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One of my all time favorites.

Good start, but then it gets ruined

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

I only just saw this movie because it was directed by James Cameron. I was expecting maybe a little too much, the film was over long and boring. There is not that much too the movie, but it does have a fairly decent story line. Michael Biehn & Ed Harris are both solid in their roles. But the movie overall is a huge disappointment, if you are a James Cameron fan. I would not watch this ever again.

The Abyss certainly feels like James Cameron's most personal and low-key directorial effort. The big action set-pieces and ahead of their time special effects are still here, yet the story he's trying to tell feels much more human and conscious of its time period. It's his first film to mainly concentrate on humans and have the science fiction elements play more of a side role. On a technical and atmospheric level there is nothing to hold the film back, only Cameron himself does that with some inconsistent plotting and writing which leads to a frequently spectacular but unbalanced film. We follow the workers of an underwater oil rig as they are joined by navy seals and asked to investigate the crash site of a navy submarine and find out what caused it. The rigs designer Lindsey insists on going along despite her estranged husband Bud being the foreman. You can see that this will lead to their personalities clashing and it does which creates an interesting dynamic to the films credit. It's no surprise when we learn that something alien caused the crash, after Lindsey comes face to face with a life form that can manipulate water. This alien story works best when it's shrouded in mystery, yet I really don't like the eventual resolution to it. After a lot of interesting build-up we end on a note that feels straight out of E.T and doesn't fit the films tone at all. The real meat of the story comes when navy seal Coffey steals a warhead from the wreckage. Struck with paranoia he believes that the life form is a Russian spy and turns on the crew when they don't cooperate with his plan to attack it. The tension during these scenes is wonderful. Coffey is the most interesting character and seeing him slowly snap is disturbing in all the right ways. The clashes between him and the crew are always brimming with intensity too. The film is at its best when it lets the claustrophobia of these situations wash over it. The sense of isolation and unease does get appropriately strong, as scenes like the crew trapped as water floods in or racing to stop the warhead being launched are what really suck you in. I actually think that if the film discarded the Sci-Fi elements then it could probably work even better as a straight-up thriller.An area of weakness is in regards to the characters. Most of the crew just don't have much personality because of a lack of development and bland writing. Having characters like Hippy whose trait is being a conspiracy theorist and carrying a rat or Standing whose nickname is One Night (which is the worst excuse for a nickname you'll see) stinks of laziness. Ed Harris is solid as usual and Mastrantonio does a serviceable job, yet its relying on their acting talents to carry bland characters. The only real standout is Michael Biehn who provides a genuinely chilling performance as the paranoid Coffey.With that said Cameron's direction and staging is as impressive as ever. The set itself is simply incredible. Not only does it look gigantic, but it is lit perfectly and gives a real sense of being deep in the ocean. The special effects are impressive and still hold up well, while the in-camera effects still amaze too. I didn't think it was possible to make a fight scene between two mini-subs gripping but they managed to pull it off. There are also a number of sequences that are really deliver the tension necessary. Notably the resuscitation scene which, though a little ludicrous, is almost overwhelmingly intense and superbly acted by Harris. The same goes for Harris attempting to retrieve the warhead, it's heart-pounding in every way you could wish.When The Abyss reaches its conclusion I was relatively satisfied. It is an intelligent and frequently thrilling film based around an interesting idea. The issues arise from when that idea isn't fully realised and the writing gets in its way. When the film concentrates on offering thrills and intensity in a unique environment then it really does engage. Yet all the talk of alien life forms feels out of place in such an oppressive setting and the majority of characters aren't strong enough to really involve the audience for such a long film. In saying that I was never bored or confused by the film, and with a little fine-tuning it could have been something special.

I was only able to manage watching 20 painful minutes of The Abyss before turning it off. The dialog by today's standards was just horrific. I've watched a number of sci-fi movies from this era and none of them damaged my soul quite like this. The introduction of Lindsey Brigman was very clichéd. Yes Cameron we get it... she's the sassy intellectually gifted woman and the chief engineer aboard the submarine. With her status she's in charge of a bunch of male navy SEALS and surprise, surprise, they don't respect her.Briman's leader status is unbelievable and even her mere presence on a United States submarine is a joke in itself. Although women have been allowed to serve in the Navy for many years now, no woman ever went on a voyage in a US submarine until 26 YEARS after this movie was made!

After creating two of the most instantly recognisable science- fiction films in the 80's (Aliens and Terminator), Cameron ended the decade by embarking on a unique and original project with an underseas setting. Whilst it may not live up to some of his other action masterpieces, The Abyss remains a great adventure through it's focus on suspense and unique underwater environments.Similar to the Terminator films, The Abyss is focused on reflecting Cold War fears of complete annihilation of the human race. It is set in the midst of the cold war and the story of an oil rig crew, searching underwater for a crashed nuclear submarine and investigate the causes of the crash. To do this they must work in harsh conditions with the regular pressures of submarine work, passing hurricanes and the threat of Russians causing increasing pressure and insanity amongst the crew. Whilst on their mission they begin to realise they may not be alone there and encounter a mysterious alien species who seem to be able to control the water around them.Whilst the story is interesting at points, the film is problematic in handling it as the script is constantly trying to push the story in different directions. At times the film is very dark, with one storyline going in to the growing madness and paranoia of one of the Navy SEAL's as he is on the verge of attacking the other crew members. Then at other points it grows very soppy with the aliens friendly presence and the way they're used in the film being more reminiscent of something like ET. Particularly its ending (which I won't spoil here) does go in to gag levels of cheesiness. But whilst the films writing may be scattered at points the visuals never fail to disappoint. Whilst the film is well known for its revolutionary effects in using the first 3 dimensional CG character, what's truly impressive is the films breathtaking underwater setting. James Cameron and the crew spared no expense to create realistic underwater environments, buying a 7 million gallon tank at an abandoned plant and filling it with water. At times this way of filming led to an extremely troubled production including the likes of algae infestation and even lead actor Ed Harris almost drowning, presumably in an attempt to take method acting to the next level. But the results of this are astounding with the lighting and use of colour creating a real sense of how this submarine crew are cut off from the rest of the world. Its style is also a nice step away from the usual Hollywood blockbusters with the film favouring a slow tension building scene than the usual fast paced action movies. For example, in one of the film's best sequences Bud has to descend into the Abyss and has to deal with the pressures that such a dive would bring with depleting oxygen and difficulties in keeping consciousness. Sequences like this are both visually spectacular and more successful in putting us in the perspective of our characters and experience the same pressures they do. Whilst it's writing has its weaknesses, the visuals are truly something spectacular and deliver on creating some great moments of tense atmosphere. Beyond this the ambition and technical brilliance of the effects used in the film are truly astonishing creating the most realistic underwater environment put to screen.