Falling from the Oscar-winning glory of Dances with Wolves to the opposite end of the critical and box-office scale; Kevin Costner must have been deeply humbled when this three-hour postapocalyptic tale--his sophomore effort as a director--was greeted with a critical thrashing and tepid audience response. One of the most conspicuous flops of its decade; the 1997 release must have seemed like a sure thing on paper: a kind of futurist Western starring Costner as a charismatic drifter-turned-hero who leads the resistance against a military tyrant (Will Patton) by reviving the long-dormant postal system to reunite isolated communities in their fight for freedom. The movie bombed; but; like many audacious failures; it's got qualities that make it at least partially endearing; and its earnestness (although bordering on corny) keeps it from being entirely silly. Faint praise; perhaps; but Costner's ode to patriotism is occasionally stirring and visually impressive. The dual-layered; widescreen DVD includes a documentary segment about the creation of the film's special effects sequences; featuring a running commentary by the special effects creators. --Jeff Shannon