WATERWORLD
A film review by Michael John Legeros
Copyright 1995 Michael John Legeros
(Universal)
Directed by Kevin Reynolds Written by Peter Rader and David Twohy Cast Kevin Costner, Dennis Hopper, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Tina Majorino MPAA Rating "PG-13" Running Time 135 minutes Reviewed at General Cinemas at Pleasant Valley, Raleigh (26JUL95)
==
"Setback."
- Dennis Hopper
DIE HARD, BRAVEHEART, Batman, Spaceman. Welcome to the Summer of Acceptance, where even the *best* of the big-gun blockbusters must be accepted on their own, flawed, faulted terms. Overlong, overdone, or overhyped, the ticket sales are the testimony to one simple fact: we're *willing* to accept the flawed (but still spectacular) visions of filmmakers like John McTiernan, Joel Schumacher, and, now, Kevin Reynolds. (Of course, we also embraced CONGO. Go figure.)
WATERWORLD floats, though not very high above the surface. The joys of the Most Expensive Movie Ever Made ($175M) include a breezy tone, good humor, and *dynamite* action. Director Kevin Reynolds (ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES) has clearly beaten his playmates at the punch bowl. Sure, it's THE ROAD WARRIOR on water, but the stunt-heavy set-pieces are more open and relaxed than anything we've seen in DIE HARD or BATMAN.
The first hour is the best, successfully suspending our disbelief that a world covered with water would still support human life. (And, for that matter, would still support so many late-20th century relics!) Into that picture drifts the Mariner (Kevin Costner), a wandering mutant with slimy webbed-feet and gills that look like little vaginas. He's at odds with everyone, including the Atollers (who live in harmony on a man-made atoll) and the Smokers (who like to smoke and kill and not necessarily in that order). The Mariner just wants to be left alone with his ecology lesson, but that proves difficult after he befriends a little girl (Tina Majorino) with a strange tattoo.
WATERWORLD starts to sink in the second hour, as the film begins to feel less and less "finished." The logic problems are the worse, ranging from a casual deep-sea dive that offers no mention of decompression--much less the dangers of tangled support cables!--to the return of a patchwork airship that looks better suited to GILLIGAN'S ISLAND than THE ROWED WARRIOR. Skipper!! The second hour also marks the deterioration of the FX, particularly in the matte department.
Another albatross is the story, which is thin even by summer-movie standards. The plot is essentially an extended chase sequence with a dash of characterization for Costner. Numerous dead-end references don't help, either, and suggest a number of cut scenes. Hopper calls for "the trackers," but we're only shown some shark fins in passing. Tripplehorn talks about a "music box" as something "nobody else has seen," but when did *she* see it? And the list goes on.
(The sexism doesn't make much sense, either. Why not paint the future as a place where the sexes are equal, and where the Mariner not only thinks about selling his woman, but also himself??)
Despite a production history more difficult than a James Cameron shoot, the acting in WATERWORLD in surprisingly strong. Costner is amazing as the brutish, brooding hero who is more prone to throwing little girls overboard than to waxing wisecracks while killing. For someone who has never been licensed as an action figure, he's also *very* nimble on his feet.
The villain, the Deacon, the bald-headed leader of the Smokers, is played with customary gusto by Dennis Hopper. (He's here because of a new industry rule that requires the actor to play the villain in at least *one* summer blockbuster a year. His characterization for *this* role: Southern accent.) He gets upstaged, though, by young star Tina Majorino (WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN). She's plays the little girl with the map on her back, and she's a scene-stealer.
(Only Jeanne Tripplehorn--as the love interest--doesn't fit. With her shaved armpits and shiny hair, she's too clean-looking. The actress has spunk, sure, but she acts like she walked (trippled?) in from another movie, entirely. She's awful.)
The other technical credits are a mixed catch. The production design is a winner, with the Mariner's trimaran as the coolest contraption next to the Batmobile. The lighting is inconsistent, imagine that!, but the photography makes great use of the water, water that's everywhere. There's also the slight problem of overscoring--this is not a story that needs swelling strings.
BOTTOM LINE: Though one can easily imagine a longer and more robust cut
surfacing sometime in the future, the current version of
WATERWORLD is great eye-candy with just a little bit of
depth below the waves.
Grade: B-
-- Michael J. Legeros Raleigh, NC legeros@cybernetics.net
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