Date: Fri 17-Nov-1995

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNO

Illustration: C

Location: A-11

Quick Words:

Waterworld-Costner

Full Text:

("Waterworld" Rev For Now Playing)

STD HEAD: NOW PLAYING

"Waterworld" Not A Total Washout

By Trey Paul Alexander III

"It was a really good movie, but was it worth $200 million?" said a colleague

of min, referring to the highly-publicized Waterworld , which became the most

expensive movie ever filmed and the latest pit stop on Hollywood's road of

excessive - decadent? - spending.

But what exactly does $200 million look like? Should we care? We're not

footing the bill. It would be one thing if moviegoers were charged an extra

fee to see this futuristic flick, which stars Kevin Costner as a mutant

fighting to survive in a world covered by water. But we pay the same ticket

price when we see the latest Jim Carrey movie or newest film from the

Ivory-Merchant team.

Nevertheless, in an age when Joe Average knows all about the chart-topping

Nielsen ratings of hit TV show "er," or can tell you how much a major

Tinseltown studio has paid Arnold Schwarzenegger for his latest gig, the

swollen budget of Waterworld became big news.

There were pundits railing on about how the film could never recoup its money

and was doomed to sink. Not to mention other soothsayers who, sight unseen and

months before it was completed, proclaimed it to be the worst atrocity

perpetrated by mankind.

After all the media saturation, it is admittedly difficult to put all the

hoopla out of one's mind when trying to watch Waterworld . However, if

viewers' initial, jaded attutide can be subdued, they may find this action

film fits the bill of all a summer movie is expected to be, while throwing in

a few impressive, unusual curves.

Waterworld , opening November 17 at the Edmond Town Hall Theatre and playing

until Wednesday, November 22, features Costner as an anti-hero. It is a smooth

continuation of the parts he has most recently played in his career, while

also being a distinct and refreshing break from those roles.

Costner rose to prominence on the big screen as a likable, charming hero with

a Jimmy Stewart-like quality. But his last few efforts (i.e., A Perfect World

, Wyatt Earp ), though not box-office hits, displayed the endearing actor in

dark, haunting shades that were atypical of his on-screen repertoire. In fact,

he should have received an Oscar nomination for his surprisingly effective

turn as a dangerous, yet emotionally complex fugitive felon.

As Mariner, the tough, taciturn protagonist of Waterworld , Costner wears a

constant scowl on his well-stubbled face. Just as his Wyatt Earp has us asking

whether or not we condoned his questionable actions, Costner's Mariner is a

gruff individual who isn't always easy to like. But that makes him interesting

and gives the character somewhere to go during the course of the plot.

Also, Costner's rough visage is much more square-jawed and chiseled than it

has been in a while. Don't get me wrong, I'm not implying any kind of plastic

surgery, nor am I being superficial. Costner obviously took the time to get in

shape for this picture, and his supple agility in the role should not be

overlooked. His physicality - as a being whose domain is the sea, which he

navigates via an intricate, nifty little craft, a trimaran - has a big part in

selling the film.

All the stunts and pyrotechnics in the world (and there are a lot here) cannot

sway the audience if it is obvious the star was sipping lemonades in his

trailer while a stuntman did all the hard work. Costner overcomes this hurdle

by giving a neat performance in which the gist of the character is conveyed

through his countenance.

Waterworld is rated PG-13 for profanity, frequent - and occasionally graphic -

violence, and brief nudity. It has an edge that may be off-putting to some,

but it is that willingness to risk going against some standard conventions

that makes it an intriguing, fun offering.