Waterworld Movie Review & Film Summary (1995) | Roger Ebert Tweet So here it is at last, "Waterworld," two years and $200 million in the making. In the old days in Hollywood, they used to brag about how much a movie cost. Now they apologize. There's been so much publicity about this movie's budget that a review of the story seems beside the point; I should just print the spreadsheets. Advertisement The cost controversy aside, "Waterworld" is a decent futuristic action picture with some great sets, some intriguing ideas, and a few images that will stay with me. It could have been more, it could have been better, and it could have made me care about the characters. It's one of those marginal pictures you're not unhappy to have seen, but can't quite recommend. The movie begins with the trademark Universal globe spinning in space, and then we see the polar ice cap melting while a deep voice (not James Earl Jones for a change) sets the story in "the future," when all of the Earth is covered in water.

Cut to Mariner ( Kevin Costner ), aboard his trimaran, a sailing vessel that looks made out of spare parts from "Mad Max." The first shot of an action hero is supposed to set the tone for a movie; remember your initial glimpses of James Bond or Batman, and compare them with "Waterworld," which shows Mariner peeing into a bottle, pouring the fluid into a home-made chemistry set, cranking a handle to process it, and then drinking it. Then he gargles, and spits on his little lime tree, so we know how he gets fresh water and vitamin C. I would have welcomed more of those details about the global floating culture that Mariner is a part of. But like so many science fiction movies, this one bypasses the best possibilities of the genre: Instead of science and speculation, we get a lot of violent action scenes. Advertisement Mariner is a loner, a "mutie," or mutant, with gills behind his ears, and webbed feet. He goes to trade at a big floating "atoll," which is like a seagoing version of the post-apocalyptic city in "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome." He has something they want. "Mmmm!" says a trader.

"Pure dirt! 3.2 kilos!" He trades it for cash, spends some of it at the bar, and meets Helen ( Jeanne Tripplehorn ), the bartender. Then he offends the locals by refusing to contribute to their gene pool, and is locked in a cage when the fortress comes under attack from Smokers - renegade outlaws who prowl the seas in souped-up jet skis. The leader of the Smokers is Deacon (a chain-smoker, of course), played by Dennis Hopper as another of his violent cackling loonies. Hopper is the standard-issue villain of the 1990s, and his appearances would grow tiresome if he weren't so good at them, adding weird verbal twists that make his characters seem smarter and more twisted. Advertisement The Smokers' attack on the atoll is a virtuoso action sequence, including stunts where guys on jet skis speed up a ramp and fly over the atoll walls, landing in the lagoon inside.

(It's a little strange to see Hells Angels types doing the same basic water-ski stunts perfected 50 years ago in all those Esther Williams pictures set at Cypress Gardens.) Mariner is freed by Helen, whose price is that he must help her and a young girl named Enola ( Tina Majorino ) escape. He's forced to agree, and soon they're sailing the high seas and squabbling ("This is my boat, and I got it the way I like it"). Mariner would just as soon throw Helen and the girl overboard, but we know the obligatory outcome: He'll get to like them. He does, grudgingly, and then discovers the Smokers want the girl because she has a map tattooed on her back that shows the way to land. The relationship scenes are pretty grim, apart from a long-delayed kiss and a breathtaking visit beneath the waves to visit a drowned city. There are a lot of amazing props in the movie, including various flying and sailing machines and medieval; futuristic weapons. And a few smiles, as when the Deacon's ship turns out to be the Exxon Valdez (with a portrait of Captain Joe Hazelwood still on display).

I am not quite sure, however, that I believed the scene where Deacon fires up his men with promises of dry land, and they all troop down into the hold of the Valdez and start rowing it like a Roman galley. Advertisement Kevin Costner obviously decided to play his character as a poker-faced outsider, not entirely human, and although that's a logical choice it isn't a very entertaining one; Mel Gibson , in a similar role as Mad Max, went for energy and good humor, and was more fun. There is also a certain lack of imagination in the story. These floating people have the whole globe to explore, but they seem to hang out in the same small patch of sea with the same characters. Are there different cultures elsewhere? Different adaptations to the flood? The movie doesn't care. It's said "Waterworld's" first cut was a good deal longer than its final 120-minute running time, and you can sense that occasionally, as when the Mariner fights off an attack by the Smokers and then immediately takes Helen on the trip beneath the sea, when it seems the Smokers must still be in sight.

But basically the movie plays smoothly as a combination of chases, fights, bizarre locations, special effects, and the cold, distant, slowly thawing behavior of Mariner toward his passengers. I'll remember some of the sights in "Waterworld" for a long time. But I won't necessarily want to see them again. Popular Blog Posts Waterworld - The Full Wiki The Full Wiki Note: Many of our articles have direct quotes from sources you can cite, within the Wikipedia article! This article doesn't yet, but we're working on it! See more info or our list of citable articles . Related top topics For other uses, see Water World . Waterworld Gross revenue $264,218,220 Waterworld is a 1995 post-apocalyptic action science fiction film . The film was directed by Kevin Reynolds and co-written by Peter Rader and David Twohy . It is based on Rader's original 1986 screenplay and stars Kevin Costner , who also produced it. It was distributed by Universal Pictures .

The film release was accompanied by a tie-in novel and video game , and also two popular themed attractions at Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Japan based on the film, called Waterworld: A Live Sea War Spectacular, which are both still running as of 2009. Contents 11 External links Factions within the film After the doomsday event of flooding, caused by global warming, melting the ice caps and end of civilization , the ramshackle remnants of the human race who survived the deluge now live in large floating constructs made up of various rusty junk and grimy debris found floating on the ocean; these watery settlements are called atolls after the similar type of island which no longer exist. The dwellers of atolls are a nautical society, albeit a gritty, primitive and superstitious one, with a patriarchal structure. The atollers refer to anybody outside their atoll as "outwaters," and are very suspicious of them.

