Between the awards reaped by Dances with wolves and the money collected by Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Kevin Costner started the nineties on a high. JFK was controversial, but had a fair amount of fans and did quite well on box office. Then the bodyguard happened and it went even better for him.

These times didn’t last.

A perfect world, The War, and Wyatt Earp didn’t do that well. I’m a massive defender of Wyatt Earp, and Tombstone pretty much annihilated it by popular vote. I love both films, though.

Waterworld had all the inkling of a great sci fi flick. In execution, sadly, it had a myriad of problems. Between sets sinking, people getting sick, poor planning, massive storms, and Kevin Reynolds and Kevin Costner clashing on set, the movie was judged and sentenced before a single seat was sold.

I dunno, I enjoyed it, and when NBC showed the extended cut over two nights (now known as the Ulysses Cut), the film became much better. I guess the summer of ’95 had extremes: either you made a killing at the box office like Batman & Robin, or you sank like Waterworld and Cutthroat Island (I’ll die defending that popcorn flick).

Waterworld as it was in the cinemas had some pacing problems, but I honestly believe it was harshly judged by people who didn’t bother watching it. The Simpsons didn’t help its reputation, so the fate of the movie in pop culture canon was set.

The postman was the killing blow for Costner and for the longest of times, he didn’t have a single hit. Open Range was a mild hit, and if you haven’t seen it, it’s a gorgeous old school western, including ridiculous gun physics but heartfelt performances from Robert Duvall and Costner.

James Newton Howard’s soundtrack for Waterworld isn’t as straightforward as Prince of Thieves, but still gets the job done. It has the epic moments, it has the darker thriller sections, and then it has its glorious moment with Swimming, a slightly new age meditation full of synth wind instruments and sparse instrumentation. It has that Narada Collection feeling that is firmly placed in the 90s, but feels timeless.

A piece that plays on a calm moment during the film, the one part where Costner’s Mariner finally bonds with Enola, Swimming harks to peaceful wonder. You know bad things are coming up, but the dangers of the ocean also hold a beauty unparalleled by anything on the planet.

I can honestly suggest checking out the Ulysses Cut of Waterworld. It makes much more sense, and the pace feels better, even if it’s a longer running time. Don’t think too much about the science of the whole movie, that’s still is so iffy it might sell you supplements!

-Sam J. Valdés López