The Film
As bad movies go Waterworld isn't really as bad as it seems. It is just another Road Warrior clone, moved to a wasteland of water, and filled with the usual stereotypical characters, costumes and clichés. The story is simple enough to state in a sentence: loner Kevin Costner doesn't want to get involved, but does anyway in attempt to save Jeanne Tripplehorn and Tina Majornio (whose character has a map to seemingly mythical "dryland" tattooed on her back), while avoiding the chain smoking Dennis Hopper in the process. There are over-the-top explosions, surreal fight sequences and corny bonding moments, plus enough plot holes to sink the Titanic - yet somehow Costner returned for more of the same with The Postman. Go figure.
The Picture
While the color palette of Waterworld seems limited to shades of blue - as in the sea and the sky - along with various shades of brown, everything from the dirt that cakes seemingly every object in this future world, the scraps of humanity and of course the clothing. The Blu-ray version is actually a big improvement over the DVD and even over the HD DVD release. The 1080p 1.85:1 presentation actually looks surprisingly good, and while there are some sequences of grain or noise, this is a flaw of the actual source material and not the transfer. Instead, this is an extremely sharp and clear looking film from beginning to end, and (spoiler alert!) the arrival on land really pops in HD! The film may be bad, but it sure looks fine.
The Sound
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround really pulls this one together too. The sound separation for effects, music and dialog is very good, and it ensures that every line of dialog can be heard - while the explosions and other audio cues sound just as they should, even in the "quiet" and more subtle occasions. The score by James Newton Howard is the weakest link, and while some like his style, this is one of those scores that sounds a bit too reminiscent of other works yet is utterly unmemorable once the movie is over. Maybe Newton Howard figured this would sink like a solid lead submarine and just reused some leftover musical cues.
The Extras
Talking of sinking... did the extras get thrown overboard? Other than being a BD-Live disc, and including D-Box Motion Code, this disc is as empty as the plot. While there is a standard definition trailer included, it looks about as good as the version on the VHS tape. As a side note, this disc has more than a dozen language subtitles available at least, so you could always use it as your personal "Rosetta Stone" styled teaching program to learn to read such diverse languages as Greek or Finnish!
Final Thoughts
This is one of those movies you can't stop thinking about after you viewed it. OK, in Al Gore's worst nightmare there isn't enough water in the polar icecaps to sink Bunker Hill in Boston let alone the Rocky Mountains, how did a billion Chinese people not head to the Himalayas and why, oh god why, did Costner follow this up with The Postman? But if you can get past those questions, this is one disc that actually looks and sounds great, even if the film really should be deep sixed. On a final plus side, at least Universal issued the Blu-ray with a new cover from the HD DVD version.
Product Details
- Actors: Kevin Costner, Dennis Hopper, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Tina Majorno, Michael Jeter
- Director: Kevin Reynolds
- Audio Languages: English DTS-HD Master Audio, French, French Canadian, German, Castilian Spanish, LA Spanish, Italian, Japanese DTS 5.1
- Subtitles: English SDH, French, French Canadian, Italian, German, Castilian Spanish, LA Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese, Greek, Traditional Mandarin
- Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
- Number of Discs: 1
- Rating: PG-13
- Studio: Universal Pictures
- Release Date: October 20, 2009
- Run Time: 136 minutes
- List Price: $26.98
- Extras:
- Theatrical Trailer
- BD-Live
- D-Box Motion Control