On occasion, however, drifters are permitted entry in to the atolls, but only temporarily, and only if they can show the guards and/or enforcers they have something of value to trade with, such as food , plants , seeds , cigarettes , paper , dirt , and "hydro" ( fresh water ). Due to the extreme limitation of living space in the settlements, and also the sparse resources, the atoll elders limit the number of citizens to a steady and constant number, thus avoiding the issue of overpopulation . Since there is no ground to bury the dead in, the dead are placed in a yellow brine pool, whereupon they are " recycled ". Occasionally, drifters are asked to mate with the women of the atolls to expand on the shallow gene pool of the inhabitants, in an attempt to avoid inbreeding and also a population bottleneck situation, meaning they are an exogamous society. However, the only time women are permitted to try for a child is when a citizen of the atoll dies, thus keeping the population number steady. Drifters Drifters ply the water in boats , yachts , catamarans , and trimarans .

They have a rule whereby whenever two drifters come across each other, something "must be traded " between them, although as seen in the film many are driven by desperation to try to steal from each other. Drifters are almost always loners. As seen in the film, some drifters are driven insane by their long and seemingly endless solitude on the waves. As well as speaking English as a common tongue, Drifters also speak in Hindi . Another language used on Waterworld is "Portu-Greek," which is an apparent amalgamation of Portuguese and Greek , used at some outlying trading posts. Aquatic human mutants Some humans have spent so long in aquatic environments that they developed or were genetically engineered to have genetic mutations to their environment ; they have webbed feet , which enable them to swim at inhumanly high speeds, and gills located behind the ears, which enable them to breathe underwater, allowing them to explore the previous drowned civilization. Mutants are able to keep ordinary humans from drowning underwater by transferring the oxygen to them via kiss of life . In the film, Old Gregor ( Michael Jeter ) refers to these gills as " isotropic gills ," and functional as opposed to vestigial .

They also have excellent vision underwater, and in addition to their speed and stealth, they are also very strong. They also have the sense of electroreception either above or below the water, being able to tell when it is about to rain, or when a storm is approaching. Old Gregor refers to these genetic mutants as Ichthyus sapiens ( Latin for "wise fish"). The Deacon ( Dennis Hopper ) also refers to the Mariner in this way, calling him an "Ichthy-Demon". The other less educated atollers refer to them as "mute-o." The protagonist and antihero of the film, the nameless Mariner (portrayed by Kevin Costner ), is such a mutant, although no more mutants are seen in the film. However, from certain lines of dialogue in the film, it is clear there are more of his kind. The leader of the smokers, the Deacon (portrayed by Dennis Hopper ), refers to the protagonist as a " guppy freak ," and, in line with his quasi-religious nature, believes that no such "abominations" could exist in nature. It is stated that Ichthyus sapiens do not need to eat for days on end.

Smokers Pirates are known commonly as "smokers" because of the smoke from oil-power machines , such as personal water craft and aeroplanes , which they make use of. They also apply great cultural significance to the smoking of cigarettes , even to the point of giving their children cigarettes, and trade in a brand of cigarettes referred to as "Black Death." The smokers obtain many of their wares as marauders and by raiding the settlements of the featureless surface of Waterworld. Many smokers appear to be quite sadistic and revel in murder and carnage; often their reputation precedes them. The base of the smokers is the rusted old carcass of an oil tanker , referred to as the Deez, which is revealed to be the Exxon Valdez in a brief shot. Although the tanker no longer has any functional engines , the smokers still have a large supply of crude oil aboard the tanker, and apparently a small oil refinery , as they are able to refine the crude oil into gasoline to power the jet skis and planes they make use of.

The Deacon also mentions refining but states that they are running out of "the black stuff" and the "go-juice" rapidly, and that they only have "two lunars" (or months) left of it. The smokers have also hoarded large quantities of firearms , heavy artillery , ammunition , spam , paper , tobacco , cigarettes and whiskey aboard the tanker. The smokers move the tanker by use of dozens of oars that stick out of the barnacle -encrusted hull . The captain of the tanker and also the leader of the smokers is looked up to as a messianic figure , as he has promised to lead the smokers to the mythical Dryland, and in line with this quasi-religious nature, he is referred to as " Deacon ". The Deacon, or "Deac", has an intense hatred for anything of the old world, especially sails , instead preferring the mechanical machines, and believes that his aim to raid atolls is a " crusade ". He teaches his men a philosophy of "take and ye shall receive." The smokers also worship a former historical captain of the tanker, Joseph Hazelwood , as " Saint Joe ".

The Deacon's inner circle is well organized and includes a man with medical knowledge , and a man who follows the Deacon around with a ledger and a top hat who records for posterity everything that happens and who also informs the Deacon of various statistics he needs to know. The Deacon's lieutenant or second-in-command is a large and imposing man of Scandinavian descent, referred to as " the Nord ", who is reminiscent of a viking . The Nord likes to be in the thick of the action and delights in murder, leading the raids on atolls and also posing as a spy for reconnaissance. Smokers refer to each other as "cousins". The primary goal of the smokers in the film is to find an orphan girl named Enola ( Tina Majorino ), who as myth states came from the legendary Dryland, and has directions to it on a tattoo placed on her back. What the Deacon plans to do with Dryland is unclear though. In the extended cut, the Deacon claims he wishes to create a "church of eternal growth" for the smokers. Slavers Although not seen in the film, slave traders are talked about and mentioned throughout.

This would suggest that there is an active slave trade in Waterworld, although in the theatrical cut of the film this slave trade is little elaborated on, nor do we see what form this slave trade takes. In the extended cut of the film, it makes clear that the ruthless Mariner's initial intentions are to sell Helen and Enola to slave traders, but relents as he grows to know them. Border outposts Although there is no longer any land, certain areas of Waterworld are set out as clear territories for the various factions and groups who dwell on the water's surface. The borders of these territories are defined by the outposts on the outskirts of the territories. It appears they also act as trading outposts, repair shops and lighthouses . The outpost keepers speak in "Portu-Greek." Only one such outpost is seen in the film, in which the outpost keepers have been killed by the smokers who attempt to lay a trap for the Mariner at the outpost. Plot summary The setting of the film is the distant future , although no exact date is given.

