Waterworld
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Synopsis
BEYOND THE HORIZON LIES THE SECRET TO A NEW BEGINNING
The most expensive film ever made at the time of its release, Waterworld has thrilled audiences through the years with its awe-inspiring action scenes, gargantuan maritime sets and ground-breaking special effects.
A definitive post-apocalypse blockbuster, Waterworld stars Kevin Costner (The Untouchables) as The Mariner – a mutant trader, adrift in a dystopian future where Earth is submerged under water and humankind struggles to survive on boats and in ramshackle floating cities. The Mariner becomes embroiled with the Smokers, a gang of pirates who, led by villainous leader Deacon (Dennis Hopper, Blue Velvet), are seeking Enola (Tina Majorino, Napoleon Dynamite), a girl with a map to the mythical realm of Dryland tattooed on her back.
Famous for both its epic scale and the controversy that swirled around its production, Waterworld is a key cult film of the 1990s, and an essential entry into the subgenre of ecologically-minded blockbusters. Presented here in an exclusive new restoration of the theatrical cut in 4K Ultra HD, alongside Blu-ray presentations of the TV and Ulysses cuts, and with a wealth of extra material, this high-water mark of high-concept Hollywood can now be enjoyed as never before.
Picture 9/10
Arrow Video upgrades their previous Limited Edition Blu-ray edition for Kevin Reynolds’ Waterworld to a 4K UHD edition presenting the original theatrical cut with a 2160p/24hz ultra high-definition on the three-disc set’s first triple-layer disc with Dolby Vision. As before, it is shown in the aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and is sourced from the same 4K restoration Arrow used on their previous edition (taken from a 4K scan of the 35mm original camera negative). The set also includes 1080p/24hz high-definition presentations for the extended “TV Cut” and another known as “The Ulysses Cut,” a fan edit that replaces or inserts censored sections altered for the TV Cut. These two versions are found respectively on discs two and three of the set and appear to replicate the dual-layer discs from the previous Blu-ray edition. I was only sent the 4K disc to cover, and, with the understanding that the other two discs in the set are the same from the previous Blu-ray edition, I am referencing the last two discs from that release.
I was stunned by Arrow’s previous presentation for the theatrical cut, which delivered unbelievable clarity alongside a wonderful film texture that was all pretty much missing before it. Outside of a few dupey-looking shots here and there, it did look like it could have been filmed recently. This new 4K presentation doesn’t deliver as obvious a leap as that presentation did from Universal’s previous efforts. However, it still provides notable improvements in several areas.
Though the previous Blu-ray’s encoding was top-notch, the 4K’s presentation resolves the film’s inherent grain structure noticeably—if not significantly—better, featuring a look that off a bit more natural. There is also a slight improvement in detail, with the finer points of the film’s elaborate (if ugly) sets and costumes looking slightly sharper.
As with many 4K presentations I’ve come across of late, the real benefits come down to the addition of HDR and Dolby Vision. The colors show more nuance in their rendering, and black levels are richer, while the broader dynamic range delivers better depth and detail in the shadows. The interiors of the evil Smokers’ lair (an abandoned and rotting Exxon Valdez, dating the film a bit) benefit significantly from this, as do a number of the underwater sequences where the light begins to taper off into the depths.
The highlights are also cleaner, exposing details not there before, and I loved how the light could reflect off the water.
These improvements end up leading to the shortcomings standing out more during one sequence when compared to the Blu-ray, and that’s the sequence where Kevin Costner’s Mariner takes Jeanne Tripplehorn’s character to the bottom of the ocean. The sequence appears to have been created using mattes and optical techniques, so the quality degrades significantly compared to the rest of the film. The sequence looks terribly flat, with mushy blacks and weak shadows. This, of course, cannot be helped (it’s just how the sequence was constructed), but it sticks out, and the broader contrast doesn’t help in these moments.
Despite that, the overall presentation is still strong. It’s a solid-looking upgrade when all is said and done.
As to the alternate cuts, presented in 1080p/24 high-definition, they look fine, limited more by the source. As I wrote initially:
”The TV Cut” (found on the second disc) and “The Ulysses Cut” (located on the third disc) are constructed from multiple sources. The base of each presentation is the new 4K restoration, with new and alternate footage coming from other sources. Most of it looks to be a film source, and these added sequences don’t stand out too much, with most blending in rather well with the rest of the restored footage. Some marks can show up, and a few shots can look a little dupey or grainier, but for the most part, it blends in well. A handful of shots appear to come from what I assume to be video sources, or at least standard-def, because the quality drops significantly, but they’re quick.
