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65 out of 74 people found the following review useful: Patience is Required, 2 November 2001 Author: marquis de cinema from Boston, MA
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
James 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.
64 out of 75 people found the following review useful: This top-notch underwater saga is one of my favorite films., 8 December 2004 Author: Scott LeBrun from Winnipeg, Canada
Epic-scale, intensely emotional science-fiction/drama/thriller in which an underwater drilling crew, led by Virgil "Bud" Brigman (Ed Harris) is recruited by the Navy to assist in a dangerous rescue mission. Eventually they all discover they are not alone deep down there in the water...I love this movie, what more can I say? Many underwater movies have got nothing on it. The only problem is the running time: 145 minutes, extended to 171 minutes for the special edition. Some people may therefore have a hard time sticking with it, especially those who can't stand material that they deem "sappy".It is in any event an impressive, major undertaking for writer/director James Cameron that provides acting showcases not just for the leads (Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Michael Biehn) but a fine supporting cast filled with good character actors.I think it is a very slick, professionally handled movie with stunning special effects that had to have been state-of-the-art at the time. The drama is compelling (there is no shortage of crises to overcome) and the dialog is often good.I sure have to admire Cameron for having a successful track record. All of his movies have been good (not to mention big money-makers), with the possible exception of his directing debut "Piranha Part II: The Spawning", which I still haven't seen.And once again, an excellent score by Alan Silvestri.9/10
56 out of 69 people found the following review useful: Masterpiece, 13 October 2003 Author: Lt_Coffey_182 from Portsmouth, England
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.
49 out of 60 people found the following review useful: An excellent movie, 29 December 2001 Author: Rooster99 from Paris, France
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.
44 out of 51 people found the following review useful: Breathtakingly beautiful, 18 April 2005 Author: Philip Van der Veken from Tessenderlo, Belgium
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.
40 out of 56 people found the following review useful: Superb sci-fi action adventure, 15 January 2005 Author: sarastro7 from Denmark
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!!!!
39 out of 57 people found the following review useful: ONE OF CAMERON'S BETTER UNSUNG FLICKS, 21 February 2003 Author: george.schmidt (george.schmidt@hbo.com) from fairview, nj
THE 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.
52 out of 84 people found the following review useful: One of the greatest films of all time., 1 June 2001 Author: richard.n.smith from London, England
The special edition of this movie must rate as one of the best movies ever made.Everything is present in it's correct quantities: Action Romance Adventure Sci-fi Black ComedyThis film is head and shoulders above every other film because of it's attention to detail and the excitement and drama it deliversThis is a DVD must have.
27 out of 37 people found the following review useful: Wow that was a fantastic movie!, 16 December 2003 Author: Leon (Stitchthingy) from Netherlands
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!
31 out of 46 people found the following review useful: "These guys are about as much fun as a tax audit.", 29 April 2005 Author: Ryan (rkuhn_psu@yahoo.com) from King of Prussia, PA
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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