(Suggested as 2500.) [1] The polar ice caps have completely melted, and the sea level has risen many thousands of feet, covering virtually all the land. An antihero , known only as "the Mariner" ( Kevin Costner ), is a drifter who sails the Earth in his trimaran. He comes into an atoll seeking to trade his dirt, which is now a precious commodity. There, it is revealed that he is a mutant with webbed feet and gills , a new step in evolution to accommodate the changes in climate. The atollers, fearful of him, vote to "recycle" him by drowning him in a yellow sludge-like brine pool. At this moment, pirates known as "smokers" arrive in a raid on the atoll, as they have been tipped off by a smoker spy posing as a trader ( Gerard Murphy ), known as "the Nord." The smokers are searching for an orphan girl living there named Enola, who has what appears to be directions to Dryland tattooed on her back.

[2] Her caretaker is Helen ( Jeanne Tripplehorn ), the atoll's shopkeeper , and they plan to escape with Gregor ( Michael Jeter ), the atoll's expert on hydroelectric power and resident astrologer and inventor, in the hopes of finding Dryland. Unfortunately, Gregor's escape method, a hot air balloon made of old rags, launches too early with him on it, leaving Helen and Enola stranded. Instead, they escape with the Mariner, who agrees to take them with him as they saved his life , but seems ill-pleased with their company as he prefers solitude. Chasing them is "the Deacon" ( Dennis Hopper ), who is the captain of a derelict oil tanker, the Exxon Valdez , and the leader of the smokers. He also wants to get to Dryland, and has a number of skirmishes with the Mariner in his attempts to get Enola back. Helen, convinced that Dryland exists, demands to know where the Mariner finds his dirt. The Mariner, who can breathe underwater, puts her in a diving bell , and swims down to a sunken city on the ocean floor and grabs a handful of earth.

While they are beneath the ocean's surface, the Deacon and his smokers board the boat. The Mariner and Helen escape as the Deacon burns it and captures Enola. Since Helen cannot breathe underwater, the Mariner breathes for the both of them, resulting in a prolonged underwater kiss of life . They are later rescued by Gregor and he takes them to a new makeshift atoll where the survivors of the first atoll attack have regrouped. Using a jetski, the Mariner chases down the Exxon Valdez and boards it. There, the Deacon is having a great celebration, during which he tosses gifts of cigarettes and spam to the crew of the tanker, proclaiming they have found the map to Dryland. After they have all gone below the ship to row, the Mariner walks out onto the deck and threatens to drop a flare into the oil reserves unless the Deacon releases Enola. The Deacon, believing that the Mariner is bluffing, refuses. The Mariner drops the flare down into the oil reserves. The ship explodes, and the Mariner escapes with Enola rescued by climbing a rope dropped by Gregor from his balloon.

The Deacon, still alive, grabs the rope and tries to pull Enola. The Deacon loses his grip and falls into the water. Still alive, he pulls out his pistol and shoots at the balloon, hitting one of the lines, causing Enola to fall back into the sea. The Deacon and two other Smokers, all on jet skis, converge on Enola. The Mariner ties a rope around his ankle and bungee jumps down to grab Enola, pulling her out of the water as the three jet skis collide and explode. Gregor figures out the map, translating the Oriental symbols using an old and tattered China Airlines magazine, and realises they are latitude and longitude coordinates and steers his balloon in that direction. The group indeed finds Dryland, which turns out to be a portion of Mt. Everest , which is still above sea level. As Gregor, Enola, Helen and the others land on the island and find past traces of civilization, including the skeletons of Enola's parents, they begin to start civilization anew on the island, but the Mariner decides to leave. Enola, saddened to hear the Mariner leaving, asks why he must go.

He explains that he doesn't belong on Dryland, and that the ocean, his only home, calls out to him. He finds a new boat near the beach and sails off. Enola and Helen look out to him drifting away back to his old life. Cast Chris Douridas as Atoller Production The film was the follow-up project to the last collaboration between Kevin Costner and Kevin Reynolds , who previously worked together on Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves in 1991 . The film was co-written by David Twohy , who went on to also write G.I. Jane , Pitch Black and The Chronicles of Riddick . Twohy cited Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior as a major inspiration, which has the same director of photography as Waterworld, Dean Semler . Gene Hackman , James Caan and Gary Oldman all turned down the role of the Deacon. Anna Paquin was the first choice to play Enola.[citation needed] During production, the film became notorious as it was plagued by a series of cost overruns and production setbacks.

Universal Pictures initially authorized a budget of $100 million, but ballooning production costs eventually ran to an estimated $175 million, a record sum for a film production at the time . Filming took place in a large artificial sea water enclosure similar to that used in the film Titanic two years later; it was located in the Pacific Ocean just off the coast of Hawaii . The final scene was filmed in a valley on the Big Island, Waipio Valley, also referred to as The Valley of Kings. The production was hampered by the collapse of this multi-million dollar set during a hurricane . Additional filming also took place in Los Angeles , Huntington Beach, California , and Santa Catalina Island , Channel Islands, California . Kevin Costner was on the set 157 days, working 6 days a week.[citation needed] At one point, he nearly died when he got caught up in a squall while tied to the mast of his trimaran. Laird Hamilton , the famous big wave rider was Kevin Costner’s stunt double for many water scenes. Hamilton, who had been commuting to the set via jet-ski, was lost at sea when his jet-ski ran out of fuel between Maui and the Big Island .

He drifted for many hours before being spotted by a Coast Guard plane and rescued; when the abandoned jet-ski washed up on shore on the island of Lanai , he went over to fetch it and drove it back home again. Stunt coordinator Norman Howell succumbed to decompression sickness during filming of an underwater scene and was rushed to a hospital in Honolulu by helicopter . He recovered fairly quickly from the potentially life-threatening sickness and returned to the set two days later.[citation needed] Tina Majorino was nicknamed "Jellyfish Candy" by Costner after she was stung three different times by jellyfish during production. Mark Isham 's score was reportedly rejected by Costner because it was "too ethnic and bleak", contrasting the film's futuristic and adventurous tone; [3] James Newton Howard was brought in to write the new score. Joss Whedon flew out to the set to do last minute rewrites on the script and later described it as "seven weeks of hell". [4] There was one clear winner of the film's production: the state of Hawaii , which had more than $35 million poured into its state economy as a result of the colossal film production.

