I saw "The Abyss" in the theater (Cinema City, Fresh Meadows, NY) and many times times since. I hadn't watched it in quite a while when I sat down to watch it last night. I won't wait that long to watch it again. "The Abyss" is a rock solid adventure. The action is edge-of-your-seat stuff. The emotional scenes are brutal to watch. The story moves well and the cast is very good. "The Abyss" is not as well known as most of writer/director James Cameron's other movies but it's one of his best.
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pmtelefon13 June 2020
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philip_vanderveken18 April 2005When we think about aliens in the movies, I guess everybody immediately thinks about the series of "Alien" - movies, but there are some other fine examples and "The Abyss" may well be the best alternative I can come up with. Even though this was made by James Cameron, the same director who gave us "Aliens", both movies are very hard to compare.
When an American nuclear submarine is attacked during the cold war and crashes, the navy is convinced that it was the work of the Russians. They want to salvage the wreckage as soon as possible, because a storm is coming, but they aren't able to send a diving crew of their own that quickly. That's why they contact a group of workers of a nearby underwater oil rig, who reluctantly accept the job. They are joined by some navy SEALS who will help them to locate and investigate the cause of the crash. But they do not only find the crashed sub, they also find out that there is more down there in the deep than what they had ever expected to see.
What I liked so much about this movie was that this time the aliens didn't feel threatening at all. It was something completely different from what we were used to see and it worked perfectly. This was a beautiful, well-crafted movie with some very fine acting and with some excellent special effects. Even though this movie was created in 1989, the computer animations were still marvelous and breathtaking. In fact, this entire movie is breathtaking. It is very touching and powerful at the same time and I'm sure that many people will have a lot of difficulties not to show any emotions while watching it. I give this movie an 8/10. It sure doesn't deserve any less. -
KMM16 February 2004I really enjoyed the theatrical version of this film when it first came to home video. I then saw the director's cut of the film and felt that an entertaining movie became a fantastic one. In the theatrical version it seemed as though the aliens kind of popped up at the end to save Ed Harris. The director's cut is by far a much better viewing experience because it gives more depth and reasoning for why the aliens are there and what there purpose is. It has some underlying messages in the film about the dangers of nuclear war, but that was seen in many of James Cameron's flicks from the original Terminator thru True Lies. Some of the characters are a little annoying at times, but I felt The Abyss is a great roller coaster ride with its action sequences. The movie also did a great job in making the viewer claustrophobic at times, especially in the diving scenes aboard the sunken sub.
It amazes me that there is some negative feedback that appears on the IMDB regarding this film. I sit there thinking to myself what film did that person watch? You only have to watch the documentary, Under Pressure: Making The Abyss, to have respect for the finished product, and an all-new respect if you have seen the film already. Don't listen to the negative feedback about The Abyss. Decide for your self by watching the director's cut today. It is a great cinematic viewing experience. -
Rooster9929 December 2001This movie is extremely well made. Make sure you get the original director's cut, or Special Edition as they are calling it on the DVD. It includes the real ending, along with more than 20 minutes of additional footage. The morons from the studio in Hollywood decided that the public wouldn't want to see a nearly 3-hour underwater adventure, and forced James Cameron to cut it down and change the ending. The ending the studios insisted on is your typical boring old done-a-million-times happy ending, and does not work. It betrays the message of the film, and makes it nothing more than a good underwater shoot-em-up. This movie is much more than that. See the REAL ending to understand why it is so important to this film. As opposed to the canned studio ending, the REAL one makes you think. Well, what did you expect? Hollywood executives make movies for the common herd, they dumb them down to make sure every patron goes away feeling happy. God forbid that anyone actually may have to think a little. At the time, despite a few solid hits (such as the original Terminator), James Cameron wasn't enough of a power in La-La land to force the studios to release the movie as he wanted it to be. After Titanic, they will do whatever he says, so we can now expect some great Cameron films to look forward to, rather than having to wait for the REAL movie to come out years later on a Special Edition DVD.
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mstomaso5 July 2005The Abyss is one of my all-time favorite sci-fi films. It mixes hard science with abject fantasy to make moral and philosophical points about the human condition and our place in the universe without the usual clichés. And it does so with good dialog, strong characterization, and intensely emotional acting. Harris and Mastrantonio are absolutely electric together and dominate the screen, but the entire cast deserves plenty of credit. The production itself is mesmerizing despite its vast scale and tastefully used special effects. The film is long, but worth every second of the experience, and the slightly lengthier, more detailed Special Edition version is even better than the original.
