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Again set in a post-apocalyptic world, the story follows a drifter who tries to change society by impersonating a postman. Costner’s next full-scale project, The Postman, bombed both commercially, and with critics who were scathing. Considering the 90s were the decade of intelligent scripts, and the rise of the Tarantino style ( Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown) outing, there was a shift away from action as entertainment. After that experience, one might think the actor/director would consider getting his teeth into a more refined role. Post- Waterworld, Costner appeared in the low-budget ‘rom-com’ Tin Cup which faired better at the box office, and received positive reviews. Marking as it does the turning point in his career, Costner’s fall from grace was both unfair and cruel. Kevin Costner fit perfectly the moody guise of the Mariner, and Hopper’s cartoonish Deacon provides some tongue-in-cheek entertainment. Within minimalistic sets, the use of jet skis and the action sequences are explosive, and the ultra-cool Mariner trimaran vessel is something special.
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Filmed against the blue skies, the blue ocean, on a cinema screen it is undeniably striking. There is much to celebrate: Waterworld turned out to be visually stunning. It is a pity how much criticism both Waterworld and Costner faced prior to its release. And so rides off into the sunset alone again. But as a mutant, The Mariner cannot stay as he is a part of the ocean and mutated to adapt.
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The Mariner also manages to decipher the map, leading them to the coveted dry land (top of Everest). This blows up their reason for existence and enables him to escape with Enola and Helen.
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This is also a story driven by the need for oil – another similarity to Mad Max. It is the cause of the Smokers’ undoing as Costner’s character drops a flare into their oil supply. When Enola is captured and held onboard the Smokers’ floating fortress, it is solely up to the Mariner to come to the rescue. As he changes from the selfish loner to the saviour and finds direction in his life, he battles against the Smokers. The Mariner is a drifter, an outcast from the floating villages, and also a mutant, who possesses both gills and webbed feet. Both Enola and her guardian Helen (Jeanne Tripplehorn) seek help from a trader called the Mariner (Costner) to help them escape the Smokers. This young girl, Enola (Tina Majorino), is hunted by a band of chain smoking pirates, led by an over-the-top Dennis Hopper as the Deacon. The legend of ‘dry land’, can only be found by a map, tattooed on a child’s back. Set in a post apocalyptic world where the polar ice caps have melted, the world is now one gigantic ocean. However, it’s less like the original 1979 revenge classic and more like Beyond Thunderdome. Released in July 1995, Waterworld is essentially Mad Max on water. With that news the vultures began to circle over Costner. Before the film would hit cinemas, word had already spread that Waterworld would not reap back its budget. The budget spiralled from 100 million dollars, to 135 million, finally estimated at 175 million finishing costs. What made greater headlines was the fact the whole set collapsed during a hurricane, and Costner himself nearly died during a squall.ĭue to all these setbacks, Waterworld became the most expensive movie up to that date. The official listed director Kevin Reynolds reportedly was so frustrated with the actor, he quit the film before its release. Already titled as Waterworld, the news of rising budgets and Costner’s overpowering need to control the movie’s direction became fodder for those who hated his previous success. The cause was Waterworld.Įarly in 1994, news filtered through the press surrounding the multi-million dollar production taking place in the Pacific Ocean. Within four years of that Oscar winning Dances With Wolves, the wheels came off his creative flair through a mammoth box office failure. So when an actor amounts that much acclaim, his fall from grace would become the media’s wet dream. With the exception of Wyatt Earp, it felt that Costner had that cinematic, midas touch. This quickly made Kevin Costner the name into a brand.Ĭostner followed up Dances With Wolves with acting hits Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves, JFK , The Bodyguard, and A Perfect World. In 1991, Dances With Wolves scooped seven Oscars at the Academy Awards, including Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay, Best Director for Costner, and the pivotal Best Picture of the Year. While it received with moderate reviews it broke big at the box office. His epic Dances With Wolves instantly put the actor-turned-director, on a pedestal in Hollywood. In the early 90s, Kevin Costner could do no wrong.