He's a mutant formed by the apocalypse, half man, half fish(rest assured mostly man). Called "The Mariner," Costner combines a stoic nature with robust physicality to create an outstanding film hero. On his boat, he's at one with the environment, a man at peace with the laws of his world; but he sure can swing into action when sundry challenges arrive. Believe or not, this Costner is one of the most believable action heroes the screen has seen in years. Costner gets excellent support from an interesting Jean Tripplehorn as an unattached women trying to survive.

Tina Majorino as the young child who is to lead these water bound characters to land is a delight. The scenes between Costner and Majorino are outstanding and his eventual rescue of the child is pure pleasure. You've got to love this kid as she extols the virtues of her hero to the villains. Costner works wonderfully with children. Dennis Hopper leads the mad crew of water bikers on their relentless pursuit of nastiness. Hopper is broad in spewing his villainous venom, but he remains acceptably within the bounds of action convention to create an entertaining character. 

The floating atoll fort is an entertainment in itself and the interiors on Hopper's command ship, the salvaged Exxon Valdez provide an excellent pathway for Costner's acrobatics. The production succeeds in creating an image of it's own world. Comparisons with The Road Warrior cannot be ignored, but if the writers of Waterworld had to choose to expand on something, this was a good choice. The pockets of survivors transfer well from the dry land of The Road Warrior to the ocean covered face of Waterworld. There's plenty of fun in watching the bikers on water attacking a cleverly constructed floating fort constructed of collected debris.