Ostensibly, this is a film about first contact with non-terrestrial intelligence. But the story allegorically deals with an amazing array of themes common to great dramas - violence, love, capitalism, war, courage and cowardice. The hardest, most obedient soldier in the film, played spectacularly by Michael Biehn, is a coward, and a man who is hopelessly in love with his estranged wife (Harris) turns that love into an act of suicidal heroism which might unintentionally save the world. And yet nothing is exactly as it seems to be, and there are really no spoilers in this review. There are so many subtle and sensitively developed themes in this film that it is hard to imagine a more epically human drama in the sci-fi genre. Even so, this is a film which entertains at every level, and will satisfy the action fan as much as the wannabe film critic. ;-)
Most of the film takes place on an experimental submarine drilling platform owned by a petroleum company. A nuclear sub has been lost in "the abyss" - a subduction trench near the Caiman Islands - after encountering an impossibly fast object. Soon, the US military commandeers the platform and its command ship - The Benthic Explorer - to attempt a rescue mission. As everything begins to go wrong, and the encounters with strange phenomena continue, the Navy SEAL in charge of the rescue attempt begins to crack. Meanwhile, on the surface, accusations concerning the sub are escalating between the USSR and USA, and nuclear war seems immanent. This describes just a small segment of the deliciously complex plot that unfolds in The Abyss. You'll have to see it to enjoy the rest. -
eibon092 November 2001James Cameron is mostly known for his blockbuster hits like The Terminator(1984), Aliens(1986), Terminator 2:Judgement Day(1991), True Lies(1994), and Titanic(1997). Those films contained fast paced action as well as tense moments of human emotions. One film by Cameron that doesn't seem to get the same kudos as the films mentioned above is the beautifully crafted, The Abyss(1989). A more character driven and humanistic film than any of the blockbuster features of James Cameron. Seeing it in the Special Edition version is the best way because situations and people become filled with more depth. Low Key epic picture that is driven by the excellent acting of its cast. Certain scenes like the reviving and "Bud"'s commuication with aliens moments make the film into an interesting constructed vision of human nature. In some ways The Abyss(1989) follows some ideas that echos The Day the Earth Stood Still(1950). Especially true in the film's message about the dangers of nuclear weapons. Michael Biehn perfects his sterotype persona in The Abyss(1989) as the battle and take charged obsessed Lt. Coffey. Maybe the finest directed feature film James Cameron has put forth. The Abyss(1989) is way better than the overrated and less than average Titanic(1997). Minor weakness is that the film at times drags towards the end. Ed Harris produces a performance of human depth and quality as Virgil Brigman. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Lindsey Brigman is the perfect counterpart to Ed Harris's Virgil Brigman(which is why the two characters make a good couple). The Abyss(1989) is a very good Scifi film from the 1980s that is a pleasure both emotionally and visually to experience.
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Mr-Fusion6 November 2021There was a time, way back in the '80s - before James Cameron suffered head trauma and devoted his life to Avatar - when the man made blockbusters that had a humanity at their core; something instantly relatable despite the sci-fi setting. The Abyss is one of those, with Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio reconciling their failed marriage amidst mortal peril. Indeed, they're trapped miles beneath the ocean's surface, negotiating nuclear warheads, attacking subs and a hair-triggered Michael Biehn.
Cameron creates a realistic environment that still feels otherworldly, populates it with real people and ratchets the tension to unnerving heights. The effects are fantastic, ast are the performances and - as scary as this place is - I would easily come back to revisit. -
Fella_shibby8 May 2021I first saw this in the early 90s on a vhs.
Revisited the 171 mins version recently n completed the movie in one sitting.
Inspite of the runtime, the film is engrossing n visually breathtaking.
The dark trench and Ed Harris' character going down way below is more scary than most horror movies.
James Cameron is a genius n there's no doubt bah it but i am surprised that most fellas havent given credit to H. G. Wells, as he was the first to introduce the notion of a sea alien in his 1897 short story "In the Abyss".
Ed Harris n Michael Biehn both gave memorable performances.
Biehn's character is downright creepy.
