Waterworld (1995) Waterworld (1995)DIRECTED BY Kevin Reynolds
WRITTEN BY Peter Rader and David Twohy
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN USA
Waterworld is set in the future. The polar ice caps have melted, flooding the world with water. Survivors of this event are forced to continuously sail around in ramshackle boats, drink their own pee, and trade trash and debris with each other in strange makeshift societies. Mostly they are trying to avoid the gangs of evil gun-toting pirates, called Smokers, who harass people from jet-skis and airplanes (we know they're the bad guys because they smoke and drink—the mark of a true criminal!).
Kevin Costner plays the Mariner, a loner with a bad attitude. He is large and in charge, and has a seashell dangling from his ear. He also sells dirt, which is a major commodity in this world without land.
During one of his routine trade stops, some people he meets discover that the Mariner has functional gills and webbed feet (useful mutations, under the circumstances). When his deformities are discovered aboard an atoll, he is taken prisoner and sentenced to death in a pool of yellow muck. At the last minute, he is saved by the atoll's shopkeeper, a woman named Helen (Jeanne Tripplehorn). Helen is also the caretaker of a young girl, Enola (Tina Majorino), who has a mysterious tattoo of a map on her back, which will supposedly lead whoever follows it to the world's last remaining piece of dry land.
More Films Directed by Kevin Reynolds
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)
The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)
Tristan & Isolde (2006)
UNFORGETTABLE MOMENT
Near the start of the movie, when the Mariner meets up with a group of people in the hope of trading dirt, one of the men notices he has gills behind his ears. The man immediately screams, “Mutation!” and everyone within earshot begins echoing him with cries of “He's a mutant!” Then they capture the Mariner and put him (and his webbed feet and gills) in a cage, intending to drown him in sludge.
In exchange for saving his life, the Mariner grudgingly agrees to take the two females aboard his boat. And so the adventure begins: The three search for dry land while being relentlessly pursued by the heavily armed Smokers, who are after the map on Enola's back. The Smokers eventually kidnap Enola, prompting a chase by the Mariner and Helen. When the three are reunited, they manage to find the island with dry land, and Helen and Enola stay there while the Mariner builds a new boat and sets off again to explore the seas—it's the only home he truly feels comfortable in.
EALITY FACTOR
Waterworld isn't too realistic. While most scientists agree that the Artic ice caps are melting, it's not happening overnight. If they did somehow melt all at once, as the movie implies, the oceans would only rise a few hundred feet—hardly enough to flood all of civilization and turn it into a floating nightmare.
Reminiscent of Mad Max, the movie is goofy and has some genuinely funny parts, although it's not clear how intentional they are.
The InspirationMany critics and viewers have noted the film's striking similarity to Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (see page 101), but if that were a direct inspiration, it's never been specifically cited. The director's precise inspiration is unclear.
The Impact
QUOTABLES 
“No man stays out that long and turns down a woman.”
An old man remarks this after the Mariner refuses to impregnate a girl with his “seed” in order to save their dying culture
“Well, I'll be damned. It's the gentleman guppy. You know, he's like a turd that won't flush.”
Deacon (Dennis Hopper), the leader of the Smokers, says this to the Mariner