[5] Rumors abound that, after the filming ran notoriously over-budget, Kevin Costner fired Kevin Reynolds as director and shot the last few scenes himself. Other rumors suggest Reynolds was not fired, but simply walked off set with two weeks of filming left. Their previously acclaimed partnership ended with this film. Trimaran Inspired by racing trimarans built by Jeanneau Advanced Technologies' multi-hull division Lagoon ; a custom 60 foot (18 m) yacht was designed by Marc Van Peteghem & Vincent Lauriot-Prevost , and built in France by Lagoon. Two versions were built, 1) a relatively standard racing trimaran for distance shots, and 2) a effects-laden transforming trimaran for closeup shots, and the aforementioned transformation. The first trimaran was launched on 2 April 1994, and first surpassed 30 knots (56 km/h ; 35 mph ) in September of that year. [6] The transforming version was first seen in the film as a sort of raft with a three-bladed egg-beater windmill. When needed levers could be triggered that would flatten the windmill blades while raising a hidden mast to full racing height.

This was followed by revealing a boom previously hidden in the hull, and automated unfurling of the two sails. Once the transformation was complete this version could actually sail, although not as well as the dedicated racer. [6] The first boat is stored in a lake at Universal Studios Florida , and the second is in private hands in San Diego, California . [6] Box office and reception 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 a mere $88 million at the U.S. box office , which seemed to make it the all time box office bomb . [7] Adjusted for inflation and expressed in 2006 dollars ( USD ), the budget for the movie was $231.6 million, and grossed $116.8 million at the U.S. box office.

The film, however, did much better overseas, with $176 million at the foreign box office (for a total of $264 million), [8] and good VHS and later DVD sales. [9] After bringing some disappointing numbers in the U.S., the film was nominated for 4 Razzie Awards including Worst Picture, Worst Actor ( Kevin Costner ) and Worst Director, with Dennis Hopper winning the award as Worst Supporting Actor. Contemporary reviews for the film were mixed, and varied widely. Roger Ebert said of Waterworld: "The cost controversy aside, Waterworld is a decent futuristic action picture with some great sets, some intriguing ideas, and a few images that will stay with me. It could have been more, it could have been better, and it could have made me care about the characters. It's one of those marginal pictures you're not unhappy to have seen, but can't quite recommend." [10] At Metacritic , the film has a "metascore" of 54/100, in the range of "Mixed or average reviews".

[11] At Rotten Tomatoes , the film is rated "rotten" with a Tomatometer score of 40% and an averaged rating of 5.1. However, among the "Top Critics" on the film's page, the film is certified "fresh" with a score of 75%, and an averaged rating of 6.4/10. [12] Alternate releases Extended cut The initial filmed script ran at over five hours. The original director's cut of the film was trimmed and submitted to the studio at a length of around three hours. But most of it was then trimmed down again by the studio and Kevin Costner against the wishes of director Kevin Reynolds to a running length of 136 minutes, and Costner re-shot or re-edited some major plot points. It wasn't until 1998 that the ABC network premiered Waterworld as a two-night event with an additional 40 minutes of footage that was never seen during its theatrical run. These additional scenes make for a more solid cohesion of the film and fill some previous plot holes. However, despite being much longer than the theatrical cut, the ABC cut was heavily edited for language, violence, action, and some nudity.

Some examples of this are: The opening shot of the Mariner urinating The shot in which the Mariner shoots the gatesman of the atoll ( Rick Aviles ) through the foot with a harpoon gun Helen's undressing on the Mariner's trimaran The shot where the gunner of the smoker airplane is speared through the chest by the harpoon gun The shot where the Mariner crushes the smoker referred to as "Smitty" ( Robert LaSardo ) with a jet-ski All of these, and more, were omitted in the ABC cut, as the cut was to be shown on television whereby minors may see it. Swear words are replaced with less offensive words such as "toilet" and "slimeball." The picture quality of the ABC cut was also poorer than the theatrical cut. Despite these heavy edits, this 176-minute version was praised by fans of the film for the previously-unseen footage it contained and was widely bootlegged , and increased in popularity over the years, as the extended cut was syndicated on stations like Bravo , USA, and AMC .

However, most of these stations only included 20 to 30 minutes of the extra footage, and not the full 40 minutes or so of the extended ABC cut. Scenes were still missing, especially excluding the Mount Everest ending in some broadcasts. It wasn't shown in its entirety until the full ABC cut, with commercials, was finally seen on Sci Fi Channel . The Sci Fi cut remains the most complete cut of the film to date. After many petitions and pleas from Waterworld fans, Universal reissued it in November 2008 on DVD in a two-disc set. Despite being void of extras, except the theatrical trailer, this contained a new anamorphic widescreen transfer and the extended cut. Fans were disappointed to find that the extended cut, despite being in a widescreen format, was actually a transfer of the ABC cut, which was itself heavily edited for profanity and violence and had a poorer quality of picture, rather than the unedited and major restoration-cut that fans had hoped for. There remains to be released a major restoration of the film which is not subject to heavy edits. Additional scenes The original cut of Waterworld contained many additional character developments, and contributed less confusion to the film.

Most of these are included in the first broadcast on ABC and syndicated versions of the extended cut, but some scenes are missing or dropped to fill in a three-hour block with commercials during such broadcasts. This was the version that was syndicated, until the Sci-Fi Channel picked the rights to air the full cut. Here is a detailed highlight of what was added: Prior to the Mariner's arrival at the atoll, an elderly drifter with long white hair and beard is shown outside the gates to the city, and wants to barter his hair for a small portion of hydro. The guards do not grant him entrance, as they say they already have enough traders, just as they do at first with the Mariner. After the Mariner shows the guards of the atoll his gadgets and jar of dirt and is permitted entry, shots are added of the guards blasting the other drifters at the gates with giant water hoses , or perhaps fire hoses , to prevent them from also entering as the Mariner is let in. A slightly longer version of the bank scene, where the Mariner grabs all the chits and leaves an amazed crowd.