The CPR scene is a bit far fetched n melodramatic. -
The Abyss was a movie of destiny. First off, this movie either began or was the result of a lifetime obsession James Cameron has the ocean (see later Titanic and his IMAX deep sea movies). The Abyss is also full of echos of claustrophobic thriller/adventure movie Alien, in which Cameron directed the sequel. So combining one of Cameron's old movies with his new obsession, we get The Abyss, a solid sci-fi thriller starring Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. Ed Harris plays Bud, the head of an undersea oil rig where very little actually happens and the people on the rig are only there in case something goes wrong. Well, wouldn't you know it, but an American nuclear submarine patrolling the US coast near the oil rig suddenly sinks, killing the sailors on board. The Americans suspect it's the Soviets, but we know better. Something pink and glowing does something to the submarine causing it to sink. A team of Navy seals, ferried down to the rig by Bud's ex-wife Lindsey (Mastrantonio), boards the oil rig and uses it as a command base for their mission to recover the submarine. And that is when the fun begins. Of course a hurricane has to enter into the plot, in movies like this, there is always a hurricane, but beyond, The Abyss is a solid sci-fi thriller, where the oil rig becomes a character in the movie. Much like the Nostromo in Alien or The Discovery in 2001, the tight spaces adds flavor to the movie, bringing the setting in as another character of the movie. The special effects were groundbreaking at the time and hold up well today. The scene of a column of water snaking its way through the oil rig still creeps me out to this day.
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The Abyss is a movie that I watch every year or two and I always say just about the same thing. It is mostly so good that it is angering that it misses being a full on masterpiece because of a storyline that belonged in a different movie.
The movie takes place in a deep water oil rig run by Bud, played by Ed Harris. A nuclear submarine sinks unexpectedly in the Caribbean and the Navy asks the oil rig company for assistance in diving to the wreck and search for survivors. Bud's estranged wife Lindsey played beautifully by Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as the designer of the oil rig. She descends to the rogue along with a team of Navy SEALS commanded by Coffey, played by Michael Biehn. The workers on the rig are played well by the cast and make up a tight knit group. The center of the movie is the love/hate dynamic between Bud and Linsdey. They are both very stubborn people who love each other but just don't get along. The SEALS take the Bud and his team to the submarine to supposedly look for survivors. The dive becomes dangerous when one of the oil riggers sees a bright light and panics. The unexpectplained light is assumed to be a Russian weapon of some kind by Coffey, who is now suffering from high pressure nervous syndrome and tells his superiors that he thinks the unexplained phenomenon is the enemy. The go back to the sub to retrieve a nuclear warhead and arm it to destroy the supposed threat. The movievtgen goes from a really great, intense undersea action movie to a science fiction fantasy. The things that are appearing are extra terrestrials. One of them is seen by Lindsay. No one believes her until what seems to be a surveillance device appears and moves around the rig. Of course, Coffey is now psychotic and determined to set off the warhead. The movie then becomes a sort of Close Encounters story with the Bud, Lindsey and the oil team fighting Coffey before he sets of the nuke. In classic Cameron style this movie to this day is visually stunning. It was a groundbreaking use of CGI in 1989 when it came out. The effects still hold up, the extra terrestrials and their ships are beautifully realized. The action is as good as anything James Cameron has ever done. The problem is the final act. The movie is so good for so long and builds to an ending that should be awe inspiring but it really isn't. The main performances are so good and we care about these characters and what they're going through that the ending just doesn't pay off the way it should. James Cameron borrows from Spielberg here and it just doesn't have the impact it should. He also uses this movie to bring in an obvious but not very effective environmental message.
As good as the special effects are, the human element is much more involving. Imagine that? Most of the time in Hollywood blockbusters, especially these days it's the other way around.
This movie is really good, in fact great at times. It needed a better ending.
Grade: A- -
fwhichard-344-42626127 February 2021When I first saw The Abyss I was totally blown away by the cinematic beauty of the film. This movie is a masterpiece of cinematography. Every moment of imagery is still etched in my mind. Going back and watching the movie recently for a third time, I just can't reconcile the narrative elements. It seems to me the screenwriters wrote about 5 or 6 short films which Cameron then linked together to make what I still believe is a really fine movie experience. But the lack of a connected link from the beginning of the film to end leaves me slightly pained and dissatisfied. And I don't mind films that don't follow the standard 3 act narrative structure. I love Memento, Magnolia, and hundreds of films that break with traditional structure. But those films have scenes and acts that are connected. Viewers can follow the storyline, challenging as it may be. The Abyss proves that great actors, cinematographers, and directors can almost never overcome a clunky script.
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MatBrewster2 March 2005James Cameron as a director is a bit of a mixed bag. He has created some of the most phenomenal action showcases cinema has ever seen. His movies make loads of money and create spectacle like no other. He has been part of the Alien quadrilogy, Terminator, and there was that little movie that could about a couple of lovers on a sinking boat. For that little picture he even won an Oscar. However, as a writer he has also given us some patently ridiculous dialogue. It's like he can create some pretty interesting story concepts, generate a great deal of tension between characters and pull of amazing action, but when it gets to finding the heart and soul of a character he pulls out the cheese. It is interesting then that my favorite Cameron movie would be so character driven with only a few moments of grandiose action.
