Waterworld 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Waterworld 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Universal has released Director Kevin Reynolds' post-apocalyptic aquatic Action/Adventure film 'Waterworld' to the UHD format. The disc replaces a visually wanting and practically barebones 2009 release and, for picture and sound quality, surpasses Arrow's superior and supplement-rich 2019 re-issue. This UHD includes 2160p/HDR video and a DTS:X Master Audio soundtrack.

Waterworld 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.

Waterworld sails onto Blu-ray with a 1080p picture quality that is a massive upgrade over the 2009 Blu-ray and a pleasing refinement of the superior 2019 Arrow issue. The 2160p/HDR presentation offers a sturdy, filmic, and true presentation, one that is fresh and fun and only a little dull when looking at the gray and bleak clothing and boats and dots of crude civilization where rust and wear and weathering have taken their tolls on what remains of the humanity that once was. The UHD captures it with the picture's native cinematic credentials in play, presenting the material with a refined, steady grain structure. Intimate textures are terrific; not since its cinema debut have viewers been able to so precisely view the film's rather incredible production design details, from the sopping-wet textures on skin and hair and clothes to the fine point details around The Mariner's ship or his seashell earring. Even down in the darker bowels that make up The Deacon's ship the UHD renders the texture-rich environment a joy to discover. The picture is not regularly razor-sharp but core facial and material textures are quite stout, revealing the facial weathering makeup quite well, reflecting the impact of skin long exposed to the harsh combination of full sun and glistening water.

Water is, of course, one of the most prominent visuals in Waterworld and one of only a handful to offer any real opportunity for intense color pop. However, water, and skies, for that matter, are not consistent in color tone and contrast. Large bodies of water, who knows where in the world they may be, do not appear evenly colorful, looking boldly blue in one shot and a bit flat and gray the very next. It's a bit disappointing but one must take into account a number of the variables that come into play in each shot in the film, many of which are obviously challenging for the camera and a number of them involving some level of special effects sophistication. But when water or skies reach that desirably deep and dense and punchy shade, the image explodes off the screen with some of the finest contrast on the UHD market, particularly against the bleak grays that color The Mariner's boat and various costumes along the way. There is some blood, rust, crayon colors, a sprinkling of natural greens to break up that grayscale and brown monotony, and these shades impress with bolder color saturation than can be found on the old Blu-ray and even the newer Arrow release. Skin tones push a little warm, a picture of orange, brown, and red, all reflective, again, of the characters' longtime exposure to sun high above water. Black levels are appropriately deep and dense at night, showing strong shadow detail throughout.

From a purely comparative analysis, the new UHD devastates the old Blu-ray through-and-through, which looks rather sad in comparison: grain is clumpier, details fuzzier, colors less robust, edge contrast more pronounced. The Arrow release's colors are more dramatic and there's not as much of a gap between it and the UHD. The Arrow disc appears pallid not so much on its own but certainly when contrasting with the UHD's livelier, bolder, more dramatic colors, which in some instances -- a fireball at the 38:28 mark -- might look a bit overly cartoonish on the UHD. Blue waters are obviously the most notably deficient component, but so too are skies and skin lacking the nuance the UHD offers. Texturally both are strong within their respective resolutions; the Arrow disc holds its own against the UHD.

Waterworld 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Waterworld's DTS:X Master Audio soundtrack is largely strong with only one or two blips of note. The opening music delivers excellent clarity, width, surround immersion, and low end response with a nicely integrated top layer at work to more completely soak the listener into the score. The ambient effects out on the ocean -- the rolling waves, the creaking metal and machinery around the boat, gentle breezes -- create a finely organic atmosphere that in every instance of relative calm on the seas draws the listener fully into The Mariner's world. Din around the atoll is likewise refined and highly detailed, incorporating every little sound into a symphony of the metallic, of life on the open water. There is tremendously strong depth to heavy machine gun fire in chapter four when the atoll comes under Smoker attack. Flaming projectiles whoosh about, watercraft zip and zoom, and chaos reigns with every speaker engaged in support of the mayhem. The low end and top layer both work in harmony with the other speakers to create a full, highly detailed stretch of chaos that is replicated later during the film's climax. There are one or two unexpectedly weak moments, such as when the harpoon is yanked off the ship after hitting an airplane in chapter five; there's almost no depth or detail to the moment, falling sonically flat and standing apart for its lack of oomph. Otherwise, the track is large and dynamic, just as impressive in its delivery in world nuance as it is intense action effects. Dialogue clarity is great, prioritization is consistent, and placement is grounded in a front-center position.

Waterworld 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This UHD release of Waterworld contains no bonus features, but the UHD disc does offer under the "Bonus" tab the opportunity to watch the film in its extended version (2:56:01) in 1080p/SDR/DTS 5.1 only, not in 4K/HDR. That's a disappointment, but the image quality proper is fairly strong, obviously from a newer and improved master with less digital processing, stronger detailing, and superior coloring, certainly much better than the ancient Universal Blu-ray which is also included with this set and brings with it only the film's Trailer (480i, window box, 2:11) amongst other nontraditional "extras" like D-Box functionality.

Waterworld 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Waterworld is unabashedly goofy despite its efforts to create a serious Action/Adventure film. Best known for its gargantuan budget and lukewarm reception, the film has nevertheless found an audience over the decades, holding up as a passably entertaining time waster with some rich visual details to explore. Never has the film looked as good for home consumption as it does here, greatly surpassing the troubled VC-1 Blu-ray and bettering the recently released Arrow remaster. Those who already own the Arrow disc certainly don't have a bad translation of the film, and it holds up fairly well against the UHD all things considered. The UHD image is imperfect, as is the DTS:X audio, but both are very good in the aggregate. Unfortunately, this release brings no new extras (though it does include a lengthier cut in 1080p, which does look quite good). Fans wanting the UHD upgrade will want to pick this up but hang onto the Arrow set for its prodigious supplemental content. Recommended.