Waterworld is a 1995 post-apocalyptic science fiction film. The tagline is "beyond the horizon lies the secret to a new beginning". The film was directed by Kevin Reynolds and stars Kevin Costner, who also produced it, and was distributed by Universal Pictures. The film release was accompanied by a tie-in novel and video game, and also two popular themed attractions at Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Japan based on the film, called Waterworld: A Live Sea War Spectacular, which are both still running as of 2009.

Setting

The setting of the film is the distant future and, although no exact date is given, many centuries have passed, perhaps many millennia. An Extinction Level Event has occurred in this time due to unexplained events, although planetary shift, global warming and extreme climate change are hinted at. Human action is also suggested, such as when the Mariner (portrayed by Kevin Costner) exclaims "we did it", and when Old Gregor (portrayed by Michael Jeter) exclaims "the ancients did something terrible to create all this water".