Waterworld: Sinking Budgets and Soaring Spectacle
In the early 1990s, Kevin Costner was riding high after hits like Dances with Wolves and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. He teamed up again with his Robin Hood director Kevin Reynolds for an ambitious post-apocalyptic aquatic adventure called Waterworld. With its massive scale and elaborate water-based sets, the production quickly sank into major budget overruns and production nightmares.
Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue the 1995 Golden Raspberry Awards Worst Director Nominees series with a conversation about Reynolds’ 1995 film Waterworld.
Diving Into Our Waterworld Chat
We dive deep into the troubled production and how it still managed to deliver an entertaining aquatic spectacle despite going way over budget. The world building stands out, creating an immersive post-apocalyptic seafaring society even if some plot points strain believability.
More Topics From Our Wide-Ranging Water Chat
- How the Hollywood sheen holds it back from grittier cult classics like Mad Max
- Dennis Hopper’s gleeful villainy as the Deacon
- Appreciating the rich world building and visuals despite flaws
- The differences between the theatrical cut and extended Ulysses version
- How it stacks up to other Razzie nominees for Worst Director
In the end, we found Waterworld to be a pleasant surprise given its reputation – an ambitious and imaginative, if imperfect, seafaring adventure. Despite its behind-the-scenes troubles, it delivers aquatic action and world building that entertained us.
Tune in to hear our full thoughts! The Next Reel – when the movie ends, our conversation begins!
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