Netflix Sci-Fi Apocalypse Blockbuster Mega Flop Finally Finds Fans
You may be wondering if there’s an appropriate film to watch on Netflix after working your way through Mad Max: Fury Road and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga on the streamer. Fortunately, there’s a little Mad Max-adjacent film called Waterworld now streaming on Netflix, and you can add it to your queue so it plays immediately after witnessing George Miller’s vision of the wasteland. Though Waterworld may have been a misunderstood box office disappointment back in 1995, time has been kind to this delightfully strange and budget-bloated Kevin Reynolds-directed dystopian epic.
If you want to see what $175 million looks like in 1995 money, Waterworld on Netflix needs to be your next watch.
Mad Max With Boats
The best way to describe Waterworld to you before you stream it on Netflix is “The Road Warrior with boats.” There’s a gilled man known as The Mariner (Kevin Costner) living on the coolest modified trimaran you’ve ever seen, and he trades dirt – the future’s hottest commodity – for provisions at various atolls because nobody has seen land in ages. Though there are murmurs of a mythical place called the “Dryland” somewhere out there, nobody can locate it in the year 2500.
The Mariner is a loner, but when he gets captured after a violent altercation with a local, he gets rescued by a woman named Helen (Jeanne Tripplehorn), who agrees to help him escape if he brings her and a girl named Enola (Tina Majorino) along with him on his decked out trimaran.
Smokers Gonna Smoke
You may not be fully primed to watch Waterworld on Netflix because we haven’t even addressed the Smokers yet. This gang of post-apocalyptic pirates led by The Deacon (Dennis Hopper) act about as stupid as they sound, but their willingness to antagonize The Mariner and his new friends is commendable, and you have to respect The Deacon’s gumption for being so proudly out of pocket. At the very least, I’m impressed by The Deacon’s ability to keep his composure during heightened action sequences despite the fact that he chain smokes about 1,000 cigarettes throughout the duration of Waterworld if I had to make an educated guess.
So what’s the conflict?
It just so turns out that Enola has a tattoo on the back of her neck, and that tattoo is supposedly a map to the ever-elusive Dryland. The Deacon and Helen both know this, and The Mariner eventually finds out, which ticks him off because he’s certain there is no dry land to be found anywhere on Earth, and he has underwater receipts to prove it.
If you need any more convincing to stream Waterworld on Netflix, I don’t know what to tell you. There’s drama, action, and a vaguely steampunk aesthetic that’ll grab your attention, and things may just get a little emotional by the time you reach the third act.
Streaming Waterworld
GFR SCORE
Waterworld may have been the most ambitious (and expensive) flop of its time, but it’s clearly resonating with audiences now that it’s streaming on Netflix.
Misunderstood? Absolutely. Terrible? Your mileage may vary.
Just remember, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga didn’t do too hot in theaters either, and most diehard fans of George Miller’s decades-spanning post-apocalyptic franchise will call it a cinematic masterpiece of the highest order.
Eventually becoming a profitable film through home movie sales, Waterworld was so ahead of its time that the world simply needed to catch up with it.
Now that Waterworld is readily available to stream on Netflix, you can experience firsthand the sprawling waterscapes, the Smokers’ relentless warpath, and the desire to place your feet on solid ground after getting sucked into the narrative for 135 minutes.
Waterworld doesn’t reinvent the wheel with its themes and messaging by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, there are hardly any wheels in Waterworld at all! But if you’re tired of watching the world burn, and prefer your endtimes to involve a massive flood instead, then this is the movie for you.
As of this writing, you can stream Waterworld on Netflix.
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