The bar scene is much longer, and it begins with an additional moment of a barfly telling Helen how impressive the Mariner's dirt is. This includes a new shot of the Mariner approaching, and more footage of him buying more hydro. Plus, the Nord has more lines (speaking some lines in Norwegian ). It is clearer that the Nord suspects the Mariner of being a mutant. Enola's tattoo is seen more clearly for a few more seconds. When a family offers the Mariner their daughter, there is an additional line from an elder explaining that when a member of the atoll dies, they gain the social right to give birth to another family member, making the barter more clear. A new scene where a trial on the Mariner is held. At a night meeting, an atoller shows some of the items they confiscated from the Mariner's ship, which are in fact various gadgets from the previous civilization, and gives a negative interpretation for each one, believing the Mariner to be a murderer and a Smoker spy . The atollers believe a yo yo is garotte wire , a ThighMaster to be a torture device , and a clarinet to be spy surveillance equipment .

Helen defends the Mariner, knowing that he might know where Dryland is. Helen claims that they need to find Dryland fast, if it does indeed exist, as their atoll is dying, their way of life ending, and many other similar atolls have died out. The Mariner may be the only one capable of leading them to Dryland. But, the council ignores her pleas and decide the Mariner's fate. They also bay for the blood of Enola, as they have heard the rumour that the smokers are looking for her. A bunch of kids menace the Mariner and tease him with a fish. However, this backfires, as he scares them off. This cuts into a scene where Gregor calculates the meaning of Enola's tattoo, but finds himself cornered again. Helen shows up, and there is more dialogue between the two, as Helen fears that the atollers may eventually set them all adrift.

The attack on the Atoll is much longer, with more footage of the Atollers preparing for the assault (including the use of the sharp bills of swordfish as melee weapons ), Gregor assembling the flying machine, a woman demanding they give Enola over to the Smokers and her death, and Gregor, trying to mount the flying machine, runs up the stairs and leaps onto it. The Deacon arrives at the remains of the atoll, as Smokers are raiding the water supply and cutting down trees with chain saws. His record-keeper reports to him on the spoils of the raid, much to the disappointment of the Deacon, who feels that the previous attacks were more "worthy." When told the atoll contains no cigarettes or ammunition, the Deacon states that they are savages. He also states that his " crusade " is coming to an end, as there are barely any atolls left to plunder. An added scene where the Deacon summarizes the origin of the world in a sermon , stating that the world was made as a ball of water by God and how mutations can't be possible as the concept of evolution is false, all whilst interrogating the two prisoners.

The smokers say amen at the conclusion of the Deacon's sermon. A shot of the Mariner fixing the bullet holes beneath the water line is followed by additional dialogue between him and Helen, and added footage of Enola exploring the lower deck of the Trimaran. A scene where the Mariner makes some fresh hydro, and waters his plant. He explains that he doesn't make hydro out of seawater because it is harder on the filters. With some left, he gives it to Enola, after Helen asks for it, who in return thanks the Mariner with a hug. Enola also thanks him for not throwing her and Helen overboard to save his hydro. The Mariner responds by shoving Enola aside, and Helen warns Enola to stay away from him. After the airplane assault, there is a much longer version of the Deacon and the Nord plotting to capture the Mariner, which includes more lines from Jack Black 's character, the smoker airplane pilot, who is upset over the death of his friend, Ed the airplane gunner. He refers to Helen as "the atoll witch". It is also made clearer that the Deacon wants to capitalize the newfound land and convert it into a resort, and we see a drawing of it.

(This scene was split into two parts, with the second half ending the first part of the ABC TV cut.) Prior to the bizarre Drifter's arrival, a sequence is added where the Mariner is eating a tomato, with Helen and Enola watching in hunger. The scene where the Mariner fishes is presented as a separate scene, where Helen teases him, saying that he "can't fish." The scene where Helen and the Mariner talk by moonlight is much longer, with a CD player the Mariner has repaired to working order playing jazz music in the background. Helen explains that she isn't Enola's mother, and how she found Enola in a basket floating on the waves. The basket was also filled with dirt far darker and richer than any she had seen before, and so she believes Enola must have come from "Dryland", along with this dirt. The other atollers wanted to shove Enola back out to sea as they wouldn't allow for another citizen, but in her compassion Helen promised the elders that she would raise Enola as her own and forfeit the right to have her own child instead.

The Mariner doesn't understand this, and says that his only ever friend is his boat, which will never lie to him, or cut his throat when he is asleep. Helen says she pities him, so the Mariner looks up the meaning of the word in an issue of National Geographic magazine, where the definition of pity is given as the name of a bushman , leaving the Mariner even more confused. After the scene at the border outpost where the Mariner was shot, it is made clear that the place the Mariner was heading was a slaver colony, and that his plan was to sell Helen and Enola to them. Helen realizes this, and tells the Mariner there is nothing human about him, and he should have been killed at birth. The Mariner responds by saying "they tried". After finding Enola, the Nord presents the Deacon with the Mariner's National Geographic issues, and they all marvel at the pictures of Dryland. The scene where the Deacon talks to Enola is longer, as he explains that the smokers are growing in number and that he needs more land in order to continue his development, with what he calls his "church of eternal growth", and also his desire to make roads and highways.

Enola suggests "making" fewer people and limiting the population to a steady number like in the atolls. (This would have caused controversy with various religions, and is possibly why this scene got cut.) The scene also ends with the Deacon ordering Enola chained up, while she screams that the Mariner will come to save her. A scene is deleted and moved to a later spot, where the Mariner is looking over the remains of his ship, and finally realizes that Enola may know where Dryland is. Instead, a scene is inserted where Helen claims she can't go any further, but the Mariner won't quit. It then cuts to a shot of Gregor's ship flying in the clouds, following the smoke, and discovering the two, explaining how he found them. About 4–5 minutes of footage is restored, where the group joins the New Atoll, and Helen is having a hard time convincing them to save Enola. The Mariner doesn't want to save her, and returns to the Trimaran wreckage. There, he sees Enola's drawings, and compares them to a National Geographic issue. He finally realizes that she does know where Dryland is.

