| 90 |
Newsweek
A pretty damn good summer movie.
|
| 75 |
Chicago Tribune
Waterworld is often entertaining because it's screwy. Could even Ed Wood Jr. have come up with those cigarette-puffing villains, in a world with hardly enough dirt for a tobacco plant? [28 July 1995]
|
| 75 |
Entertainment Weekly
Costner's surfer-bum affectlessness works here; he turns the Mariner into the world's most jaded lifeguard.
|
| 75 |
USA Today
A two hour aquatic pursuit pic with bruising stunts, fun-to-watch performances, a dozen good chortles and imposing Panavision renderings of post-apocalyptic crud, Waterworld clearly has the makings of a cult movie.
|
| 75 |
ReelViews
The script doesn't do a great job with either the spiritual or the physical trek, but the spectacular action sequences occur with enough regularity that strong writing isn't necessary to keep Waterworld afloat.
|
| 70 |
Washington Post
If the story seems a little waterlogged, it's still big, loud, and fun to watch.
|
| 67 |
Austin Chronicle
Nowhere near the Hollywood disaster that was foretold, Waterworld is a near-model summer fantasy: two hours and 21 minutes of loud, expansive fun.
|
| 63 |
Chicago Sun-Times
A decent futuristic action picture with some great sets, some intriguing ideas, and a few images that will stay with me.
|
| 60 |
Variety
A not-bad futuristic actioner with three or four astounding sequences, an unusual hero, a nifty villain and less mythic and romantic resonance than might be desired.
|
| 50 |
TV Guide
Staff (Not Credited)
Its mediocrity guarantees this lavish, soggy retread of futuristic Australian action classic "The Road Warrior" a place in the ranks of forgotten extravaganzas.
|
| 50 |
Washington Post
Waterworld isn't "Fishtar," but Kevin Costner's pricey, post-apocalyptic sloshbuckler isn't a seafaring classic either.
|
| 50 |
The New York Times
It lacks the coherent fantasy of truly enveloping science fiction, preferring to concentrate on flashy, isolated stunts that say more about expense than expertise. [28 July 1995]
|
| 50 |
San Francisco Chronicle
It's really not bad... It's a genuine vault at greatness that misses the mark -- but survives.
|
| 50 |
San Francisco Examiner
Barbara Shulgasser
Sublimely ridiculous.
|
| 50 |
Christian Science Monitor
At least Dennis Hopper plays the bad guy with wildness and wit. Costner's stolid hero seems a washout by comparison.
|
| 40 |
Los Angeles Times
Though Waterworld has some haunting underwater visual moments, the film's impact is weakened by flat dialogue, an overemphasis on jokeyness and a plot that, despite all those screenwriters, does not satisfactorily hold together at any number of points.
|
| 30 |
Chicago Reader
This movie feels like it was made by a bank rather than a person.
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