While he’s best known today for his role as John Dutton in Yellowstone, there was a time when Kevin Costner was pretty much the biggest movie star around. He had major success in the 1990s with films like JFK, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, The Bodyguard, and of course, Dances With Wolves. But while he quickly proved that he was adept across many genres and even filmmaking roles (he directed and starred in Dances With Wolves) not everything Costner did in the ‘90s was a success. There’s one notable film of his from that era that was a notorious flop but 31 years later it’s streaming on Prime Video and might just be worth a second look.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Released in 1995, Waterworld is a post-apocalyptic action film that not only starred Costner, but he co-produced the film as well. Set in the distant future, the film depicts a world where the polar ice caps have melted and now nearly all of the world’s landmasses are covered in water. In this world, the antihero The Mariner (Costner) sails the planet, finding himself reluctantly protecting a woman and child with a map to “Dryland”.
Waterworld Has More Good Qualities Than Bad
Generally, Waterworld is a pretty interesting concept and has the same sort of feel as sci-fi epics like Dune or even Mad Max where resources are central. However, the film was extremely divisive. While it drew praise for its premise and setting, critics were. harsh about the film’s actual execution. The film was also a poor performer at the box office. The most expensive film ever made at the time, Waterworld cost around $175 million to make but only made $264 million at the box office. The film also had a notoriously difficult production, which included Costner nearly dying and Joss Whedon having to come in last minute to do script rewrites.
However, despite the film being something of a nightmare in terms of budget issues, critical reception and production concerns, it’s worth looking back to see if the film really is as bad as its notoriety makes it seem. All these years later, the idea of rising sea levels in particular is much more of a realistic and pressing concern so that aspect of Waterworld has a more authentic ring to it. The film also has a lot more really good moments to it than one might recall. Yes, there is plenty about Waterworld that is silly, but its action sequences are good. It’s also unapologetically original as compared to most big post-apocalyptic blockbusters, There is genuinely nothing else like it and it takes itself very seriously. That’s kind of refreshing. Waterworld isn’t going to ever be a masterpiece, but it’s a better movie in retrospect than we ever gave it credit for — making it a great option to get to know by streaming this month on Prime.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Image Courtesy of Disney -
Image Courtesy of Netflix
