The Abyss

PG-13

Released Aug 9, 1989

2h 19m

Sci-Fi

Adventure

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List

89%

55 Reviews

Tomatometer

83%

100,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio are formerly married petroleum engineers who still have some issues to work out. They are drafted to assist a gung-ho Navy SEAL (Michael Biehn) with a top-secret recovery operation: a nuclear sub has been ambushed and sunk, under mysterious circumstances, in some of the deepest waters on Earth.

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Critics 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.

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W S B

One of my top 10 films of all time, finally mastered to modern a/v standards! I love the special edition of this movie so much that I haven’t watched it in almost 20 years, because it’s never even gotten a proper anamorphic transfer, much less an HD remaster, and I won’t watch it in inferior quality. James Cameron has finally given us the 4K iteration of this film (and True Lies) that we’ve waited for. I’m thrilled to have gotten to see it on the big screen, the way he intended it to be seen. When the digital release hits on 12/12/23 (or best yet, the UHD disc release on 3/12/24), DO NOT sleep on this!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/07/23

Full Review

Steven

Wonderful. James Cameron was already thinking in 3D — every scene just has so much depth, it’s hard to describe.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/07/23

Full Review

Edward W

The Special Edition is my favorite movie of all time.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/07/23

Full Review

Seth C

One of Cameron's best films. Amazing use of practical effects as well as ground breaking cgi that still (mostly) holds up today.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/07/23

Full Review

john k

Great movie. The big screen with Atmos is the best way to see it

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/07/23

Full Review

M

The theatrical experience of THE ABYSS (SPECIAL EDITION) trounces and shames all other options available. Choose wisely.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/07/23

Full Review

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James Cameron

Director

Ed Harris

Virgil "Bud" Brigman

Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio

Lindsey Brigman

Michael Biehn

Lt. Hiram Coffey

Leo Burmester

Catfish DeVries

Todd Graff

Alan "Hippy" Carnes

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The Abyss: Trailer 1

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Duane Byrge

Hollywood Reporter

Colossally ambitious, this logistically boggling and technically brilliant film from writer-director James Cameron is a visual tour de force, featuring overall, the greatest underwater sequences ever seen on film.

Mar 10, 2015

Full Review

Variety Staff

Variety

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

Jun 19, 2008

Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

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.

Rated: 2/4

Jun 6, 2007

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

The Abyss works so well as a straightforward thriller that the e.t. angle, basically Close Encounters of the Nautical Kind, almost feels like an afterthought.

Rated: 3/4

Apr 22, 2024

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Even as The Abyss is Cameron’s least successful film in terms of profits—a bar he usually sets to record-breaking heights—the film negotiates his recurrent themes and lifelong fixations with more effort and sensitivity than any other in his career.

Rated: 4/4

Mar 27, 2024

Full Review

Preston Barta

Fresh Fiction

While some elements are repetitive, it’s exceptional that the alien aspects are pushed to the back burner in favor of a more human story. It's not Cameron’s best, but it highlights his capabilities within the action-thriller genre.

Rated: B+

Jan 9, 2024

Full Review

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Synopsis

Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio are formerly married petroleum engineers who still have some issues to work out. They are drafted to assist a gung-ho Navy SEAL (Michael Biehn) with a top-secret recovery operation: a nuclear sub has been ambushed and sunk, under mysterious circumstances, in some of the deepest waters on Earth.

Director: James Cameron
Screenwriter: James Cameron
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Pacific Western, Lightstorm Entertainment
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Sci-Fi, Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 9, 1989, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 30, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $54.3M
Runtime: 2h 19m
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, Magnetic Stereo 6 Track, Surround, Dolby A, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: 70mm, Scope (2.35:1)

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