Waterworld is not on the top of my list here because it is the worst movie in this ten. It isn’t, not even by a longshot. In fact, it’s easily one of the best. But there was a time where you could have argued that Kevin Costner was the biggest star on the planet – this side of Michael Jordan. The guy was huge. Truly starting with The Untouchables in’87, his major run really ended in 1995 with Waterworld, his much-publicized (relative) flop. It had a higher budget than any other movie had previously. There were production delays, feuding with the director … it was a mess before it was even released. What was released wasn’t a terribly bad product. I think the movie is okay. But, again, perception is reality.
Waterworld wasn’t the first bomb Costner starred in. Wyatt Earp is a far worse film and really signaled the beginning of the end. But Waterworld left no doubt and it received more media attention. He’s had some moderate hits since and he starred in some movies I’ve really, really enjoyed since. But it doesn’t matter what I think. What matters is nobody would consider him as a top ten caliber actor any more. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
