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Movies / On DVD / The Abyss
The Abyss

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The Abyss (1989)

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Reviews Counted:39

Fresh:33

Rotten:6

Average Rating:7.1/10

Consensus: The utterly gorgeous special effects frequently overshadow the fact that The Abyss is also a totally gripping, claustrophobic thriller, complete with an interesting crew of characters.

Runtime: 5 hrs 26 mins

Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy

Synopsis: After a nuclear submarine mysteriously sinks in a remote part of the ocean floor, a team of divers on a prototype underwater oil rig are pressed into service by the U.S. Navy in a rescue attempt.... After a nuclear submarine mysteriously sinks in a remote part of the ocean floor, a team of divers on a prototype underwater oil rig are pressed into service by the U.S. Navy in a rescue attempt. When a hurricane cuts off contact between the surface and the underwater depths, the crew begin to see evidence of a strange, possibly alien intelligence at work. While chief Bud Brigman (Ed Harris) bickers with his ex-wife and boss (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), the Navy commander begins to grow increasingly paranoid about the mysterious alien life and threatens to use a recovered nuclear weapon to destroy everything. James Cameron's undersea epic is a tale of sacrifice and hope in an amazing alien landscape that covers 2/3 of the Earth's surface. Featuring landmark visual effects but plagued by production difficulties, the cast and crew were stretched to the breaking point and THE ABYSS became one of the most expensive films ever made in its time, but the final result is a remarkable blend of action and human drama. Scenes cut from the theatrical version, including a number of special effects sequences involving huge tidal waves threatening the cities of the world, are restored in the Special Edition versions. [More]

Starring: Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Michael Biehn, Leo Burmester

Starring: Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Michael Biehn, Leo Burmester, Chris Elliott, Todd Graff

Director: James Cameron

Director: James Cameron
Screenwriter: James Cameron
Producer: Gale Anne Hurd
Composer: Alan Silvestri

[See More Credits]

Reviews for The Abyss

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
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This overlong concoction is scuppered by dire dialogue, histrionic performances and maudlin sentimentality.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment 3 Comments
02/09/06
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The movie was a bear to make and it shows onscreen, parading around a series of mesmerizing set-pieces that look deliciously hard-earned in ways our current CG-drenched filmmaking climate never allows.

Full Review Source: BrianOrndorf.com | comment Comment
08/26/09
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
BrianOrndorf.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
06/19/08
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
03/01/08
David Kaplan
David Kaplan
Kaplan vs. Kaplan

No review available.

comment Comment
11/16/07
Robert Roten
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope

A disappointing follow-up to Cameron's great sci-fi Aliens, The Abyss is too verbose for an actioner and the special effects, striking as they are, are not well integrated into the narrative.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment 1 Comment
09/19/07
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

What ultimately saves the film are its extraordinary sets and phenomenal Oscar-winning visual effects.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
06/06/07
TV Guide's Movie Guide
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The attempt to extract the essences of several genres (cold-war submarine thriller, love story, Disney fantasy, pseudomystical SF in the Spielberg mode) and mix them together ultimately leads to giddy incoherence.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment 2 Comments
06/06/07
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader

Great blending of spectacle and drama.

comment Comment
05/11/07
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

No review available.

comment 1 Comment
02/25/07
Jake Euker
Jake Euker
F5 (Wichita, KS)

Forget Titanic this is Cameron's best underwater flick

comment Comment
03/29/06
Lori Hoffman
Lori Hoffman
Atlantic City Weekly

What was once a well-made, well-acted mess is now a very poignant and satisfying sci-fi adventure.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
09/10/05
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

A gorgeous and fascinating underwater adventure.

comment Comment
04/17/05
Scott Weinberg
Scott Weinberg
eFilmCritic.com

A remarkable film...the vfx are super!

comment Comment
03/24/05
Clint Morris
Clint Morris
Moviehole

No review available.

comment Comment
02/07/05
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Click to read review

Full Review Source: StaciWilson.com | comment Comment
12/31/04
Staci Layne Wilson
Staci Layne Wilson
StaciWilson.com

No review available.

comment Comment
12/17/04
Spence D.
Spence D.
IGN Movies

No review available.

comment Comment
08/13/04
Carol Cling
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal

For God's sake, make sure you have the director's cut. The theatrical cut was an abomination.

comment Comment
07/20/04
Widgett Walls
Widgett Walls
Needcoffee.com

No review available.

comment Comment
02/22/04
Daniel M. Kimmel
Daniel M. Kimmel
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
all

Latest News for The Abyss

August 11, 2008: 20 CGI Classics - From T2 to Batman Begins to WALL-E
We showcase 20 films which have employed Pixar's pioneering software RenderMan to create some of the last two decades' most visually-impressive movies. More...

April 08, 2007: Michael Biehn Hopin', Wishin' and Waitin' for "Avatar"
James Cameron staple actor Michael Biehn ("Terminator," "Aliens," "The Abyss") must be happy that the director is coming back to narrative... More...

March 27, 2007: Biehn and Cameron Back Together on "Avatar"?
They worked pretty darn well together on "The Terminator," "Aliens," and "The Abyss" -- so maybe filmmaker James Cameron and actor Michael Biehn... More...

January 17, 2007: An Old Friend Checks Out James Cameron's New "Avatar"
Well here's some James Cameron news that's interesting if not all that surprising: In addition to the already-cast Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana, the "Avatar"... More...

See All

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