OVERALL: Draw

The R1 Extended Edition includes two versions of the film, whilst a couple of the regular US releases have a DTS track.

Versions:
There are three principle versions:
- Theatrical Cut (135 minutes)
- US TV Cut (176 minutes)
- European TV Cut, or the "Ulysses" Cut (177 minutes), which restored some shots and dialogue censored from the US TV Cut for network broadcast

US TV Cut Notes:
In 1998 ABC premiered Waterworld as a two-night event with an additional 40 minutes of footage that was never seen during its theatrical run. These additional scenes make for a more solid cohesion of the film and fill some previous plot holes. However, despite being much longer then the theatrical cut, the ABC cut was heavily edited for language, violence, action, some nudity. Some examples of this are:
• the opening shot of the Mariner urinating;
• the shot in which the Mariner shoots the gatesman of the atoll (Rick Aviles) through the foot with a harpoon gun;
• Helen's undressing on the Mariner's triamaran;
• the shot where the gunner of the smoker airplane is speared through the chest by the harpoon gun;
• the shot where the Mariner crushes the smoker referred to as "Smitty" (Robert LaSardo) with a jet-ski.

All of these, and more, were omitted in the ABC cut, as the cut was to be shown on television whereby minors may see it. Swear words are replaced with less offensive words such as "toilet" and "slimeball."

CUTS:

• R0 DTS America- Universal Pictures - No cuts - Theatrical Cut.
• R1 America- Universal Pictures - No cuts - Theatrical Cut (135:11 NTSC).
• R1 2-Disc Extended Edition America- Universal Pictures - No cuts - includes the Theatrical Cut (135:11 NTSC) and the US TV Cut (176:00 NTSC).
• R1 DTS America- Universal Pictures - No cuts - Theatrical Cut.
• R2 France- Universal Pictures - No cuts - Theatrical Cut (129:38 PAL).
• R2 Germany- Universal Pictures - No cuts - Theatrical Cut (129:38 PAL).
• R2 Holland- Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment - No cuts - Theatrical Cut (129:38 PAL).
• R2 Italy- Universal Pictures - No cuts - Theatrical Cut (129:38 PAL).
• R2 Poland- Universal Pictures - No cuts - Theatrical Cut (129:38 PAL).
• R2 Scandinavia- Universal Pictures - No cuts - Theatrical Cut (129:38 PAL).
• R2 Spain- Universal Pictures - No cuts - Theatrical Cut (129:38 PAL).
• R2 United Kingdom- Universal Pictures - No cuts - Theatrical Cut (129:38 PAL).
• R4 Australia- Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment - No cuts - Theatrical Cut (129:38 PAL).

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Comparison added by Craig on 15/07/01
Comparison last updated by Eric_Cotenas on 14/06/23

UPDATE LOG:

04/06/17: ASINs added. Subtitles placed in order. RTs added to R2/4 versions (movie/trailer). Filmography/production notes details added. R2 Germany, Italy, Poland, Scandinavia & Spain added.
14/06/20: Updated Versions notes & cuts included on US Extended Edition release..