The Abyss came out in 1989 with a trimmed down 146 run time. Later when the movie came to video Cameron released his directors adding a significant amount of footage and bringing the time to 171 minutes. Most of this extra footage comes in at the end of the film and stands to clear up some major confusion wrought in the theatrical version. It seems that there are some creates living at the bottom of the ocean and are rather perturbed at humanities prevalence for violence. It seems these creatures (aliens?) can manipulate water and have forced giant tidal waves to start approaching every major port. Humanity is saved when the creatures see the true love between the two main characters. It reminded me of the quote from Genesis where God agrees to save Sodom and Gomorrah if He can find just 10 righteous people. In their case He didn't, and the cities were destroyed by sulfur and fire, but in Cameron's tale it seems that the rekindling of love between Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio does save humanity.
What Cameron does extremely well in this picture is create tension. From the claustrophobic setting of an underwater oil rig to the potential nuclear meltdown each scene slowly tightens the screws of suspense. The cold war plot raging outside of the main action reminded me a lot of 2010. In both pictures the main characters are isolated on vessels (a spaceship on 2010, an underwater oil well in the Abyss) while the USA and Russia bring conflict close to nuclear war back on earth (or above water). In both movies this helps to add tension as it also dates the movies since the cold war is now over.
One of my favorite scenes involves the flooding of parts of the rig. Water comes rushing into the rig and several of the characters scurry to make it to safety and close off the doors to isolate the flooding. Ed Harris is saved by his wedding ring. One of the doors automatically starts to close and Harris sticks his hand in to stop the door, which normally would have crushed his hand, but because he still wears the ring his the door does not fully close. This give him enough time to be saved from the flooding waters. There was an earlier scene in which his wife asks him why he still wears the ring since they have separated. When I chose my own wedding ring I opted for a titanium band known for its extra strength. I can't help but think of that scene every time I look at my own ring.
Much of the dialogue in the Abyss is of the heavy handed, clichéd variety that Cameron brings to pretty much all of his movies. Some of the extemporaneous characters bring little to the overall movie and help distract the viewer from the main plot. I think Cameron has done a very good job with the two main characters though. Ed Harris does a remarkable job playing his role as 'boss' on the rig while still hackling with his wife. Mastrantonio also does a fine job of portraying the tough as nails "Lindsay" while still remaining feminine and sympathetic.
The directors cut ending is much debated in the online world. While it serves to clarify what was a rather abrupt and confusing ending in the original it also becomes quite preachy and is at a loss for any type of subtlety. Cameron attacks his anti-war message like Ripley against an Alien.
Even with some awful dialogue and a preachy ending the Abyss has still managed to be one of my favorite sci-fi movies. James Cameron creates a tension like a master auteur and creates two of his best characters to date. -
Quinoa198422 June 2000James Francis Cameron's The Abyss is a wonder of action and suspense. It works better as a underwater saga than it's typical sci-fi genre, but that's fine. Not always what I expect (especially because the version I saw was the special edition), but the ending is amazing and great as a sum-up to the movie. One of Cameron's best. A
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caitsith013 March 2010I watched this movie based primarily on my love for other Cameron movies and the mostly highly positive reviews here. What a mistake! This movie is deeply, deeply flawed, both as science fiction and as a matter of film-making. It suffers from many of the worst clichés of 1980s American films, and displays none of the sense of atmosphere, imagination and style which are present in Cameron's best work. I find it almost unbelievable that he followed the amazing Aliens with this movie.
So what are the problems? First, the plot. It is clichéd, silly, and resolves with a laughable deus ex machina. Like many a poor action/sci-fi movie, it relies almost entirely on coincidence and contrivance to develop the story, rather than being driven by strong characters with believable motivations. For example, we are presented with a series of pathetically derivative stories - the estranged husband and wife who we know are going to get back together from the first second; the psycho, chain of command-loving military guy; the rag-tag bunch of lovable tech specialists who find their beloved undersea rig taken out of their hands; and on and on. Characters live or die based on unlikely coincidences, the worst of which is undoubtedly Ed Harris' character being saved by his wedding ring, which he never takes off - symbolism doesn't get much more obvious or ridiculous. The main action sequence, an underwater sub-fight, drags on and on for no real reason. Nothing here is remotely new or interesting. Not content with that though, we also have "man's folly with nuclear weapons" and "is man inherently good or evil?" thrown in for good measure. Ultimately we get a preachy, silly ending which gives virtually no resolution to those questions - the characters learn nothing, except that if we're naughty the aliens are going to drown us all.