Audio 9/10
Arrow includes the same audio options as before (2.0 PCM stereo and 5.1 DTS-HD MA surround tracks) but also add a Dolby Atmos soundtrack to the theatrical cut on the UHD (my system is a 5.1.2 configuration, with the Atmos speakers in the front). I was pretty happy with the 5.1 presentation, but the Atmos track improves how effects can be mixed through the environment. I still find the track to be front-heavy, but the action sequences take advantage of the surround set-up by directing jet skis, boats, explosions, and more across the speakers with natural movement between them. Bass can get a bit heavier, though not obnoxiously so. Range, fidelity, and overall quality are still terrific, with explosions nicely rocking things and the film’s score swelling to impressive highs where appropriate.
One disappointment is that I didn’t notice any additional height to the presentation, but a complete 7.2.4 configuration might deliver in that regard. As it is, the new does sound better than the 5.1 presentation.
Extras 9/10
Arrow’s new limited edition 4K UHD replicates the previous limited edition Blu-ray’s features, porting all of the features from the first disc of that edition over to the UHD here, along with directly carrying over the two bonus Blu-rays that hold the alternate cuts: the TV Cut and The Ulysses Cut, each appearing on their own Blu-ray disc in 1080p/24hz. The additions primarily relate to character development, most of it on the Atoll, and it even makes Costner’s character a little less likable (not that he was all that pleasant to begin with, mind you). It’s interesting, but the film already felt too long for me to start with, and this version makes it feel unnecessarily longer.
The remaining supplements are found on the first UHD disc with the theatrical version. The big one is the making-of documentary Maelstrom: The Odyssey of Waterworld, running a staggering 102 minutes (and still presented in 1080p). The documentary gathers together the more prominent members of the crew—from writers to designers to director Kevin Reynolds himself—to go over the film’s infamous history. Everyone tries to set the record straight about the production, quelling certain rumors about the troubles on set while confirming some of the reported issues, from the stories of the large Atoll set sinking up to Reynolds being removed from the film with Costner replacing him (Reynolds understood why Universal did it, but I think he’s still a little upset about it). The documentary does get into painstaking detail about the production designs, which include costumes and sets, and this is, of course, all interesting in and of itself (the sets are indeed impressive in both terms of look and functionality). As are the particulars about how they created the illusion of being out in the middle of the ocean a lot of the time (though there were times they did have to go far out from land, which created many problems unsurprisingly, like sea sickness since everything was floating). But the part I found most interesting was how the film was first developed as a cheapy Mad Max rip-off for Roger Corman, with everyone saying the film would never get made because it would cost “five-million dollars” to produce, an astronomical amount for any Corman production. How it then made its way to Universal and Costner is a fascinating tale of how scripts make the rounds through Hollywood. It’s a solid documentary, fascinating to an immense degree.
Arrow also includes a 1995 promotional featurette, Dances with Waves, a typical behind-the-scenes video from the 90s, showing footage from shooting some of the film’s action scenes and getting interviews with members of the cast and crew.
Following that, Glenn Kenny then offers a history of the End-of-the-World blockbusters Hollywood has produced over time with Global Warnings. Working his way up from Things to Come to 2012, Kenny shows how the genre has evolved over the decades and the environmental films that would come later (throwing in films like Silent Running, Soylent Green, No Blade of Grass, Waterworld, and even The Birds into that mix). Kenny also feels Waterworld does deserve a reevaluation, saying the film was unfairly maligned simply because it was the film that everyone wanted to pick on that year. He offers a relatively solid defense for the film, even if it didn’t win me over, and it ends up being a pleasant surprise.
Arrow then includes a couple of image galleries (presented in 4K for this edition), a large one for the production, including production designs, effects work, behind-the-scenes, and so on. There is then a smaller promotional gallery, which includes advertising and even photos of the invitations to the premiere. The disc then closes with the film’s trailers and 14 TV spots.
The release then appears to come with a booklet that replicates the previous Blu-ray’s.
Again, it’s disappointing that they couldn’t get any new interviews with cast members. Still, I found the documentary fascinating, loved that Arrow included the alternate cuts, and enjoyed the new essay. It’s a nicely assembled set.
Closing
Arrow has assembled a solid special edition of the film, and the new 4K presentation does deliver a nice upgrade over their previous Blu-ray edition.
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