He returns to the New Atoll to find two Smokers terrorizing the group. He dispatches them, lights one of the jet-skis on fire, which creates a fire trail leading to the Deez. This explains how he managed to get a jet-ski and locate the Deez in the theatrical cut of the film. In the above added footage, it is made clearer that a pole shift has occurred in the planet, turning the world upside down. After crashing into the smoker referred to as "Smitty" ( Robert LaSardo ) with a jet-ski while docking inside the Deez, two Smokers appear and menace the Mariner for a moment. They then change tune and congratulate the Mariner for killing Smitty, seeing how annoyed they were with Smitty, and not realizing the Mariner isn't a smoker like them (this may be because the Mariner is wearing goggles he took off Horse, a smoker he drowned in the water.) One of these smokers, Djeng, celebrates that, due to the fact Smitty is dead, he is now in charge of the lower decks of the Deez.

Djeng is played by Lee Arenberg , who later went on to have a large part in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series. As the Mariner is climbing up the inside of the Deez, there is an added sequence whereby the Mariner notices a loudspeaker playing the Deacon's speech, as the Deacon is talking about settling, building on and capitalizing on "Dryland". The Mariner is startled for a moment, not knowing what the speaker is, and thinking the Deacon is in close proximity. Realizing the speaker is the source of the voice, the Mariner responds by hacking it to pieces with a machete . Before telling the two Smokers to drive into Enola, the Deacon yells, "If I can't have Dryland, no one will!!!" After rescuing Enola, Gregor reveals a map he discovered, which he uses to direct the airship to Dryland, also with the use of a sextant . There is much more dialogue in the final scene. Before the Mariner leaves, the enforcer shakes the Mariner's hand, saying that is all he has, and the Mariner replies "it is enough".

Gregor gives the Mariner dirt, and says don't trade it all at once at another atoll, and then says maybe he should, and then come back for more dirt. Helen pleads with the Mariner to stay, but he refuses, saying he doesn't belong on land. When Helen asks what the Mariner is looking for out at sea, the Mariner says he wants to look for more of his kind, because Gregor said it is likely there are more mutants out at sea. He also says that Helen is responsible for finding Dryland, because she never gave up hope. If he finds any other humans at sea, he will tell them about Helen and her story of courage, and where to find Dryland. Helen's gift to the Mariner is not something he can trade with, which the Mariner states would be the first such free thing in Waterworld. She gives him a name, " Ulysses ", because, like the legendary warrior, she hopes he will one day return to them from his wanderings out at sea. The Mariner states that it is a good name.

In the original ending, while watching the Mariner leave from a hill, Helen and Enola uncover a worn plaque that reveals Dryland to be the summit of Mount Everest . This is the very same plaque laid down by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay on 29 May 1953, the first time the summit was reached. This ending to Waterworld was only seen once during its 1998 broadcast premiere on ABC. It was cut from other syndicated airings, until the Sci-Fi Channel restored it, when they aired the full cut. Cultural impact The video game based on the movie was released on Super Nintendo , Virtual Boy and PC . While the Super Nintendo and Virtual Boy version were released by Ocean Software , the PC version was released by Interplay . The game received negative reviews; the Virtual Boy version was marked as the worst Virtual Boy game ever released out of the 22 games in its short life. In 1995, Gottlieb Amusements (later Premier, both now defunct) released a pinball machine based on the movie.

[13] In an episode of The Simpsons , Milhouse plays a Waterworld arcade game costing 40 quarters for the character to give one step, mocking the cost overruns of the movie. In another episode , Homer says that taking him to a plaque of bad memories would be like "taking Richard Nixon to Watergate , or Kevin Costner to Waterworld". Novelization A tie-in novel of the film was released to coincide with the movie's opening, which was written by Max Allan Collins and published by Arrow Books Ltd. The novelization goes into much greater detail regarding the world of the film, and closes many of the apparent plot holes therein. Comic books A sequel comic book four issue mini-series titled Waterworld: Children of Leviathan was released by Acclaim Comics in 1997. Kevin Costner did not permit his likeness to be used for the comics, thus the Mariner looks uniquely original. In the story we learn a little about the Mariner's back-story as he gathers clues about where he came from and why he's different from others. Theme park attractions Main article: Waterworld: A Live Sea War Spectacular There are attractions at Universal Studios Hollywood , Universal Studios Japan and Universal Studios, Singapore based on the film.

The show's plot takes place immediately after the movie, when Helen returns to the Atoll with proof of Dryland, only to find herself followed by the Deacon, who survived the events of the movie. The Mariner arrives immediately after him, however, defeats the Deacon and takes Helen back to Dryland while the Atoll explodes. See also Movie Review - - FILM REVIEW: WATERWORLD; Aquatic Armageddon With Plenty of Toys - NYTimes.com FILM REVIEW: WATERWORLD; Aquatic Armageddon With Plenty of Toys By JANET MASLIN Published: July 28, 1995 THE torrent of loose talk that ushers in "Waterworld," the most wasteful feat of one-upmanship in Hollywood history, threatens to drown out the movie itself. How can a made-up tale of rivalry and opportunism beat the backstage melodrama of bringing "Waterworld" to the screen? Afloat on a sea of production crises, the makers of this madly inflated action film have been held accountable for just about every imaginable sin. The melting of the polar ice cap, which sets the film's story in motion, is one of the few relevant calamities for which they have not been blamed.

