20 Things You Didn't Know About Waterworld
3. The Extended "Ulysses Cut" Is Almost Three Hours Long
Though the theatrical version of the movie clocked in at a relatively reasonable 135 minutes, the original cut of Waterworld featured an additional 40 minutes of content, bringing it within a whisker of three hours.
Costner and Universal both insisted upon the shorter length, especially after Costner's Wyatt Earp tanked with a 190-minute runtime, while the longer cut was relegated to occasional TV play.
The extended version basically fleshed out the lore of the world and its characters while answering a few lingering plot questions, though was frustratingly censored for language and violence.
Until last year, the most complete version of the movie was the so-called "Ulysses Cut," a fan edit which compiled as much available material as possible together into a crude final cut.
Surprisingly, Universal actually authorised Arrow Video to create an official home video release of the Ulysses Cut, remastered in HD by returning to the original film footage.
Though the new cut won't win Waterworld many new converts, it is nevertheless a fascinating curio for anyone intrigued by the flawed theatrical version.