Second, the characters. They are just totally implausible. In Aliens Cameron gave us a more believable bunch of characters, despite the fact that they were billions of miles away and hundreds of years into the future. Here they are just clichéd, boring, unappealing and predictable. The 'lovable' undersea cowboys talk in ridiculous slang and catchphrases. The military guys (perhaps presaging Avatar) are robotic and wholly defined by crew cuts and personal aggression. Of course, there is the 'crazy' guy who no-one takes seriously but who turns out to be right, the cold-but-sexy woman who knows how to take control, even a sassy black chick. It's all so predictable, and there are no surprises at all.
Thirdly, as a matter of "science" fiction, this movie is an epic failure. We learn little to nothing about the science allegedly involved. The undersea creatures display no characteristics which reflect their environment (why would they have technology to control water through the air when they live entirely UNDER water?). The physics on display is awful (a huge station presumably weighing hundreds of tonnes is rapidly dragged by the weight of a small crane, for example). Even the science of deep sea diving is largely ignored - things crack and crumple when it is convenient from a plot perspective, but other times the characters and equipment seem to be immune to the effects of being deep underwater. Where, incidentally, there is no life, and the water is a pleasant, clear aquamarine colour.
Fourthly, and most importantly, this movie is simply boring. When you have a silly plot and characters who are far from engaging, the last thing you should do is have a film which drags on and on and on, but that is precisely what this one does.
A word about the special effects - they are OK by 1989 standards, but pretty awful by contemporary standards. The undersea creatures look like a bad children's cartoon, and the much celebrated water effects definitely show their age. Much more impressive are the underwater and flooding scenes, but even these are fairly average by current standards.
This movie seems to hint at what was eventually going to be done much better in Avatar (right down to the fluro blue aliens). Although Avatar repeats some of the mistakes listed above, it is a far more coherent and, more importantly, engaging film. This film has plenty of defenders, but the truth is that even amongst Cameron's own body work there are many films which are far, far better than this. I refuse to believe anyone can watch Aliens and then watch The Abyss and come away thinking that this film is even half as good. -
Lt_Coffey_18213 October 2003Though I prefer The Terminator and Aliens, this film is James Camerons most artistic film. The visual imagery of this film is stunning, with no half measures taken, it is such a pleasure to watch. The aliens look as beautiful as an alien can do and the underwater scenery is so picturesque that I just wish I could be there.
The special effects are stunning. As with a lot of Cameron's hits, this was an innovator in special effects. If it wasn't for this film, films such as The Matrix and Lord of the Rings would not be here or at least would not have been able to express themselves in a visual sense.
Cameron is the ultimate director. Although he is a pain to work with, he gets his image across and proves why he is such a hit machine. No one compares to him when it comes to picking a cast. Even though most of this cast were, and still are, unknown, the performances in this are fantastic. I know I always praise him but Michael Biehn as Coffey is one of the best acting performances I have ever seen and the fact that Biehn was not even Oscar nominated is a travesty! He is great to watch as the maniac who is irate and just plain horrible. Ed Harris is on par with his good performances in The Rock and Apollo 13. You just want to be his mate in this movie despite the fact he is another pain (see Rock out takes) which is why him and Cameron have not spoken a word since this film. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio was a bit of a fad. She didn't last very long being in good films but she is good as the hard nosed estranged wife who near the end, becomes wonderfully vulnerable and loving.
Cameron is a great writer and The Abyss, along with The Terminator and Strange Days, shows off his talent to a great extent. As with all of Cameron's Sci-Fi screenplays, behind the technology lies a distinctively human element. This enables The Abyss, despite the extra terrestrial goings on, to approach the audience on their level and suck viewers in to the film. The character of Coffey is a great obstacle character because he is losing his mind and is getting engulfed by paranoia to the point where he can not trust anyone. The way Cameron uses Coffey to build up suspense is very effective and the culmination of this is one of the most frantic underwater chases there will ever be. Spectacular is the only word that comes to mind. The ending of this film has been heavily criticised but this is unfair as it carries a decent message regarding humanity and fits the mood of the film. It may have been slightly rushed but the best bits of the film are all under water anyway.
