Waterworld HD DVD
By Cyril Pearl -- Video Business, 11/20/2006
Costing approximately $175 million and bringing in only $88 million Stateside, Kevin Costner's ill-fated “Mad Max on the Water” saga,
Waterworld, has taken a proud place in the pantheon of legendary out-of-control productions, right alongside
Cleopatra and
Apocalypse Now. Regardless, the futuristic action thriller has developed a sizable following and scores as a notable second-wave choice for high-def release. The cinematography by Scott Fuller and Dean Semler, who filmed the entire feature on and around the water, is a real razzle-dazzle affair. And it all comes out shimmering in HD DVD. Sunlight flitting across the water, jet-skis chopping through white foam, pyrotechnics gone wild on a sea of green -- the colors and textures of a watery future following the meltdown of the polar ice caps actually plays much more evocatively on HD DVD then they did a decade ago. But we wanted more on the disc!
Waterworld has been issued twice previously on standard DVD, the last time in 1999, and there’s yet to be a single supplemental feature about the vast and problem-plagued production, which raised so many eyebrows back in 1995. The HD DVD debut would have been a perfect time to produce some featurettes about the backstory and production of this Hollywood belly flop—which remains one of the finest looking films of the '90s.
Universal, HD DVD, available now, $29.98, reviewed on LG 42-inch widescreen DLP HDTV with HDMI connection
