User reviews

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.

When 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.

This 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.

The 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.

There 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.

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.

When 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.

I 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.

A slight slip-up inbetween the brilliant "Aliens" and "Terminator 2," James Cameron's "The Abyss" is an indulgent and overlong foray into themes and techniques much better explored in Cameron's aforementioned classics. For instance, while Cameron again demonstrates his mastery over tense, cramped interiors, he never even approaches the pulse-pounding fervor of Aliens, and the occasional action pieces, particularly a dull underwater-probe duel, completely lack the hyper-kinetic flow of Terminator 2. Of course "The Abyss" is intended primarily as an emotional human-drama, and two scenes, a desperate CPR revival and a heroic but doomed dive, work exceptionally well. Unfortunately, these scenes fail to save what amounts to a ridiculously long "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" retread, especially when this near three hour movie has such an anti-climactic ending. "The Abyss" is a decent movie but a disappointing James Cameron film.

*Note - don't bother with the special edition: it only serves to exacerbate things by adding even more length (!) and including one of the most cloyingly cliched and sophomoric anti-nuclear war subplots this reviewer has ever witnessed.

Though 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.

James 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

Towards 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.

** and 1/2 stars out of **** (171 minute version)

I've always felt The Abyss was a rather overrated sci-fi drama/adventure. For one thing, it moves at a far slower pace than one would ever expect from director James Cameron, who helmed the exciting actioner Aliens. With The Abyss, he tries to mix action with profound themes, and though the result is not a bad film by a long shot, it still is quite flawed.

Ed Harris plays Virgil "Bud" Brigman, head of an oil drilling team underwater. He and his men are informed by the U.S. military that a nuclear submarine has sunk somewhere nearby, and they would like Brigman and his men to help retrieve any survivors.

A Navy Seal Team and Brigman's ex-wife (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) arrive to help in the recovery, but soon things begin to go wrong. Not only are there not any survivors, it seems the Navy Seals have been ordered to bring back one warhead. The drilling habitat also encounters a disaster, killing several people, with the oxygen leaking rather quickly. At the same time, it seems that some sort of nonterrestrial intelligence is lurking nearby, waiting to make some sort of contact, but the threat of war could possibly break any means of peace with this newly discovered race.

First and foremost, The Abyss would like to be an action/thriller and a sci-fi piece. It's not always a successful combination nor does it always work individually. As a matter of fact, director Brian De Palma did a much better job incorporating these elements in his own sci-fi opus Mission to Mars (a vastly underrated film). Sure, there are some exciting, slam-bang action scenes, but not nearly as many as you would expect from Cameron, plus the fact that this is a film that runs nearly 3 hours doesn't help the pacing, either. At some spots, the film almost feels sluggish.

Cameron's own script is ambitious, perhaps more so than most of his other films (that's saying a lot), but he's more successful with romance in this film than anything else. Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio truly have a lot of strong chemistry together and the love that begins to grow back between them is heartfelt. Both deliver strong performances, which is better than can be said of most everybody else. Michael Biehn has the tendency to play a military man, but I find it quite hard to believe that a Navy Seal (who should have been properly tested) would crack underneath the sea.

But Cameron isn't exactly well-known for penning brilliant dialogue, and The Abyss has its fair share of lackluster conversations between characters. Perhaps Cameron should leave the dialogue up to somebody else to figure out.

The special effects are appropriately spectacular, and why shouldn't they be. At 70 million dollars (most expensive film at its time) the effects should be ground-breaking. That is to say, of course, that not every visual in the film works. There is an occasional scene that features a rather fake-looking effect, but that's a minor complaint.

Then there's the ending, which in some ways, is the best and worst part of the film. Those sci-fi fans waiting for a grand finale full of profound themes and great special effects will enjoy it, but it might disappoint those who were just hoping for the film to keep a survivalist tone. To be honest, I'm rather split by this. I liked the ending in the fact that it is moderately thought-provoking and even grandiose, but it does interfere with the tone the film kept before the finale, or could it rather be that everything before the conclusion was what damaged the mood and tone. Either way, it's a flaw that, while not by any means detrimental to the film as a whole, will cause at least some disappointment.

I 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!

The Abyss is one of the best sci-fi action/adventure movies ever made. Besides the "usual" ingredients of excitement, characterization and great narrative technique, the movie really scores on the wonder factor. The amazing, jellyfish-like aliens and their manipulation of water... A superb story incorporating the use of a then-recent SFX breakthrough to absolute perfection. A timeless story with great actors, great characters, great emotional substance.

The story is fabulous. It is about the very survival of humanity, drawing on that time-honored science fiction trope: will we be so stupid and disorganized that we cause our own destruction, or will love and reason prevail, inaugurating a great and harmonious future for our species? In thinly veiled symbol terms, this movie demonstrates how we will reach the brink of destruction due to our own folly, but can be redeemed if we rediscover the love and wonder that we once lost.

My rating: A clear 10 out of 10.

P.S. Coffey's first name is... Hiram?!?! BWAAAH-HA-HA-HA!!!!

watching this movie is like reading the rest of this review. a large empty space without much to say.

this movie is boring boring boring.

clichéd dialog and clichéd characters.

half way through you realize you could care less about the story and by the end you just hope they all die a watery death.

although Ed Harris does manage to give a decent impression of hackneyed performance.

the best thing that can be said for this movie is, it effectively killed the semi career of Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio.

the most memorable exchange: "we just lost the crane" "the what?" "the crane!"

the end.