

Helen's escape results in damage to the Mariner's boat, and he angrily refuses to take her to Dryland. The three escape to the open sea aboard the trimaran, pursued by the Smokers. Helen quickly frees the Mariner, insisting he take both of them with him. Enola's guardian, Helen, attempts to escape with her on a gas balloon dirigible created by inventor Gregor, but the balloon is released erroneously. According to their leader the Deacon, she has a map to Dryland tattooed on her back. Suddenly, the atoll is attacked by the Smokers, a gang of pirates seeking a girl named Enola.

When the atoll's residents see that the Mariner is a mutant, with gills and webbed feet, they decide to "recycle" him by drowning him in a pit of organic sludge. The Mariner, a lone drifter, arrives at an atoll on his trimaran to trade dirt, a rare commodity, for other supplies. It is believed that a mythological "Dryland" exists somewhere in the endless ocean. The remains of human civilization live on rugged, floating communities known as atolls, having long forgotten about living on land. In 2500, as a result of the sea levels rising over 7,600 metres (24,900 ft), every continent on Earth is now underwater. The film's release was accompanied by a novelization, video game, and four themed attractions at Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Singapore, Universal Studios Japan, and Universal Studios Beijing called Waterworld: A Live Sea War Spectacular, all of which are still running as of 2022. The film was nominated for an Academy Award in the category Best Sound at the 68th Academy Awards. The film also was unable to recoup its massive budget at the box office despite being one of the highest grossing films of 1995 however, the film did later become profitable owing to video and other post-cinema sales. The most expensive film ever made at the time, Waterworld was released to mixed reviews from critics, who praised the futuristic setting and premise, but criticized the execution including the characterization and acting performances. The plot of the film centers on an otherwise nameless antihero, "The Mariner", a drifter who sails the Earth in his trimaran. The polar ice cap has completely melted, and the sea level has risen over 7,600 m (25,000 ft), covering nearly all of the land. The setting of the film is in the distant future.

It was distributed by Universal Pictures. It was based on Rader's original 1986 screenplay and stars Kevin Costner, who also produced it with Charles Gordon and John Davis. Waterworld is a 1995 American post-apocalyptic action film directed by Kevin Reynolds and co-written by Peter Rader and David Twohy.