Anyone who likes their special effects, a great story and terrific acting need look no further than The Abyss. The contrast of the breathtaking beauty of the ocean between the claustrophobia of a vessel should be enough to captivate most audiences. A fantastic visionary piece. -
suspiria1017 April 2005Towards the end of the Cold War the USS Montana, a nuclear submarine runs straight into an underwater cliff after an encounter with what they believe was a new beyond state-of-the-art Russian submersible. The Navy dispatches a SEAL team (lead by Michael Biehn) to record and survey the situation and to find some answers. The commission a nearby (or is it hijack?) deep sea oil drilling platform run by the estranged Brigman's, Bud and Linsey (Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio). During their mission things aren't quite as they seem as they discover that they are not alone deep in "The Abyss". On the verge of war topside and below with themselves the SEAL and workers struggle to come to terms with an unbelievable situation that could lead them to a nuclear confrontation.
"The Abyss" is a richly constructed story that puts well thought up and executed characters into a situation that looks to be a schmaltzy, love story set under the sea. The aliens or NTI's pretty much take a backseat to the human element and our old conflicting ways, these NTI's are non-violent and they want to teach us the error of our ways and they mean business (especially in the Special Edition cut). The whole cast does a wonderful job and most of the leads give Oscar-caliber performances. Harris and Mastrantonio do it so well you think their actually married. James Cameron establishes his love for the ocean in "The Abyss" will fully succeeds on all the technical levels. The production design is amazing with the full-size Deep Core set that was submerged at the bottom of an unused nuclear reactor building. Cameron shows his affinity for technology as the "pseudo pod "soon championed in the new wave of computer generated imagery. Highly recommended. -
george.schmidt21 February 2003THE ABYSS : DIRECTOR'S CUT (1989) **** Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Michael Biehn, Todd Graff, John Bedford Lloyd, Leo Burmester, Kimberly Scott, Chris Elliott. Director James Cameron's best work (bar none) and his most complex piece of filmmaking about an oil rig crew led by gruff yet vulnerable Harris and his estranged wife Mastrantonio to head a Navy SEAL expedition to unearth a sunken nuclear sub with some unusual otherworldly presence deep beneath the ocean. Great ensemble, state-of-the-art special effects (early morphing of the "sea alien" prior to "T2") and unexpected emotional turmoil. Harris and Mastrantonio are top notch in Tracy/Hepburn mode as is Biehn as the crazed SEAL out to start WW III. In this extended version the aliens show Harris their plan of action and global warning for Earth to cool it with all the hostility. --- Personal note: I actually cried during the resuscitation sequence of unabashed love sacrifice by Mastrantonio.
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pulikd4 February 2024When it comes to "science fiction", outer space is tempting to explore. It is mysterious and unforgiving. In reality, there are other environments just as challenging, if not more. One of them is the ocean depths right here, on Earth. There don't seem to be many movies about that. "The Abyss" is a good one. There can be criticisms, of course. Some of the secondary characters could have been paid more attention to, the pacing could have been faster and the fictional element of the plot goes beyond "science fiction" and borders on magic. But none of these ruin the movie. Thanks to what they go through and how the actors portray them, the main characters are no problem. And just because the movie is not very fast does not make it boring. There is nothing wrong with taking the time and exploring things, especially when a sense of humor is present in an environment where death is always near. And whether "hardcore science fiction" or "naïve fantasy" has more to do with the fictional element here, that element is given limited amounts of time and does not get in the way of matters of life and death. On the contrary, it amplifies things, especially, in the extended version of the film. As for the visuals and the sounds, there isn't much point in describing them. There is point in experiencing them. The cinematography, the visual effects, the sound design and the music equip the contents of the film with an outstanding package that time seems to be powerless to devalue.
"The Abyss" was a box office failure upon release in 1989. A few things may have had something to do with that. First, director James Cameron had already become known for strong action movies that rely heavier on things like fighting, shooting and explosions, and "The Abyss" wasn't exactly like that. Second, the promotion may have been weak. Third, the original theatrical release wasn't the movie we now know. The Special Edition was made public a while later and even went on to get a theatrical release much later, in 2023. Unfortunately, such theatrical "re-releases" don't do much to change the initial box office results. And the new trailer wasn't all that exciting, by the way. But the worst part is how the problems "The Abyss" brings up haven't gone anywhere since the eighties and the nineties. World War 3 is still a thing that can happen anytime soon. -
This is one of my all time favorite films. James Cameron knocks it out of the park as he did with Aliens and The Terminator just prior. It works on so many levels and is one of the pioneers of CGI special effects. But for some reason this film gets no love, and today I found out why. Today I saw, for the first time, the theatrical cut of the film which doesn't even compare to the far superior director's cut. The whole extraterrestrial storyline seems so out of place and it would have almost worked better if he hadn't included it at all in the theatrical cut. The theatrical cut just didn't work for me and I can understand how the critics weren't so sweet on the film. The special edition director's cut is something no one should miss! With the added 28 minutes you get more colorful/in depth characters, a film that carries a stronger dramatic punch, a greater sense of wonder when the E.T.'s grace the screen , and reasoning behind why the beings have traveled to our earth and do what the do. This is a film that doesn't get the recognition it deserves based, probably, on the far inferior theatrical cut. This film is a real gem and a must see.
