The Abyss

Starring: Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Michael Biehn, Leo Burmester, Todd Graff, John Bedford Lloyd, J.C. Quinn, Kimberly Scott, Chris Elliott
Directed by: James Cameron
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Science Fiction
1989

Times Seen:
Tim: 3

Summary: A group of civilians are enlisted to help locate a sunken submarine, but soon discover something unexpected in the depths of the abyss.

Review:

Tim: I have to say, I love James Cameron's movies. The guy is an incredible director and The Abyss is yet another great movie. It's stunning what this movie accomplished. It's easily one of the best movies of 1989 and it holds up exceptionally well, even decades later. The film might be a tad long at 2 hours, 25 minutes, but make no mistake- this is another exceptionally crafted film by Cameron.

I love so much about this movie. I love the isolation and the exotic quality of the deep underwater drilling platform. This gives the film an immediate advantage- how many adventure dramas take place deep below the ocean? Not very many. The movie allows us to explore an area where most of humanity will never venture- and yet, it's so close. This isn't traveling to some planet millions of light years away, it's a location that is very near yet extremely inaccessible. The setting of this film is brilliant. I loved the way this was depicted on screen. The visual effects are outstanding (more on that later).

I love that Cameron crafts this story that has so many different layers to it. You have one layer of the exotic location, the dangers of the deep ocean. You also have a thrilling adventure component of trying to reach the lost submarine to retrieve nuclear warheads. The movie is also an intense action film as our crews clash over their objectives and violence spills over into the drilling platform. And then, the most extreme of all is that this is a science fiction film and non-terrestrial intelligence plays a huge role in the story. And somehow, with Cameron's writing and directing behind it, this not only all makes sense, but it's a wildly entertaining, unforgettable story. This is a seriously underrated movie.

I mentioned the visual effects being outstanding for 1989. The depiction of the deepwater oil platform, the various undersea vehicles, the storm- there are so many stunning visual moments here. One of the absolute best is the depiction of the non-terrestrial intelligence as the moving water. It's amazing how Cameron was able to pull that off in the late 1980s. That was a remarkable achievement. It's no surprise that this film won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects- it absolutely deserved it (it was also nominated for Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction-Set Direction, and Best Sound. This is a technically strong movie).

The cast was very good, too. Ed Harris is so good in the lead role. I've always liked Harris and I love his performance here. He's charismatic yet has this blue collar everyman aspect to him that just makes you like him. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio is equally as strong. Their dynamic is one of the most memorable aspects of the film and one I thoroughly enjoyed. This might be a big visual effects movie, but Cameron wisely gives us interesting and entertaining human relationships. Michael Biehn plays his role perfectly. His descent into madness is spectacular to watch. The entire supporting cast is great, too- each contributes to the film and while there's not a ton of big names, they all add a feeling of authenticity to the movie.

The Abyss is a great movie and one that I've enjoyed for decades. This movie features so many great sequences. Ed Harris' character setting the all time depth record (and what he finds down there) is one of the highlights, but it's one of so many great sequences. Cameron has made so many great movies that this one often gets overlooked, but that is a big mistake. It holds its own.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Avatar, Aliens, Titanic