
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.
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