An infamously expensive blockbuster bust that took years to turn a profit finally nails down an enduring legacy

It’s a question that’s been plaguing humanity for almost 30 years, one that’s thrown up countless differing answers and wide-ranging opinions in the interim, all while the subject of the debate struggles to shake off its reputation as a gargantuan failure so galling it deserves a place in the history books of infamy. Is Waterworld a good movie?

As always, it depends entirely on who you ask. The knives were out for Kevin Reynolds and Kevin Costner’s post-apocalyptic epic long before it released, with the shoot going so far over budget and behind schedule that it hit theaters as the single most expensive feature film ever made at an eye-watering cost of $175 million.

While a $264 million tally at the box office was a lot higher than the doomsayers were predicting, it wasn’t enough to keep Waterworld out of the red. And yet, strong home video sales and the theme park attractions that are still going strong today eventually saw it become profitable years down the line, and it’s still making money to this day. Not only that, but the extended edition known as “The Ulysses Cut” fills in many of the blanks left in the initial version, and marks a vastly superior end product.

Waterworld has shown itself capable of riding fresh waves of momentum on streaming at various points, but that isn’t quite a barometer of quality. Instead, Redditors have been locked in debate over the merits of the blockbuster bust to try and determine whether it’s a disaster, an underrated gem, a genuinely excellent slice of escapist cinema, or something in between.

For what it’s worth, all signs point to newcomers diving into the lengthier cut right off the bat, as if starting off with the best possible version of any given movie is a revelatory suggestion. Is Waterworld good? That’s up to you, but we’re inclined to think so.