The Abyss
The Abyss
Directed by:
James CameronScreenplay:
James CameronCinematography:
Mikael SalomonComposer:
Alan SilvestriCast:
Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Michael Biehn, Leo Burmester, Todd Graff, John Bedford Lloyd, J.C. Quinn, Kimberly Scott, Jimmie Ray Weeks (more)VOD (5)
Plots(1)
A civilian oil rig crew is recruited to conduct a search and rescue effort when a nuclear submarine mysteriously sinks. One diver (Ed Harris) soon finds himself on a spectacular odyssey 25,000 feet below the ocean's surface where he confronts a mysterious force that has the power to change the world or destroy it. (official distributor synopsis)
Reviews (12)
When Cameron wants to do something, like shooting an entire film in a water tank, he just does it and the result is always perfect. Although this film wasn't nearly as big a hit as Terminator 2, I put it higher in James Cameron's filmography, and it’s further proof of his immense perfectionism – he just can't make a bad film. And since I've seen the director's cut, I have to say that the extended ending with a stunning (for its time) visual effects scene puts this film in a completely different light.
()
I watched the extended cut, fortunately, because I wouldn’t like to have missed a single minute. I don’t really know what the “original” shorter cut is missing, but I wonder what they could have left out for the film to still make sense, and my conclusion is that it must be the twist. The Abyss is a very good and tense sci-fi film full of minor clichés, which I wasn’t a fan of, but I came to terms with them. Cameron probably cares more about visual spectacle (the special effects are of course brilliant) than smart unpredictable scripts.
()
The best of Cameron’s work for me. Excellent direction, perfect atmosphere and a rather pleasant story, which is spoiled only by the stupid open conclusion, apparently made to order "to make it work". Otherwise, however, I consider this underwater variation on Close Encounters of the Third Kind to be one of the best adventure films made in Hollywood, to which the excellent Ed Harris in the role of the manly captain of the undersea station certainly contributes. To the aforementioned conclusion – in a special edition, it is extended and drawn into a very naïvely proclamational, but still better form. At least you'll know why these little transparent men do it all.
()
From a purely filmmaking point of view, this must have been hell to film in such cramped spaces. And when a chink of space appears, it immediately fills with water. But purely from a viewer’s point of view, it’s good that Cameron decided to go accept the challenge of making it. This has a fundamentally positive impact on the atmosphere. But this makes the ending all the more annoying, because Cameron is no good at presenting (selling) a message like this. The movie simply lacks even a drop of Kubrick inside it and not even the longest of director’s cuts can help.
()
Cameron’s previous films already bore his signature and put his talent and craftsmanship on display. But The Abyss is the first full-fledged Cameron movie. He was not limited here by budgetary compromises (as in the case of The Terminator) or by a connection to a foreign franchise (as in the case of Aliens). Mainly, however, we already see here the classic attributes of his entire later, personal body of work with simple, almost banal stories about the clearly defined sides of good and evil, his ambition to push the possibilities of what could be done in the medium, and his personal fascination with the underwater world. In addition to that, The Abyss is impressive due to both its well-thought-out female characters, who were very different than the contemporary norms, and their male counterparts. Cameron is a masterful creator of illusions, as he is able to unfold and present to the audience a world that has been thought out to the smallest detail. Though he tells a thoroughly traditional story involving the central couple’s reunion, he succeeds in holding the viewers’ attention all the way to the kitschy climax, thanks to the non-formulaic dynamic of the two central characters and their gripping peripeteias. In a certain respect, the unfairly neglected The Abyss is the absolute pinnacle of Cameron’s filmography. Since computer graphics were still in their infancy at the time, he couldn’t rely on the “crutch” of animation as he has done in his most recent films, where his imagination no longer has any limits, whereas here he made every effort to create the least compromised equivalent of his space visions within the seemingly restrictive boundaries of shooting on film, with live actors and on locations. Thanks to this and his ambitious shooting, The Abyss has a fascinating realistic dimension that no digital technology can convey. The abyssal darkness encompasses the characters on the screen and merges with the darkness of the screening room, thus drawing the viewers in and letting the fascination and ever-present threat of the world beyond our everyday experience take hold of them. Thanks to its brilliant symbiosis of all of film’s means of expression, The Abyss, like Das Boot before it, succeeds in evoking an incredibly claustrophobic atmosphere even in a large screening room with only a handful of viewers. As such, we can say that the whole film actually exists for the purpose of making its climactic sequence work at the highest possible level. That sequence is one of the most dramatic and physically most intense moments in the history of the medium thanks to the fact that all elements, narrative lines and the vision converge within it and are used effectively. Cameron is no Bergman or Tarkovsky, and his descent into the abyss does not reveal any great truths about the human condition or the disturbing recesses of our minds. All of his narratives are entirely simple and actually even naïve, their core consisting of relationships and bonds between people. However, Cameron uses all of his masterful craftsmanship to bring us to our knees and convince us once again of the validity of the concept of love.
