The Abyss (1989)

Director:

James Cameron

Writer (WGA):

James Cameron (written by)

Release Date:

9 August 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

There's everything you've ever known about adventure, and then there's The Abyss.

Plot:

A civilian diving team are enlisted to search for a lost nuclear submarine and face danger while encountering an alien aquatic species.

Plot Keywords:

Submarine | Underwater | Abyss | Ocean | Estranged Couple

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 4 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

Ed Harris	...	Virgil 'Bud' Brigman
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio	...	Lindsey Brigman
Michael Biehn	...	Lt. Hiram Coffey
Leo Burmester	...	Catfish De Vries
Todd Graff	...	Alan 'Hippy' Carnes
John Bedford Lloyd	...	Jammer Willis
J.C. Quinn	...	Arliss 'Sonny' Dawson
Kimberly Scott	...	Lisa 'One Night' Standing
Captain Kidd Brewer Jr.	...	Lew Finler (as Capt. Kidd Brewer Jr.)
George Robert Klek	...	Wilhite
Christopher Murphy	...	Schoenick, SEAL Team Member
Adam Nelson	...	Ensign Monk, SEAL Team Member
Dick Warlock	...	Dwight Perry (as Richard Warlock)
Jimmie Ray Weeks	...	Leland McBride
J. Kenneth Campbell	...	DeMarco

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for language and some scenes of action. (special edition)

Runtime:

138 min | USA:171 min (special edition)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (DuArt)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby SR (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (special edition) (2000) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Canada:AA (Ontario) (special edition) (2000) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Ontario) (original cut) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) (also special edition) | Portugal:M/12 | Malaysia:U | South Korea:12 | USA:PG-13 (Certificate #29764) | Brazil:Livre | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-14 | France:U | Iceland:12 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 (special edition) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | West Germany:12 | Netherlands:AL (special edition)

Filming Locations:

Harbor Star Stage, San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The mini-subs in the wide shots were actually models suspended on wires in a smoky environment and filmed in slow motion.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: As Virgil descends into the abyss near the end of the movie, he is told he has broken the world record for depth. When he types his reply 'call Guiness'. Although Guinness requires two Ns, Virgil admitted earlier he was a bad typist. He also makes numerous other spelling errors during his descent.

Quotes:

[first lines]
USS Montana Captain: Sixty knots? No way, Barnes. The Reds don't have anything that fast.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Be Kind Rewind (2008)

Soundtrack:

Too Much Pressure

Breathtakingly beautiful

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.