Customer Reviews

The Abyss

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First and foremost, I thought the Abyss was a great movie, visually stunning. Another aspect of this fantastic movie was the score, which made certain scenes that much better. At times, the score was better than a scene. Alan Silvestri is a maestro, and this was one of his better works. I strongly recommend it to people who are fans of movie scores. This is one purchase you must have.

This is just my style of soundtrack. Before the movie was over, I already wanted the score. Some people may not like it because there are parts that may be more sound effects than melodic material, but it creates a great atmospheric soundscape for the unknown regions of the abyss. There is , however, a very elegant and orchestral/choral piece that powerfully builds up to a climax of cosmic proportions. If you like this you may also like the Alien 3 and Contact soundtracks.

Buy this CD for tracks 11, 12, and 13. The finale of the score is amazing, with a powerful build-up of the choir and orchestra. The rest of the score, sadly, is a waste of time. Track 1 rips off the main title to James Horner's BRAINSTORM, before settling into a repetitive percussion motif. Tracks 3 and 7 are merely recycled from Silvestri's PREDATOR score. Everything else is simply synth droning and boring "atmosphere" music. If it weren't for the last ten minutes of the score, I would sell this disc.

The beginning of track one all the way till the percussion come in and some parts of tracks 3,5 and the whole tracks of 11,12,13 are really the main reasons to buy this soundtrack.Those pieces go deeper than the thaught of the scenes in the movie in which they take place.What I'm having trouble with is why didn't James Horner score this one I mean he scores all of James Cameron's films,oh well maby James was busy scoring another film.Anyway Alan still made a fantastic job the whole score is good,but tracks 11,12,13 are the best.

Perhaps it is the Varese label. I've watched this film tons of times at Universal Cineplex in THX and later in Century City HPS4000 sound. I'm not sure if it is the mastering of this disc that they didn't go back to a digital master or what, but sonically this disc is inferior to other soundtracks I have. As to the music, I was rather dissapointed that only a few of the tracks are great. Read the other review(by Todd).

This is just my style of soundtrack. Before the movie was over, I already wanted the score. Some people may not like it because there are parts that may be more sound effects than melodic material, but it creates a great atmospheric soundscape for the unknown regions of the abyss. There is , however, a very elegant and orchestral/choral piece that powerfully builds up to a climax of cosmic proportions. If you like this you may also like the Alien 3 and Contact soundtracks.

The music fills the theatre with a feeling of hope and accomplishment. Will give any person a lift when they need it most. Highly recommended.

It's often rumoured that James Cameron chose Alan Silvestri to score this movie, because he and James Horner had had a fallout after Cameron did all sorts of evil things to the music Horner had written for "Aliens." For a decade, the two didn't want to work with each-other, until they successfully reunited on "Titanic."

But Silvestri was not a bad substitute for Horner at all. In fact, I wonder whether Horner would have written such a memorable score like Silvestri did. Part percussion-driven, part synthesizer-atmospheric, "The Abyss" really stand out as one of Silvestri's best.

More or less, the album more can be divided into two parts: tracks 10, 11, 12 and 13 - and the rest.
The earlier part of the score is the most story-driven and varied, with some great action sequences - especially "Sub Battle" and "Lindsey Drowns," the latter having some great percussion effects where you can almost see what's happening on screen.

The later part of the album is mostly atmospheric synthesizer accompanying Bud's descend into the mysterious depths of the abyss. It's breath-taking and done right to the last note. It goes from claustrophobic to mysterious and ends in majesty with a wonderful main theme.

I remember seeing the movie as a tweenager and how awed I was at the atmosphere the music created, coupled with the photography. Buying this album will absolutely not hurt your bank account.

This one gets 4 stars - it's a classic.

Bram Janssen,
The Netherlands

The Abyss is a great soundtrack and fans of Silvestri will absolutely love. His trademark writing style is present throughout most of the score. The main reason to get this score is definitely for the last 3 tracks, especially "The Finale". In these 3 tracks, Silvestri unleashes awe and wonder and lets the orchestra and choir soar into the heavens for about 13 minutes. This material is some of the best music he has ever written and appears in compilation CDs everywhere. The "Main Title" hints at the material in the last 3 tracks and then bursts into a snare drum solo. The action music, which is also good, is trademark Silvestri with brass and percussion, present in "The Crane", "The Fight", and "Sub Battle". The real treat is the last 3 tracks, so if listening to the score from beginning to finish, be patient and wait for the last 13 minutes. It's well worth the wait!

This is a fantastic soundtrack.Try to hear it in the dark and you will have an incredible experience.One of Silvestri's best score,for this amazing film.If you like his work,this is a must have.