What was the point of this hubris-filled exercise? Finally we know. Directed by Kevin Reynolds, "Waterworld" is a big, brawny, overzealously bizarre epic punctuated by daring action scenes, which are sloppily assembled (the sky or ocean color seldom matches in any two consecutive scenes) but still exciting. It goes slack between taunts and explosions. It lacks the coherent fantasy of truly enveloping science fiction, preferring to concentrate on flashy, isolated stunts that say more about expense than expertise. Its storytelling, remarkably crude for such an elaborate production, takes a back seat to its enthusiasm for post-apocalyptic rust and rubble. In other words, we would never have heard so much about "Waterworld" if it were only "Waterworld," a reasonably diverting sci-fi film with extras who appear to be wearing rags and old car parts, that we were hearing about. But this fiscal debacle has become emblematic of too much about the way Hollywood does business. Even more damaging than the blind trust in A-list movie stars to lead audiences anywhere -- in this case, to a sinking slag heap in the Pacific -- is the logic behind filming an aquatic adventure on such a huge, unmanageable scale.

It seems to have been done mostly because it hadn't been done before, and for no better reason. First came the water, then came gills and webbed feet: this film's floating cowboy of a hero is the Mariner (Kevin Costner), an amphibian hunk who gets to deliver one of the more memorable make-out lines in movie history. "I'll breathe for both of us," he offers, putting an undersea lip-lock on Helen, the dull, decorative heroine played by Jeanne Tripplehorn. Beyond this, "Waterworld" isn't much of a romance. The Mariner spends less time breathing for Helen than slapping her around. Creating ways to emphasize the Mariner's mutant physique is one of the film's biggest priorities. Mr. Costner, attractively agile and muscular in a mostly sub-verbal role, quite literally acts with his feet, giving the character a froggy acrobatic energy that underscores his strangeness. The film also begins by showing the Mariner refining his urine into drinking water, lest anyone mistake the extravagance of "Waterworld" for a sign of softness.

But beyond knowing of the Mariner's unusual talents, and letting him sail through this regatta of a film on an amazing trimaran equipped with homemade contraptions, "Waterworld" doesn't care who he is or how he got that way. The Mariner's character is skin-deep in every way. The Mariner is good, unlike the marauding Smokers, who are evil. And there you have the essential plot of "Waterworld," which boils down to a contest between Mr. Costner's surly hero and the leader of the Smoker tribe, Dennis Hopper's flamboyantly monstrous Deacon. Mr. Hopper has been given an eyepatch, a codpiece and an arsenal of wisecracks ("Well, I'll be damned -- it's the gentleman guppy!") to make the Deacon look like something other than the stock villain he happens to be. Still, nobody chews scenery with Mr. Hopper's high style. Like the Mariner, the Smokers have been conceived in strictly visual terms (or at least that's all that Mr. Reynolds's vigorous but muddled direction allows to come through).

As a matter of fact, they're nothing but their equipment, notably the water toys they use to attack the Atoll, the floating pile of scrap metal on which the film's beleaguered nice folks live. Early in the film, the Smokers sensationally attack the Atoll using their full panoply of weapons, which wind up seeming less daunting than they're meant to be. Guys who jet-ski in formation just don't seem that tough. Of course, when one of them crash-catapults into a hanging cage where the Mariner is being held prisoner, dunking him into yellow slime and freeing him to join the battle, "Waterworld" succeeds in working its muscular magic. This opening conflagration is one of the film's striking high points, as is the sequence that has the Mariner introducing Helen to the secrets of the underwater world. Helen also pitches in for a trimaran-airplane fight that ends with the Mariner's gruffly hacking her hair off. "Don't ever touch anything on my boat again," he mutters. Nice.

"Waterworld" threatens to turn allegorical once Helen and the girl she treats as a daughter, the cryptically named Enola (savvy little Tina Majorino), flee the Atoll and take refuge aboard the Mariner's mini-Ark. But the screenplay, credited to Peter Rader and David Twohy, is never concise enough for that. Instead, "Waterworld" drifts between battles and unappetizing oddballs, like the gibbering weirdo to whom the Mariner almost sells Helen in exchange for a piece of paper. Helen bristles at the idea of prostitution, but she has already tried to barter herself to the Mariner. Helen, like some of the film's other characters, is tightly laced into her fetchingly ragged costume (by John Bloomfield), yet it miraculously falls right off her in the above-mentioned scene. Fish fetishists will be interested to learn that the Mariner wears a salmon-skin jacket and his pants are made of braided mahi-mahi. Among the other technical elements assembled to float this massive boat, James Newton Howard's score is so swellingly effusive that it pronounces the film awesome long before the audience can.

And Dennis Gassner, the production designer who has done fine work on "Bugsy" and "Barton Fink," gives this film a comparably distinctive look in a much uglier style. Dean Semler, a cinematographer who has been out to sea before with "Dead Calm," captures the occasional spectacular seascape and a lot of evidence of changeable Hawaiian weather. More time and care spent on post-production work would have hidden those variations. But it could be argued that "Waterworld" didn't need more of anything. Even though it ends with a set-up for a sequel. Believe it or not. "Waterworld" is rated PG-13 (Parents strongly cautioned). It includes partial nudity, profanity, blatant sexual references and enough violence to have called for 6,000 arrows, 300 axes and 40,000 rounds of ammunition. WATERWORLD Directed by Kevin Reynolds; written by Peter Rader and David Twohy; director of photography, Dean Semler; edited by Peter Boyle; music by James Newton Howard; production designer, Dennis Gassner; costumes by John Bloomfield; produced by Charles Gordon, John Davis and Kevin Costner; released by Universal Pictures.

Running time: 120 minutes. This film is rated PG-13. WITH: Kevin Costner (Mariner), Dennis Hopper (Deacon), Jeanne Tripplehorn (Helen) and Tina Majorino (Enola). Leader of "The Smokers" dead at 74 - Google Groups Leader of "The Smokers" dead at 74 Showing 1-3 of 3 messages In the Kevin Costner movie "Waterworld", Dennis Hopper played the leader of the outlaw group known only as "The Smokers". The rode old smokey jety-ski's - and all smoked cigarettes as well. I was just thinking about this the other day... every time I hear about "smokers" I think of that movie now. -W > In the Kevin Costner movie "Waterworld", Dennis Hopper played the leader of > the outlaw group known only as "The Smokers". The rode old smokey > jety-ski's - and all smoked cigarettes as well. > > I was just thinking about this the other day... every time I hear about > "smokers" I think of that movie now.