()
(less)
(more)
I didn't see the film during its release in movie theaters and I only watched it now as part of filling gaps in the world of cinema. Therefore, I cannot be influenced by any nostalgia and I can easily compare Cameron's famous film with the current offerings in the respective genre. The main advantage of The Abyss was undoubtedly its cutting-edge special effects, which, understandably, lose their shine with the passing years, exposing the triviality of the plot and the hopelessness of the screenplay. Moreover, the concept of the cute aliens who wave at you in a friendly manner and are so kind that you would immediately move them into your living room really bothers me, and I am only open to it in the case of E.T. The remaining aspect is Cameron's precise direction, which earns The Abyss a three-star rating, although just barely due to its overlong duration. In the last third, the film dragged on so much that I longed for Cameron's finances to run out and for him to quickly stop the film... Overall impression: 50%. I can't help but also point out the absence of any deeper thoughts in the film. This really isn't 2001: A Space Odyssey.
()
A stunning sci-fi film with incredible visual effects for its time and excellent performances. Cameron is great, everything he touches becomes cinema gold.
()
James Cameron always gets his way and when he sets his mind to something, everything just falls into place. From the filming system, the set construction, the casting, down to the tiniest decorations and details. He is a brilliant director and when it comes to potential, there is hardly any competition in Hollywood. The Abyss, above all, has an immense power in the ending and the duo of Ed Harris – Elizabeth Mastrantonio is so perfectly chosen that it's hard to believe. The presence of complex visual effects doesn't overwhelm, and everything is exactly as it should be.
()
I finally saw the extended version of The Abyss. And it was great! Yes, it's true that the somewhat heavy-handedly moralistic conclusion simply can't have the same impact today as it did in 1989, but I'm still willing to turn a blind eye and give it a fifth star. After all, the film runs like clockwork for almost three hours, it doesn't get boring and still has something to offer. Amazingly claustrophobic exploration of a crashed submarine, literally revolutionary special effects scenes, perfect underwater shots, an excellent mini-submarine chase that has nothing to be ashamed of even in 2011, likeable characters like the marines from Aliens that will quickly grow on you, excellent actors with Ed Harris and Michael Biehn in the lead, roaring and magical music by Alan Silvestri... And above all, Cameron's traditional perfectionism is visible in every second. As I said - the ending can make you shudder, get angry, laugh... If the film has so many positives, then four stars would simply not be enough. CALL GUINNESS.
()
Probably the weakest Cameron so far (not counting Piranha), but still something to watch. The Abyss has, above all, a great atmosphere, which becomes increasingly intense as the minutes pass and shapes the story into a very compelling and dark form. Cameron does another great job, Silvestri's music is also impressive and the rest is carried by the charismatic Harris with the help of the wonderful visuals. It has some weak spots and a somewhat tedious first half, but the precise direction and unforgettable ending leave no doubt that a true master of the craft was at work here. Good job.
()
Cameron knew exactly what he was doing by cutting the original last 20 minutes or so of the film; in the Special Edition I advise everyone to turn it off right after Ed Harris settles in at the bottom and waits to die. What follows then is just a goofy pat on the head from wise alien mantises completely unworthy of everything that preceded it. And by that I mean especially the intense romance where each of the two lovers watches the other slowly die. This romantic horror thus has an unshakable place in my mind due to the fact that it activated my childhood phobia of the deep.
()
If Cameron hadn't been such a megalomaniac and it hadn't been so long - I saw an almost three-hour version - it would be another brilliant work. But for me, it's just too big and at the same time quite small. However, it cannot be denied that technically his films are simply breathtaking, and for the year 1989, this is incredibly fantastic. The special effects are fantastic.
()