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.
Budget estimated at over $50 million.
Rated BBFC 12 by the British Board of Film Classification.
Copyright 1989 20th Century Fox Film Corporation.
DVD Features:
2-Disc Set
Region 1
Digipak
Disc 1: THE ABYSS - Feature Presentation
Interactive Features:
Additional Interactive Features - Multi-Story Choice Between Watching Theatrical Version or Special Edition Version
Pop-Ups - Text Commentary Track
Disc 2: THE ABYSS - Supplemental Material
Additional Release Material:
Featurette
Clips and Highlights - Special Effects Clips Cut to Film Score
Behind the Scenes:
1. "Under Pressure: Making THE ABYSS"
2. Academy Award Special Effects Reel
3. "Drill Room: From Story Concept to Final Cut"
Interactive Features:
Multi-Angles - Pseudopod Multi-Angle
DVD-ROM Features:
DVD-ROM Features
Director of Photography
Mikael Salomon: Director of Photography, BACKDRAFT (1991)
Review 1:
"...[A] stupendously exciting and emotionally engulfing film....With probing intelligence and passionate feeling, Cameron has raised the adventure film very close to the level of art..."
Source: Rolling Stone
p.37 08/24/1989
Review 2:
"...Cameron again delves in....An epic story line...and much more..." -- Rating: B
Source: Entertainment Weekly
pp.66-8 01/13/1995
Review 3:
"...THE ABYSS is at heart a sweet movie....The undersea effects are glowingly beautiful..."
Source: Los Angeles Times
p.C1 08/09/1989
Review 4:
"...A great achievement....The cast is solid and the pioneering CG effects still look incredible..."
Source: Total Film
p.104 05/01/2000
Review 5:
"...A technical marvel with sustained tension, exciting action footage and an emotional wallop in its nearly platonic love story..."
Source: Variety
03/01/1993
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