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Boristhemoggy15 March 2024A civilian diving team is enlisted to search for a lost nuclear submarine and faces danger while encountering an alien aquatic species.
This was James Cameron's 4th major feature that he directed and I remember watching it when it first came out. As a lover of Sci Fi the idea of finding aliens deep beneath the oceans surface was mesmerising.
The story is immersive as there's 3 going on at the same time. There's the husband/wife conflict between Ed Harris's 'Bud' Brigman and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio's Lindsey Brigman. That story runs through the film and is deftly developed by the director and the two actors and it's a pleasure to watch.
Then there's the military element which moves away from a sunken submarine and moves into a race to nuke the Russians suspected to have sunk the sub and were coming for them. That story also had traction even though it was clearly a fantasy of the deranged Lew Finler played by Captain Kidd Brewer Jr.
The third story was of course the alien creatures which at first were thought to be bioluminescent sea creatures, but which turned out to be alien species. Anyone familiar with Cameron's films can zero in on the military dynamic, the love dynamic, and also the insanely colourful aquatic dynamic which repeat in many Cameron films, such as Aliens, Titanic and Avatar.
Put together it was a great story not without it's faults and goofs, but everyone tried hard and the film was great to watch and here I am 35 years later still watching it again for the umpteenth time.
If you want a great action/Sci Fi/romance night in you can do a lot worse than this film. -
Stitchthingy16 December 2003I like short reviews so I will try to keep this short!
Let me begin to tell you this movie is original! Not to many movies are being made that have an underwater setting.
The movie is about a drilling team who operate a high tech underwater drilling station deep under the sea. As soon as they become cut off from the surface in a storm near an underwater crevice things are getting a weird.
Strange in a way that the movie slowly shows that something scary and silent is there with them on the ocean floor. It builds suspension gradually until it ends within a climatic ending of the movie which I really liked (but some people have other opinions about that!)
Acting is great and the story very original with just enough action!
**** out of five! -
ColtSeavers12 December 2006Yesterday evening, I watched this movie (the extended version) for the first time. I was expecting some wonderful underwater photography, and a lot of chills and thrills. In hindsight, I must say that:
The cinematography is actually breathtaking! The sets are great! (claustrophobic, dirty, dark, complex). The SFX are good, even by today's standards. Harris' and Biehn's acting was very good, but all the other characters (including that terrible woman) were only by-standers.
However, the SCRIPT is, uhm, well, ridiculous. First of all, it's obviously a rip-off from several earlier movies, like (e.g.) "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and "The Day the Earth Stood Still". What's worse: It's completely absurd. Who in the world would believe this stuff: "A Navy SEAL gets psychotic and tries to nuke some aliens, who are residing in an underwater trench, by using a nuclear warhead from a submarine that was sunk by those very aliens, whom he - the navy seal - mistakes for the Russians"????
I actually found the first 50-60 minutes very exciting (most of all: the exploration of the submarine). Great stuff ! But when the SEALS started to pursue their own "secret mission" I quit. I watched the rest of the movie somewhere in between amazement ('cause of sets, cinematography and SFX), and amusement ('cause of the laughable story). It's hard to feel thrilled by something that you know would never be remotely possible. "Contact" by Robert Zemeckis was much more believable - and thus, much more involving.
What also sucked was the "climax" close to the ending: Monster waves, summoned by the aliens to intimidate and impress the earthlings (cf. The Day the Earth Stood Still), are stopped just before destroying everything. And all the people in the world (e.g. on the beach) cheer, applaud and probably live happily ever after. "There comes a time in each man's life when he can't even believe his own eyes" (Plan 9 from outer space). My such moment was when I watched the ending of this movie. Finally, the aliens' mother ship (cf. Close Encounters) looked as if Tron had tried to bake a pancake with handles (sic).
Despite these major flaws, I give "The Abyss" a 7, because of the many strengths it also has. -
bkoganbing7 March 2010The story of The Abyss starts with a mysterious crash of a US nuclear submarine that is armed with the appropriate nuclear weaponry for its time. With reports of it down, we want to get it before the Russians do.
When it rains it pours, literally in this case. A fast moving storm forces the Navy to use the crew and equipment from a nearby underwater deep sea drilling platform and the oil roughnecks are promised some big government checks for their help.
