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David McK (3843 KP) rated The Postman (1997) in Movies

Jun 21, 2022

The Postman (1997)

1997 | Action, Sci-Fi

6.3

(12 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Kevin Costner released 'Waterworld' in 1995.

It sunk at the box office.

This was a few years later, based on the highly-respected David Brin novel of the same name.

I'm sure he wasn't expecting this one to flop either. Set in the far-off future of 2013, following a un-named catastrophe of some sort (no, not Trump)

The problem, I feel, is simply the length at nearly 3 hours long - there's some good ideas in here, and some good scenes, and a refreshing society-is-now-getting-better-again thread, after the unnamed events that led to the dystopian future shown at the start of the movie, but I do feel that the first act (in particular), playing up the threat of the fascist army led by General Bethlehem, could have been excised somewhat.

I understand why it's there - it needs to give Costner's character something to push against - but I think the book (and from what I remember) handled that aspect better than the movie does.

So, yeah, Costner plays a drifter who - after his escape from that army - discovers an old Postman uniform, initially putting it on only to become warm and then 'delivering the mail' simply as a scam to get food and shelter. However, over the course of that movie, that scam takes on a life of its own and more and more becomes the truth, finally ending with a code in the late 2040s after his death and where - going by dress, etc, - things seem to be back to 'normal'.