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The Abyss [1989]


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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

Meticulously crafted but also ponderous and predictable, James Cameron's 1989 deep-sea close-encounter epic reaffirms one of the oldest first principles of cinema: everything moves a lot more slowly underwater. Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, as formerly married petroleum engineers who still have some "issues" to work out, are drafted to assist a gung-ho Navy SEAL (Michael Biehn) with a top- secret recovery operation: a nuclear sub has been ambushed and sunk, under mysterious circumstances, in some of the deepest waters on earth, and the petro-techies have the only submersible craft capable of diving down that far. Every image and every performance is painstakingly sharp and detailed (and the computerised water creatures are lovely) but the movie's lumbering pace is ultimately lethal. It's the audience that ends up feeling waterlogged. For a guy who likes guns as much as Cameron (his next film after all, was the body-count masterpiece Terminator 2: Judgment Day), it's interesting that the moral balance here is weighted heavily in favour of the can-do engineers; the military types are end-justifies-the-means amoralists, just like the weasely government bureaucrats in Aliens. --David Chute

Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

James Cameron's 1989 aquatic epic The Abyss was, quite literally, a watershed in the annals of filmmaking: not only was it the first (and only) movie to be shot almost entirely underwater, in the largest tank ever used for a movie set, and to use live dialogue from specially designed headsets, it also pushed forward the boundaries of computer animation in one gigantic leap. The famous water tentacle sequence is now regarded as the defining moment when CGI came of age; ironically perhaps, its very success has ensured that the punishing realism of the setting, which is the best thing about the movie, is likely never to be attempted again.

But the impressive technical aspects aside, is the movie any good? Granted it contains any number of striking moments, from forcing a rat to breathe liquid (it really works, apparently) to resurrecting a drowned Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. But the story is a slim one for the running time, especially in the extended Special Edition version which plays almost half an hour longer than the theatrical cut and contains a completely excised subplot featuring much too much heavy-handed moralising: "How all the world can stop fighting and learn to get along with each other", by James Cameron esq. All you need is love, apparently. Here is one rare example of the theatrical cut being preferable to the director's. Now, if only he had cut the love story from Titanic too

On the DVD: The Abyss Special Edition two-disc set has plenty of neat extra features, but is let down a little by the non-anamorphic 2.35:1 letterboxed picture. Sound, on the other hand, is vivid THX mastered Dolby 5.1. Happily, the first disc contains both the original theatrical cut and the extended special-edition version. There's a reasonably informative though inevitably rather dry text-only commentary. The principal extra on Disc 2 is a 60-minute documentary, "Under Pressure", with retrospective interviews in which cast and crew detail the extraordinary challenges involved in making the film, and more than one near-death experience. In addition there's the complete screenplay, various different pieces on the effects sequences, storyboards, artwork, DVD-ROM features--in short, plenty to keep even jaded DVD enthusiasts amused for hours. The menu interfaces for both discs are a treat and the set comes with a good 12-page booklet. --Mark Walker


Superb viewing....
Review date: 2008-06-02 Rating: 10 out of 10

Just want to say that this film stands the test of time for me. It is heartwarming, the special effects really work even today and its watchable over and over again....Just one thing, do watch the directors cut, or special edition, as I think that the cuts that were made to the original movie do remove quite a lot of the message of the film and without that, you miss the point somewhat.

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Reviews


Imaginative, touching, and almost complete...
Review date: 2008-05-08 Rating: 8 out of 10

The Abyss is one of the those accomplished films that may have well been produced in an era gone by, for now attempts of the 'same old formula's' are chugged out right, left and centre. The Abyss, however, is completely original in it's own right. With beautiful underwater photography, fantastic camera-work that sets the tone for enclosed cabins or the vast openness of the ocean, this was surely ahead of it's time. I.L.M (Industrial Light and Magic) were in Co-Production for this movie and produced the scenes in which the computer meets real live acting; all done perfectly, I might add. They also helped produce Terminator 2, which as we all know still looks passable today.

Like a few other viewers, I've always felt the ending is somewhat 'open' and a bit blunt... This is, however, typical of any Sci-Fi/underwater film in which the producer has hundreds of options as to how to wrap up a vast story.

