Customer Reviews
Superb viewing.... - By: S. Marsh, 02 Jun 2008 
Just want to say that this film stands the test of time for me. It is heartwarming, the special effects reallly work even today & its watchable over & over again....Just one thing, do watch the directors cut, or special edition, as I think that the cuts that were made to the original movie do remove quite a lot of the message of the film & without that, you miss the point somewhat.
Imaginative, touching, and almost complete... - By: T. Clarke, 08 May 2008 
The Abyss is one of the those accomplished films that may have well been produced in an era gone by, for now attempts of the 'same old formula's' are chugged out right, left & centre. The Abyss, however, is completely original in it's own right. With beautiful underwater photography, fantastic camera-work that sets the tone for enclosed cabins or the vast openness of the ocean, this was surely ahead of it's time. I.L.M (Industrial Light & Magic) were in Co-Production for this movie & produced the scenes in which the computer meets real live acting; alll done perfectly, I might add. They also helped produce Terminator 2, which as we alll know still looks passable today.
Like a few other viewers, I've always felt the ending is somewhat 'open' & a bit blunt... This is, however, typical of any Sci-Fi/underwater film in which the producer has hundreds of options as to how to wrap up a vast story.
Their are 2 editions of this DVD; a Special Edition with 2 discs, & the Single Disc version. Both have the exact same covers so watch out & look for the edition banner on the top/bottom of the sleeve!
The ending doesn't let this film down in anyway. It always leaves me day-dreaming as to the possibilities of what lives miles down in the ocean floors... I thank James Cameron for his ability to tap into your emotions to pull that off, & for a smalll price, this DVD should be in anyone's collection!
Camerons second best. - By: Mr. P. S. Bond, 14 Dec 2007 Of course i mean 'Aliens' to be the first, but this doesn't falll too far behind.
I mean, yeah sure it's melodramatic as hell & the message it carries is about as subtle as being slapped in the face but it is hugely entertaining, the special effects are fantastic even by todays standard & its entertaining as hell. Should be a lot more popular than it is.
GREAT EFFECTS AND STORY - By: Nevs, 29 Sep 2007 For once, the aliens don't want a meal, to take over the world or to scare the hell out of us.
A deep sea mission to recover a sunken nuclear submarine faces disaster as a storm above them has cut off alll contact with their support ships. As the base begins to flood the crew come face to face with things unknown. The SEAL team tasked with recovery of the nuclear warheads on the sub suspect 'commies' & seek to detonate a warhead, denying the bad guys the remaining nukes, but vapourising everybody in the process.
However, the UFO's are a race of intelligent aliens, living miles beneath the opcean, 'The Abyss', where man cannot & has not explored. The alien race come to the aid of the team. Stunning effects abound.
A STUNNING SCI-FI UNDERWATER ADVENTURE - By: stuart, 07 Aug 2007 When I first saw James Cameron's The Abyss & immediately I was struck by it. It was the film that made me realise that I was a fan of Cameron's work, however I was deeply surprised to find that the film is not regarded as the classic it so rightly is.
What Cameron has done is to create a science fiction thriller that is epic on every level. The story, especiallly in the director's cut, is one that goes beyond being a bottom of the ocean/alien film, it becomes a deep message for why we should try to live in peace & how we should respect each other as a race (maybe George W Bush should be made to watch the film, maybe he might learn something), but amazingly, amongst alll the superb visual effects (the birth of CGI) & fantastic underwater cinematography, Cameron creates characters that we come to care deeply about. He doesn't forget that for something epic to be truly moving, he needs to have three dimensional characters that we want to see alive at the very end & here he has more than succeeded. Giving us a love story (of sorts) before Titanic was even a possibility, he creates an estranged relationship in Bud & Lindsey's faltering marriage & makes us hope for a Hollywood happy ending, one we thankfully get.
The supporting cast & characters are also fantastic here. Hippy, Jammer, Catfish, One Night & Coffey also get a chance to be fleshed out & alll have their moments & even though he is, essentiallly, the villain of the film, Cameron even makes one feel sympathy for Coffey is that nightmarish final moment he has as he faces death.
I love the film & I make no apologies for it. There are many who have problems with the film, I know, but I just have a soft spot for any film that Cameron makes. His mixture of fantastic & ground breaking visual effects & his talent as one of the best storytellers in the movie business today always combine to give us a journey we never forget & with The Abyss alll those abilities come to the surface (pun unintended, I swear). Even better is the Director's Cut of the film that gives Cameron a chance to flesh his story even more making the film one that is epic & which gives us a message that, while some may find preachy, in today's day & age is highly relevant.
Fantastic in every regard.
