Let's begin with some of Dan's comments from his HD DVD review:

When Waterworld was being shot, there were reports of serious budget overruns and conflicts on the shoot. There continue to exist persistent unconfirmed rumors that director Kevin Reynolds departed before the film was complete and Kevin Costner took over. The budget got a bit out of control and is reported to have bloated to over $175 million, making Waterworld the most expensive motion picture ever to be shot to that date. Consequently, expectations were unrealistically high, and when the film earned only a tad over $255 million worldwide, that was not enough to avoid the press and the public’s’ classifying the film as a flop. I’m not sure I understand the logic.

It’s been over a decade since the film was released and all of the hype and gossip have dissipated. It may now be possible to watch the film dispassionately and assess it for what it is.

Waterworld owes much to George Miller, his Mad Max series, and The Road Warrior in particular. Each is a bleak tale of a post apocalyptic world in which hapless citizens are preyed upon by a ruthless band of brigands and a sole warrior becomes a reluctant hero. The vast, dry wasteland of a post nuclear conflict has been replaced by a vast, wet wasteland of unending ocean, caused by global warming and the melting of all the glaciers and icecaps. Mad Max Rockatansky’s souped-up car has been replaced by the Mariner’s (Kevin Costner) souped-up three-hull outrigger sailboat. Lord Humungus has been replaced by the Deacon (Dennis Hopper); no less loathsome and no less brutal, he leads a band of cutthroats known as the smokers. That’s both figurative and literal; all their vehicles burn hydrocarbons and emit noxious smoke, and each brute seems hopelessly addicted to cigarettes. Even the little Aborigine child in Road Warrior has a counterpart, a cute little precocious girl named Enola (Tina Majorino), who’s cared for by an adoptive mother, Helen (Jeanne Tripplehorn).

The Mariner has been alone entirely too long. To say that he’s rough around the edges and is wary of people would be understatements. He has good reason. In this world, no one can be trusted and the Mariner has a secret that would make him an outcast at best, the object of lethal prejudice at worst. And it’s the latter that puts his life in jeopardy when he visits an ocean outpost to do a little trading. The threat to his life comes entirely too early in the film to be taken seriously. When the enclave is attacked by the smokers and Helen frees the Mariner from his captivity in exchange for his protecting her and Enola, we are left with the setup for a softening of our protagonist, a humanizing that will transform him from a selfish loner to a true hero. Enola becomes the Macguffin. She has a tattoo on her back that is believed to be a map to the last remaining dry land on Earth. And that makes her a valuable commodity, both for surviving humanity and the inhumane smokers.

Costner’s performance is somewhat subdued. We see him perform a surprising number of his own stunts; the director goes out of his way to show us his face before moving his camera back to expose the larger picture and the impressive action. But either his interpretation of the character is extremely limited (he seems to be either taciturn or furious) or the shoot took a toll on his stamina. Dennis Hopper chews the scenery with great glee, almost a caricature of an evil sociopath. I enjoyed Tripplehorn’s performance more; she is both realist and fierce protector. Little Tina Majorino is quite convincing in her role and she’s been quite busy ever since. Now twenty-one and an attractive young woman, her career includes fourteen acting credits since she appeared in this film. (And look for Jack Black in an early role, the pilot of the Deacon’s patrol plane.)

The film’s weaknesses are in the little details, the responsibility of screenwriters Peter Rader and David Twohy. (The former hasn’t done that much since 1995, but you should recognize the later as responsible for such genre films as The Chronicles of Riddick, Below, Pitch Black, and The Arrival.) You might ask yourself how the smokers could possibly have: cigarettes; the ability to make ammunition; and, the ability to refine the crude oil in the tanker they use as a home base. Those of you who dive may also question Helen’s experiences underwater, both avoiding the bends in one sequence and surviving thanks to the Mariner’s ability to provide air in another. It certainly was convenient the way a heavy steel cage didn’t sink rapidly into recycling muck. And why everyone hasn’t died of Scurvy is a wonder, despite the Mariner’s possession of a little lime tree that shouldn’t bear fruit without pollination.

The film’s strength lies in an action/adventure motif that suggests you shouldn’t think but simply go along for the ride. The action set pieces are impressive and bombastic, and the ultimate climax is unavoidably poignant. If you enjoyed the look and feel of The Road Warrior and you’ve yet to see Waterworld, you might want to consider the disc.

Jim’s thoughts: Dan is right about this film ripping off many of the character types from The Road Warrior also about well his list of unbelievable plot points. And some viewers still think the film is a waste. Despite some of the unbelievable elements of the story, the film remains a fun ride and I got a kick out of it. Although Dennis Hopper may look the part, he never satisfied me as a much-needed operatic villain. I agree with Dan that Jeanne Tripplehorn gives a surprising terrific performance. Costner is probably not ideal for the role, but he’s all right. And for the most part, I did like much of Kevin Renolds’ directing, including the terrific action sequences, and Dean Semler’s sweeping photography. And let’s not forget the keen editing by Peter Boyle who swiftly makes us forget that the film’s production was a near-catastrophe.