> I love TMC - I watch old movies, even though I've seen most of them before. EVERYBODY smoked - the heroes, their girlfriends/wifes, wait staff, dads, moms, daughters, etc. I'ts fascinating. That was a different era. Nobody realized what harm this was doing to their bodies. Cineplex.com | Waterworld Waterworld Kevin Reynolds , Mickey Gilbert Cast Kevin Costner , Chaim Jeraffi , Rick Aviles , R.D. Call , Zitto Kazann , Leonardo Cimino , Zakes Mokae , Luke Ka'ili Jr.

, Anthony DeMasters , Willy Petrovic , Jack Kehler , Jeanne Tripplehorn , Lanny Flaherty , Robert Silverman , Gerard Murphy , Tina Majorino , Sab Shimono , Rita Zohar , Henry Kapono Ka'aihue , Michael Jeter , August Neves , Tracy Anderson , Dennis Hopper , Neil Giuntoli , Robert Joy , John Fleck , Greg Goossen , William Preston , Jack Black , John Toles-Bey , Kim Coates , Ari Barak , Chris Douridas , Alexa Jago , Sean Whalen , Lee Arenberg , Doug Spinuzza Producer Peter Rader , Joss Whedon , David Twohy Synopsis Centuries of global warming have caused the polar ice caps to melt, flooding the earth as civilization is left adrift. The inhabitants of this once-flourishing planet cling to life on incredible floating cities, their existence constantly threatened by Smokers--bands of marauding pirates who roam the featureless surface of Waterworld. For the survivors, one chance remains: a solitary hero, known only as the Mariner.

Battling the Smokers and their ruthless leader, the Deacon, the Mariner sets out with a beautiful woman and a mysterious little girl on a search for a new beginning. Awards Keith A Wester, Gregg Landaker, Steve Maslow Co-Nominee for the 1996 Academy Award for Sound Michael J McAlister, Brad Kuehn, Robert Spurlock, Martin Bresin Co-Nominee for the 1996 BAFTA Award for Achievement In Special Effects Photos Waterworld | THE FILM YAP You have rated this Watching “The Book of Eli,” it got me to thinking about other spectacularly dumb post-apocalyptic films. “Waterworld” has very similar themes, even though in “Eli” people constantly fight over water, whereas in the 1995 Kevin Costner movie there’s far too much of it. I hadn’t seen “Waterworld” since it came out in theaters nearly 15 years ago, and it was actually a better movie than I remembered. Yes, it is at times a silly, stupid experience. But it seems to recognize itself for what it is, and has a bit of fun with it.

Unlike “Eli,” which I’m less forgiving toward because it’s so self-serious. As is often the case, Roger Ebert said it best: “‘Waterworld’ is a decent futuristic action picture with some great sets, some intriguing ideas, and a few images that will stay with me. It could have been more, it could have been better, and it could have made me care about the characters. It’s one of those marginal pictures you’re not unhappy to have seen, but can’t quite recommend.” There was much ridiculing of Costner’s get-up in the movie. He plays the Mariner, a mysterious loner who travels a world completely covered in water (or so everyone thinks). He wears a strange array of leather vest, striped pants, long hair pulled back in a high knot, and various dangly bits and weapons. The Mariner cruises around in a fancy trimaran that he’s outfitted with all sorts of contraptions so he can pilot her alone, raising the sails and doing slick maneuvers and such. Like the classic loner of this type of films he’s a man of violence but not a bad heart, who wants to be left alone but finds himself caring for some townsfolk he stumbles across.

Since there’s no towns, an atoll will have to do. The Mariner puts in there to do some trading, but gets assaulted when he’s found to be a mutant. He has gills behind his ears, webbed toes and can swim and breathe underwater. He’s about to be executed when the Smokers attack. The equivalent of the roving gangs of marauders from “The Road Warrior,” the Smokers kill and destroy in the pursuit of the few remaining natural resources: Fresh water, dirt, food, etc. They’re led by Deacon, the bald-headed villain played by Dennis Hopper. Deacon gets his eye blown out by the Mariner during the attack on the atoll, and spends the rest of the movie wearing a jury-rigged patch over it — but not before a hilariously creepy scene in which the Smoker doctor tries to implant a huge fake-looking prosthetic eye into the gaping socket. Hopper is a real hoot in the movie, seeming to realize what a big joke it all is.

The civilians are Helen (Jeanne Tripplehorn), a comely lass, and Enola (Tina Majorino), a young girl with a strange tattoo on her back that turns out to be a map to the last dry land. Deacon wants the map, so he sends out his goons after the Mariner and his passengers. Like the MacGuffin of the Bible in “The Book of Eli,” Enola’s tattoo isn’t well thought out as a plot device. It’s a very simple map, with a big globe and some latitude and longitude numbers, that could easily be copied down after a brief glance. There’s no need to actually have the girl in your possession to use the knowledge. Also, it’s made explicit that Enola originally came from dry land, and must have been sent out by her parents/protectors into the watery void. Why? Two bodies are found when they finally reach dry land, peacefully nestled side by side, and somebody says something to the effect that they must have known they were going to die. From what, illness? Both at the same time? Seems unlikely.

And even so, if you’re going to give your tiny daughter a tattoo so she can find her way back, it’s not very helpful to put it on her back where she can’t see it. Director Kevin Reynolds, who previously teamed with Costner on “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,” stages some nice action sequences in the days before CGI . The film went massively over budget, and various stories even claim that Reynolds walked off the set, or was fired, due to conflicts with his star, who directed the final scenes himself. Whatever the case, their friendship and professional relationship ended with “Waterworld.” 3 Yaps

Question: In Kevin Costner’s Waterworld who played Deacon, the leader of the Smokers
Answer: Dennis Hopper