WATERWORLD on 4k UHD from ARROW VIDEO - Review
Considered the most expensive movie ever made at the time - it got a theme park experience and now it gets a 4k UHD experience from Arrow, WOW, are we living the dream!
Waterworld on 4K UHD from Arrow Video EPICNESS of release—the kind that makes you sit back and go, WOW!!!!… this movie is way more impressive than its original reputation sometimes gave it credit for.
Once the most expensive film ever made, it’s still a jaw-dropper for sheer scale: massive floating sets, wild stunt work, and that big, sun-blasted 90s blockbuster energy that feels almost impossible to pull off today. Arrow’s 2-disc set treats it like the cult-classic cornerstone it’s become, giving you the theatrical cut in newly restored 4K and the extended Ulysses Cut on Blu-ray for the full “choose your adventure” experience.
Theatrical cut first: Arrow restored it from the original film elements, and it shows. The Dolby Vision/HDR grade brings out the oceanic blues, harsh daylight, and gritty metal-and-rust textures in a way that really sells the world—this isn’t a clean sci-fi future, it’s a sunbaked survival nightmare floating on scraps. And the Dolby Atmos track is exactly what you want for Waterworld: huge, immersive, and physical. The action scenes hit with real impact, the environment has space and height, and the whole movie feels “bigger” in a home theater setup without turning into a muddy wall of sound.
As a film, it’s still a definitive post-apocalypse blockbuster: Kevin Costner as The Mariner (a mutant drifter with his own code), Dennis Hopper chewing scenery as Deacon and the Smokers, and Tina Majorino’s Enola as the key to the mythical Dryland—literally mapped onto her back. It’s eco-apocalypse pulp with sincerity, a high-concept studio swing that’s famous for its production chaos but endures because the movie commits to the bit. And for collectors, the inclusion of the Ulysses Cut on the second disc is a big deal: extended material, previously censored shots and dialogue, and the original 5.1 and 2.0 stereo mixes preserved the way many fans remember it.
Product Features
TWO-DISC 4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
• Two cuts of the film including a restoration of the theatrical cut from original film elements by Arrow Films
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Paul Shipper
DISC ONE - THE THEATRICAL CUT (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY)
• 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) of the original theatrical cut
• Dolby Atmos, 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 stereo audio options
• Maelstrom: The Odyssey of Waterworld - feature length making-of documentary including extensive cast and crew interviews and behind the scenes footage
• Dances With Waves - original archival featurette capturing the film's production
• Global Warnings - film critic Glenn Kenny explores the subgenre of ecologically themed end-of-the-world films
• Production and promotional still gallery
• Visual effects still gallery
• Original trailers and TV spots
DISC TWO - THE ULYSSES CUT (BLU-RAY)
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of the extended European Ulysses cut, which includes previously censored shots and dialogue
• Original 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 stereo audio options