The extended edition is the version I watched, and with “over 40 minutes of extra footage,” it makes the film almost a whopping three hours. Some scenes work fine, but unavoidably slow the pacing. Against director Kevin Rynolds’ wishes, Costner did cut the film back for the theatrical release. However, later cable showings of Waterworld included cut scenes, which from what I could find reappear here.

Some of the “extended” scenes include: Atol boys teasing the Mariner when he is caged; many scenes explaining how the Mariner got the jetski after the Atol massacre (which were, admittedly, cleverly cut for the theatrical release); many intercutting scenes of Deacon scheming to find the Mariner (which are poorly acted with clunky execution); scenes of the Mariner building a boat and saying goodbye to Gregory and another character near the end; and, the interesting scene of Helen and Enola uncovering a plate on a cliff that says Mt. Everest. There are probably more tweaked edits here and there. Overall, it’s nice to have this extended version. However, I get the sense that it is not the definitive version with which director Kevin Reynolds would approve.

The theatrical version (136 minutes) is rated PG-13 and the extended version (177 mintues) is Not Rated but would likely fall into the PG-13 category.

The Video: How Does The Disc Look?

The film’s theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 is presented in anamorphic video. Dan’s 2006 review of the film on HD DVD noted a generally solid picture, but one with subtle edge halos, and a slightly soft picture, although the colors are well saturated.

This reissued DVD is “digitally remastered,” so it would be interesting to know if, perhaps, a new print was struck. On this scaled down, standard definition release, the picture looks terrific. I was stunned that the film appears so confident and clear. Colors are perfectly saturated, vibrant, and wide ranging when they need to be. Skin tones, usually burned by the sun, look correct. Contrast is quite solid with rich blacks, a nice range of midtones and clean whites that don’t bloom despite the harsh sunlight. Small object detail is noticeable in the corners of the ocean outpost, Atol. The added scenes on extended version blend in nicely with similar quality. Edge halos may have been too small to notice, and compression problems did not arise.

Some scenes near the end of the film (around 2:36:00) are poorly shot and exhibit haze and lack sharpness and shadow detail. So out of sync they are from the rest of the film’s style, one wonders if they were filmed by someone other than Reynolds.

The Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

The disc includes a Dolby Digital 5.1 track, and even though it’s lossy audio, for the most part, my impressions parallel Dan’s assessment of the Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 track on the HD DVD:

The surrounds are very active. I particularly liked the more subtle noises that establish the environment, like the gentle sound of water lapping up against the Mariner’s hulls. Action sequences simply ramp up the surround activity and the levels. I found that EX decoding neither helped nor hindered the track to any great degree. I was not impressed with either end of the audio spectrum. Deep bass is present, but it doesn’t plumb the depths of the bottom end, and there are no shimmering highs. The overall sound is ever so slightly harsh. This extends to the sound effects as well. Gunfire isn’t as impactful or visceral as it could have been. The amplitude of screams seems to have been limited. In fact, the dynamic range is more constricted than I’ve found on other modern films. Dialog remains clean and intelligible throughout, but lacks that in-the-room presence I’ve admired in other releases. James Newton Howard’s fine score fares best, with a more extended range and a satisfying sense of acoustic spaciousness.

I agreed with Dan’s assessment of the gunfire (an effect that can be exciting if done well) and the average frequency range. James Newton Howard’s (a great name!) score is very “airy” sounding at times, fits the film well, and, indeed, soars above the rest of the film’s audio dynamics. Discrete rears are noticeable on occasion, but certainly could have been more aggressive; evidently, they are more pronounced on the HD DVD. I noticed that the panning effects among the front speakers mirrors the film’s action well, but it sounds a bit forced and lacks a spatial imaging given the vast oceanic expanse. And like Dan mentions, low frequency effects are not as impressive as one might expect; the best example is an explosion at 49:45. It may be asking too much, but the film could benefit from a touched up remix.

The Restored version does not have other audio options. The Theatrical version includes additional languages in Spanish and French both in Dolby Digital 5.1. Both films have English SDH, Spanish, and French Subtitles.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

One trailer is included. Yep, no other details about the reportedly traumatic filmmaking are included. Lame. We’ll just have to live with the speculation that has been fizzling with time.

Exclusive DVD-ROM Features: What happens when you pop the disc into your PC?

There are no DVD-ROM features on this DVD.

Final Thoughts

Some viewers think Waterworld is a chore because of its length and The Road Warrior-on-water premise. Both are fair points, but the vast sets and the tough survivalist nature of the film kept me interested. I actually lined up for the first theatrical showing of this film in ‘95, and I thought it was a hoot. I still do. The picture quality is very good, the audio is solid, but the supplements are near-zilch. The extended version includes forty extra minutes that help to explain certain plot points; if you love the film you’ll enjoy that bonus. Otherwise, the theatrical version still works fine. Recommended for fans of the film, others may want to just check it out as a rental.