Waterworld – The Ulysses Cut Revised Edition

I watched the original Waterworld when it first came out and was thoroughly under impressed. It dragged sooo long and Kevin Costner was damned near un-rootable for. It was so long and plodding that I almost wanted him to die hoping another member of the cast could finish up the movie in some odd twist that just couldn't be any worse than what they were making Costner do.

This movie shows WHAT SHOULD HAVE BE RELEASED TO THEATERS! Why have studios made completely competent directors cut, edit, and damn near destroy their best work. Legend, the new Fantastic Four (2015), Age of Ultron, and Dune are just some that come to mind, and you have to wonder how many other times it has happened but it wasn't blasted all over the internet that it happened.

Thank you for this edit. Myself and my whole family (INCLUDING 3 PRETEENS) all enjoyed it.

Overview - Anticipated release back in its day, Waterworld proved disappointing for many. Overlong, poorly directed, oft times a soggy mess, it was, nevertheless, embraced by fans for action sequences straight out of the Mad Max world.
The extended Laserdisc, and subsequent DVD, promising a more satisfying experience, instead gave the PG rated ABC televised edit. Nudity, profanity, and gory violence excised.
Zaaacharias returned all “adult” content to the extended version giving the - for now - defacto version of Costner’s movie.

Video - Nice work here integrating the extended footage into the theatrical release. Saturation is a bit less than the LD, but the editing is solid and first rate. On the list of changes, a link shows comparison shots. Nice touch.

Audio - As mentioned elsewhere. This is 5.0, rather than 5.1 sound. There is no LFE mix. Not a problem as Zaaacharias was upfront about this. Audio editing was top notch. I popped on headphones for several sequences and did not hear any errors or poor transitions.
One thing I did note - and this is not exactly audio, but related - were the subtitles. Subtitles were based on the PG version. For example: “Shit” was seen as “Dang.” Just an observation.

Narrative - The additional 40 minutes will drive many in the post Michael Bay era to punch the fast forward button. Waterworld is more leisurely, more reflective, which is altogether fitting in trailing a loner across endless seas. I still had problems with scientific assumptions in the main plot. I tried to suspend such thoughts, but the notion that the Rockies, the Carpathians, the Andes, the Appalachian range, were all submerged? No.

Enjoyment - Mixed here. Ulysses edit was more fix than edit to my eyes. There were still way too many stupidly, annoying characters. True, a couple years after the apocalypse, few will debate Film Noir vs Pre-Code, sip Merlot, and listen to Dave Brubeck. The dialogue lurched between inventive and cringingly butt dumb.
The whole film seemed suffused with over-acting. Understandable in “Deacon” who preached to his rabble. Pointless with most others. The small girl, Enola, was particularly shrill. For her, and all others, I credit ham handed direction - both Reynolds and Costner.

There is more to appreciate here, to revel in, than to belabor what coulda / shoulda been. As an extended version, trims and wholesale surgery cannot be expected. Zaaacharias has done a stellar job, and his edit is whole heartedly recommended to all Waterworld diehards.

Review by elbarto1 — March 29, 2010 @ 11:58 pm

I dont have the time to write a lengthy review, and there really isnt much to say since this is still technically the same film, just longer (and better) than we have seen before.

All the technical work is seamless, video looks great and the sound is supurb, never noticed any faults or errors besides 2 quick midscene “fades” where the image grew darker then lighter in a period of 2-3 seconds in the first act. Otherwise this is by far the best version of Waterworld I have seen to date!

Thank you Zaaacharias, your work and skill is very exceptional and I hope to see more from you in the future!

Entertainment 8/10 (original 7/10) the added material makes for a more well rounded experience and fills in a few holes from the theatrical.

Editing 10/10 both audio and video are seamless with the exception of the 2 scenes that quickly darken and lighten in the first hour (at the human base) which looks more like source error than editor error.

Extras n/a besides a nice intro menu and multiple language subtitles

Final score 9/10 this version is a must for fans of the film who want a high quality copy of the most complete version available.

well done sir!

April 12, 2010 @ 5:25 am

Amazing!!! Loved it. Great Job..film has an epic scope to it instead of feeling like a pretty good low budget B movie..never understood where the money went til I saw this version.

April 17, 2010 @ 12:52 pm

*This rating was given before reviews were required*