10 Terrible Movies That Wasted A Truly Brilliant Concept
7. Waterworld
The Concept: Waterworld is set in a distant future where all the Earth's polar ice caps have melted, covering most of the land in a sea of water.
The story follows a nameless character referred to as "The Mariner" (Kevin Costner), as he navigates the planet on his boat.
Why The Movie Failed: Waterworld was the most expensive movie ever produced at the time, and while it certainly looks good enough, it contains so many ridiculous story points that you'll wish more of that cash had been spent on the writing.
For starters, The Mariner has evolved to the point that he has gills behind his ears, enabling him to breathe underwater. But if so much time has passed that humans have almost turned into fish, how are there still bullets available for people to use? The gills must mean thousands and thousands of years have passed since the flood, so wouldn't bullets be almost impossible to come by?
Then, when The Mariner's mutation is first discovered aboard an atoll, residents of said atoll quickly try to kill him... even though he possesses a set of gills, a trait which would come in handy if, say, the world was covered in water. Facepalm.
Waterworld is silly, cheesy and the acting leaves a lot to be desired - you'll swiftly forget that it's core concept is actually a really interesting one.