Crew chief Ed Harris gives his reluctant consent, made even more reluctant by the fact that his estranged wife Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio has designed some new equipment for use in the really deep waters of The Abyss of the Atlantic Ocean.
The Navy people and the oil people are a bad fit to start with, but when the deep depths effect Navy SEAL Michael Biehn by bringing out the worst aspects of the military authoritarian personality things get real interesting down in the deep.
The spectacle does dwarf the story which is the only real criticism I can make of The Abyss. What the submarine made accidental contact with is some incredible alien life form which I can't go into further because that's the whole point of the film. Of course Biehn still believes it's all a Russian plot of some kind and therein lies the conflict exacerbated by the extreme paranoia he develops.
Unlike Cameron's Titanic, the spectacle at the end just overwhelms the human players in this film. But it was those special effects that go The Abyss its Academy Award recognition. The Abyss was also nominated for Sound and Art&Set Direction and Cinematography. It could have been a winner in any of those categories. In fact the biggest mistake you can make which is the one I did make, to see The Abyss on the small screen and formatted. This film is what IMAX was developed for.
Though the story does get lost somewhat in the special effects the point is still made about man being ready and open to all kinds of possibilities of life that can exist anywhere. See The Abyss, but wait for a revival showing at a theater. -
MamadNobari9722 April 2021From the photos I saw of this movie and the decent rating, I was expecting an alien maybe horror movie but this is far from different than I expected.
It's an underwater movie stretched to 3 hours for some reason and you keep waiting to get to the good stuff but it kinda doesn't satisfy?
It takes the film an hour to show something interesting happening and then we see some glimpse of the "aliens" and the other 2 and a half hour of the movie is just drama between human characters, which is not bad in itself but it's a long effing movie and you feel like the payoff wasn't satisfying at the end.
The direction for the most parts is really good and the cinematography and production is awesome, no doubt in that. The acting especially from Ed Harris is really good. But unfortunately, even though the movie is 3 hours long and like the 97% of it revolves around these characters, you don't really care that much about them. Like I'm glad that Liz survived and the resurrection scene was really good, even though it was long, it was one of the better parts of the movie and Ed Harris nailed that scene and made you actually care about Liz. But I think it would've been a bold move if they just let her die and not come back.
I would've even given it a 7 or even an 8 if at the end, the aliens just swept humanity of the face of the earth and ended human race, cause that would've been a cool and logical - from the perspective of the aliens - move and would've made the ending much better, even though the reasoning for their desire to wipe out humans was presented in a really cheesy way and it was more funny than impactful. It was like one of those anti drug PSAs from 90's telling you "hey you see this apple? Don't smoke ok?"
Now about the aliens; So if I got this right, the aliens were observing the humans to see what they do and when the first submarine went down, they started doing all that so humans won't launch a nuke? But wasn't the reason that SEALs guy wanted to launch it, was that the aliens wrecked that submarine in the first place? Or were they already going to nuke Russia and the aliens tried to stop them? Cause what the movie says is that they had no such intentions and things only got ugly between US and Russia when the submarine was destroyed.
And as I mentioned earlier, I would've even give the movie a 7 or more if they wiped the human race, but they didn't.... because of the power of, Love!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
Seriously!? This thing again? Like can't directors come up with something better than "the power of love saves the universe once again. Then everyone gave an standing ovation."?!
It's so cheesy and it ruined the ending.
Bud dying at that cliff at the end of the movie and then rolling the credits wouldn't've even made the movie less satisfying you know why? Because it's two or even three different movies loosely tied together as one movie. You don't even remember about the aliens in this movie cause there's the human parts for the first hour of the movie, then 5 second scene of the alien, again another longer scene with watery alien and then another 2 hours something humans scene and a cheesy 20 minutes of "we didn't kill you cause u said love ya wifey!" The movie doesn't really have coherence and balance between the human parts and the extraterrestrial part. It feels like the writers had these idea of two stories and they tried to make it into one and they barely hit the mark.
The movie doesn't know if it wants to be an alien movie or a underwater humans movie.
And I'm ok with a movie about humans that is 5% alien movie too, as long as you make the humans' story more interesting than this. And it's not fair to say the story of the humans wasn't good, but it wasn't enough and it needed better characterization.
And again, I would give a different cut of the movie an 8 if: 1. Liz did actually died.
2. Aliens' reasoning for wiping out humanity was presented in a less cheesy way 3. Or they actually wiped out humanity 4. A lot of humans stuff mostly the unnecessary ones were cut from it.
All and all, I can't really recommend this movie because you wait 3 hours - and trust me it's a really really long 3 hours - and the payoff isn't that great.