects, including water bike jumps, high dives, pyrotechnic and gas-flame explosions, and a free-falling seaplane "crashing" through the Atoll wall into the stage's lagoon. The script weaves the movie's music with a sequel plot that begins with Helen's return to the Atoll to show the way to Dryland. Helen is closely pursued and captured by the Deacon and then rescued by the Mariner after a battle. At Halloween Horror Nights 2006, it was changed at night to Slaughterworld, feature blood, gore, and R-rated humour.

See also

• Desert planet
• List of films recut by studio
• Global warming

External links

• Waterworld at IMDb
• A detailed synopsis of the movie
• Movie stills