Waterworld. Directed by Kevin Reynolds. Written by Peter Rader & David Twohy. Release Date: July 28, 1995. Country of Production: USA. Key Cast: Kevin Costner (Mariner), Chaim Girafi (Drifter), Jeanne Tripplehorn (Helen), Tina Ma
jorino (Enola), Dennis Hopper (Deacon), Jack Black (Pilot).
Remember, if you can, a time when summer blockbusters were more than just sequels; when movies that were released had more to offer than a rehash or remake of a movie that was probably already sub-par to begin with; when movies were not afraid to "say something". Now get past the awkward sexual tension between the Mariner and Enola, and I'm sure that you will be able to appreciate Waterworld, too.
Here's a movie with some really badass special effects, cool fight scenes, and a main character who is an Icthyo Sapien! You can't make movies like this anymore, especially if all you're making is sequels. But the real reason I wanted to bring up this movie was because it has held a special place in my heart ever since I first saw it
on VHS on the mini TV that my parents would bring into the car when we were road-tripping up to NJ, and for more reasons than Jeanne Tripplehorn's butt-shot (which is also very nice). This is a movie that first implanted into the social consciousness the horrible repercussions of a world after a global-warming disaster. Sure everyone scoffed at this ridiculous notion when the movie was released, but you just watch the presidential debates, my friends, and see how many times alternative energy sources, greenhouse gases, and global warming are brought up, and then you tell me that this movie is not clairvoyant.
I have heard Waterworld referred to as one of the worst movies of all time, and yet until very recently, the Mariner's catamaran was sitting in the lagoon in Universal Studios, Orlando, alongside such timeless memerobilia as the JAWS ride, Back the the Future, the Indiana Jones stunt show, the Star Wars motion simulator (or wh
atever you wanna call that thing), and many others. Why, if this movie was so terrible, did we cling onto its memory so nostalgically?
Perhaps, because in spite of it's terrible dialogue, and misunderstanding of the mechanics of respiration, this movie had heart and imagination, like The Postman. Or maybe because even though we were all sad to see the Mariner leave at the end, and couldn't understand why he couldn't just start a new like on Dryland with the rest of the survivors of the atoll, I mean, it's not like he had any problems living above water, and besides, after teaching Enola how to swim, he kind of became like a father-figure for her, and God knows that in this fucked up new world, a strong masculine presence would be really important for someone who is probably going to be responsible for eventually repopulating the Earth... What was I talking about? Oh yeah, because as far-fetched as the idea seemed at
the time, this was a rare case in which a science fiction film actually started to come true, and unfortunately, this was a dystopian one.
For better or worse, Waterworld has been on people's minds and tongues since its release, and I choose to believe that this has at least some influence on focusing the world's attention on environmental changes. We all owe Kevin Costner a huge debt of gratitude. He may very well have saved us all from becoming Icthyo Sapiens.
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Directed by Rob Cohen. Written by Alfred Gough & Miles Millar. Release Date: August 1, 2008. Country of Production: USA. Key Cast: Brendan Fraser (Rick O'Connell), Jet Li (Emperor Han), Maria Bello (Evelyn O'Connell), John Hannah (Jonathan Carnahan), Michelle Yeoh (Zi Juan), Luke Ford (Alex O'Connell), Isabella Leong (Lin).
Even if you haven't seen the two other movies in the series, you should still drag yourself to the theater to watch TTOTDE. As a matter of fact, the plot is more or less detached from the first two movies, and the only thing you may be missing out on are the clever meta-movie references, such as when they introduce the "new" Evelyn (a welcome change from the dreadful Rachel Weisz) Maria Bello, fielding questions about Evelyn's new novel utters something to the effect of "I feel like a different person completely", or when she is discussing this new novel with Rick later on, she infers that the first two novels in the series came so easily, but now she's come down with some serious writer's block.
I digress, the film was pivotally released around the inception of the 2008 Summer Olympics, which leads me to believe that there is more to this movie than meets the eye. Indeed, Chinese culture has often gotten shanghaied from American cinema in favor of base stereotypes. Cohen bravely takes the burden upon himself to show the world that there is more to China than the Great Wall, Karate, fireworks or Jet Li. There are mummies, too.
That's right, finally the rich cultural heritage of China makes it's way to the silver screen without having to go through all the trouble of reading subtitles (yech!). The newest installment bravely tackles more issues than just mummies. (Spoiler Alert!) There are the elements, yetis, Sangri La, a dragon, and a mysterious temporal paradox that seriously complicates Rick's relationship with his son.
The visual effects team really outdid themselves, too. The sweeping epic shots of the ancient Chinese architecture are nearly suffocating, and there is some fantastic pyrotechnic work in the scene of a downtown Chinese city where Jonathan runs his nightclub. As for the non-CG fight scenes, Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh need almost no instruction, their moves flow like smoke on the water. This is a welcome relief from the other garbage sequels of the summer. Here is a progressive movie that is not constrained by such Philistine concepts as using the same actors for the same character, analogous to the concept of I'm Not There. and I will be awaiting the Academy's response to this movie with bated breath.
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