Their are 2 editions of this DVD; a Special Edition with 2 discs, and the Single Disc version. Both have the exact same covers so watch out and look for the edition banner on the top/bottom of the sleeve!

The ending doesn't let this film down in anyway. It always leaves me day-dreaming as to the possibilities of what lives miles down in the ocean floors... I thank James Cameron for his ability to tap into your emotions to pull that off, and for a small price, this DVD should be in anyone's collection!

Camerons second best.
Review date: 2007-12-14 Rating: 8 out of 10

Of course i mean 'Aliens' to be the first, but this doesn't fall too far behind.

I mean, yeah sure it's melodramatic as hell and the message it carries is about as subtle as being slapped in the face but it is hugely entertaining, the special effects are fantastic even by todays standard and its entertaining as hell. Should be a lot more popular than it is.

GREAT EFFECTS AND STORY
Review date: 2007-09-29 Rating: 10 out of 10

For once, the aliens don't want a meal, to take over the world or to scare the hell out of us.

A deep sea mission to recover a sunken nuclear submarine faces disaster as a storm above them has cut off all contact with their support ships. As the base begins to flood the crew come face to face with things unknown. The SEAL team tasked with recovery of the nuclear warheads on the sub suspect 'commies' and seek to detonate a warhead, denying the bad guys the remaining nukes, but vapourising everybody in the process.

However, the UFO's are a race of intelligent aliens, living miles beneath the opcean, 'The Abyss', where man cannot and has not explored. The alien race come to the aid of the team. Stunning effects abound.

A STUNNING SCI-FI UNDERWATER ADVENTURE
Review date: 2007-08-07 Rating: 8 out of 10

When I first saw James Cameron's The Abyss and immediately I was struck by it. It was the film that made me realise that I was a fan of Cameron's work, however I was deeply surprised to find that the film is not regarded as the classic it so rightly is.

What Cameron has done is to create a science fiction thriller that is epic on every level. The story, especially in the director's cut, is one that goes beyond being a bottom of the ocean/alien film, it becomes a deep message for why we should try to live in peace and how we should respect each other as a race (maybe George W Bush should be made to watch the film, maybe he might learn something), but amazingly, amongst all the superb visual effects (the birth of CGI) and fantastic underwater cinematography, Cameron creates characters that we come to care deeply about. He doesn't forget that for something epic to be truly moving, he needs to have three dimensional characters that we want to see alive at the very end and here he has more than succeeded. Giving us a love story (of sorts) before Titanic was even a possibility, he creates an estranged relationship in Bud and Lindsey's faltering marriage and makes us hope for a Hollywood happy ending, one we thankfully get.

The supporting cast and characters are also fantastic here. Hippy, Jammer, Catfish, One Night and Coffey also get a chance to be fleshed out and all have their moments and even though he is, essentially, the villain of the film, Cameron even makes one feel sympathy for Coffey is that nightmarish final moment he has as he faces death.

I love the film and I make no apologies for it. There are many who have problems with the film, I know, but I just have a soft spot for any film that Cameron makes. His mixture of fantastic and ground breaking visual effects and his talent as one of the best storytellers in the movie business today always combine to give us a journey we never forget and with The Abyss all those abilities come to the surface (pun unintended, I swear). Even better is the Director's Cut of the film that gives Cameron a chance to flesh his story even more making the film one that is epic and which gives us a message that, while some may find preachy, in today's day and age is highly relevant.

Fantastic in every regard.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Leo Burmester
Ed Harris
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
Todd Graff
Michael Biehn

Creators:
Ed Harris (Primary Contributor)
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (Primary Contributor)
Mikael Salomon (Cinematographer)
James Cameron (Writer)
Conrad Buff IV (Editor)
Howard E. Smith (Editor)
Joel Goodman (Editor)
Gale Anne Hurd (Producer)
Van Ling (Producer)

Director(s):

Recording label: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
EAN: 5039036017671
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2004-07-05
Number of discs: 1
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 163 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1989-08-09
Language: English (Original Language)

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