Waterworld

The first two acts are great, and if the whole film was like that, I wouldn't hesitate to reach for the highest rating. But the botched ending with the "liberation" scene from the tanker completely spoils the good impression. The scene where Costner runs through the tanker and sets it on fire is very bad, and what followed, including the bungee jumping, gave me fits of laughter. Also, the over-acting Dennish Hopper wasn’t a very fortunate choice, either. (07/21/2002)

It's not such a bad movie, but it's hard to believe it cost $175 million. It's just not evident in the film, especially when it comes to the finale, where the special effects scenes are dreadful. Even though the film didn't gather as many fans, it's certainly not a downright bad film, and Kevin Costner's character is excellent. (03/15/2017)

I am ultimately ruthlessly reducing my original two stars to one. It's not that it's an entirely catastrophic disaster, but generally, I incline more toward clever movies and Waterworld unequivocally belongs to the second category. If it had been possible to maintain such a level of self-irony as the devilishly exaggerating Dennis Hopper, who was evidently enjoying himself, I would have been much more generous because then it would have been an entertaining and stylish rubbish, but Kevin Costner evidently took it too seriously for the mess he actually created. For those who just want to relax with the film, who are after some action and spectacle, it doesn't have to be a bad choice at all and they can comfortably add two stars. Overall impression: 25%. (12/21/2016)

While I like The Postman better (dare anyone tell me I'm a pervert), Waterworld has its charms, too. The story is as simple as can be, but everything is saved by the monumental set design, admirably spectacular action scenes, a mutant Costner and an entertaining (if at times unnecessarily overacting) Hopper. Waterworld also has one of my favorite soundtracks that was made after 1990. (07/23/2010)

The theme is certainly impressive and the atmosphere of the post-apocalyptic water world is sympathetically exotic... What kills the film are terribly cheap replicas, terribly cheap action scenes and sometimes very cheap tricks. However, the expedition is generous and here and there, everything goes the way it is supposed to. Kevin is decent in the role of the amphibious vagabond, but the sweet-romantic rebirth of his personality really belongs somewhere in the B-movie category. If it weren't for the budget, this film would firmly belong there, but from a certain point of view it's actually quite an interesting spectacle. But the film truly is naive. (08/13/2007)