Trolling #19: Waterworld RULES!

More than the movie itself, we remember the overblown budget scandal. Reportedly costing about $175 million (the biggest budget in movie history as of 1995), the Kevin Costner-starring post-apocalypse thriller (it’s essentially The Road Warrior, but at sea) was notoriously difficult to film, having an enormous floating set that would sink into the ocean on a near-daily basis. As set after set needed to be built to replace each day’s previous disaster, the movie’s money just started spinning out of control. It didn’t help that big stars like Costner and Dennis Hopper received so much money. Many people I recall talking to were curious to see the film for the budget alone; they weren’t interested in the film’s story, but they had a sadistic interest in watching millions of dollars of studio money burn away in front of their eyes.

The big budget scandals have left a blot on Waterworld‘s reputation. “One of the world’s biggest bombs” often translates in the public consciousness as “One of the worst movies ever.” As such, Waterworld is often perceived to be an awful movie, not worth your time.

Well, CraveOnline‘s Trolling is here to save the day! We proudly rush to the rescue of the films that everyone hates, and everyone hates Waterworld. Let us sharpen our critical acumen (and boldly put ourselves in your hate zone) to openly declare that Waterworld RULES!

Here’s a few reasons why:  



Kevin Costner’s heroic character is perhaps a bit too much of a cipher, and, uh what was the deal with the mutant fishman thing? And the conceit of a map tattooed on a young girl’s back, leading to dry land, is a little bit contrived, but perhaps it’s all in good fun. Waterworld is a decent and entertaining and elaborate action movie that can easily fill the hours on a Sunday afternoon, and can easily stand repeat viewings. Yes, it cost a lot to make, but that’s no reason to hate it. and here’s the kicker: Comparatively speaking, it didn’t lose all that much money. There are bigger bombs in film history that are actually deserving of your scorn (Look up the loathsome Town & Country sometime). Waterworld deserves nothing but love and support.

Until next week, let the hate mail flow.  


Witney Seibold is a featured contributor on the CraveOnline Film Channel, and co-host of The B-Movies Podcast. You can read his weekly articles Trolling, Free Film School and The Series Project, and follow him on “Twitter” at @WitneySeibold, where he is slowly losing his mind. 

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