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Movies / Upcoming / The Abyss
The Abyss

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The Abyss (1989)

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Reviews Counted:41

Fresh:35

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

US Box Office: $0

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 critic A-Z; Australian critics are listed first)
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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

The film lasts for more than two hours, yet the audience could hardly expect to be bored.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/09/02
Dragan Antulov
Dragan Antulov
rec.arts.movies.reviews

Pretty great underwater adventure.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
03/10/03
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle

One need not be a Cameron acolyte to recognise that The Abyss has aged better than some of the films that outshone it back in the day.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/14/09
Tim Brayton
Tim Brayton
Film Threat

If the 1989 cut is a thrill ride, then the 1993 revamp is a frequently wrenching emotional roller coaster.

Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bill Chambers
Bill Chambers
Film Freak Central

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 finely crafted film.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
01/01/00
Elspeth Haughton
Elspeth Haughton
Apollo Guide

Begins with a bang and just keeps on rolling.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
01/01/00
Chris Hicks
Chris Hicks
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

I'd sooner believe that Moby Dick could swim up the drainpipe.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment 1 Comment
01/01/00
Rita Kempley
Rita Kempley
Washington Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

a rare film--big-budget Hollywood entertainment on a grand scale that is able to seamlessly incorporate many levels of meaning into an entertaining experience.

Full Review Source: Q Network Film Desk | comment Comment
02/27/01
James Kendrick
James Kendrick
Q Network Film Desk

One of the best science fiction film ever made. This remains true in spite of a rather superficial treatment of the some of the science fiction elements. It is very much a 2001 with the slowish parts replaced by a good fast-paced adventure film.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Mark R. Leeper
Mark R. Leeper
rec.arts.movies.reviews

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 2 Comments
09/19/07
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

A classic.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
10/05/02
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

Brilliant at sustaining tension and interest.

Full Review Source: Sci-Fi Movie Page | comment Comment
12/05/03
James O'Ehley
James O'Ehley
Sci-Fi Movie Page

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

...the undersea adventure may have you waterlogged after the first hour.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
04/20/02
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

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

A firstrate underwater suspenser with an otherworldly twist, The Abyss suffers from a payoff unworthy of its buildup.

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

The human stuff is more than worth the descent.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
01/01/00
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Anyone looking for a discouraging word about this stupendously exciting and emotionally engulfing film should read no further. The Abyss confirms James Cameron as a world-class filmmaker.

Full Review Source: Rolling Stone | comment Comment
05/12/01
Peter Travers
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; Australian critics are listed first)
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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...

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