Customer Reviews

The Abyss (Full Screen Edition)

5 star:		(219)
4 star:		(78)
3 star:		(34)
2 star:		(21)
1 star:		(28)

 

 

"The Abyss" is one of the most intriguing Sci-Fi/action movies to have ever been made. From the very beginning of this exceptional movie to the end, for the first time viewer or for those that have watched it many times, it is a highly inventive and an ultimately captivating movie. Although there have been many movies made about events under the surface of the ocean, few can match up to the intensity that "The Abyss" is laden with.

One of the more intriguing aspects about the edition of "The Abyss" that I'm reviewing today or any other version that contains both the original theatrical release and the Special Edition with twenty eight minutes of additional footage is how the whole tone of the conclusion of the film changes between the two. This is not something that I wish to go in to in great detail; suffice it to say that the Special Edition gives a whole new meaning to this classic movie.

From Ed Harris to Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio to Michael Biehn and all of the other marvelous actors that performed in this film, they all deserve high praise for their collective efforts in creating this Science Fiction classic. It isn't too often that Ed Harris or Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio gets the lead roles in films but in the case of "The Abyss," they both proved that they were quite ready for such roles.

In 1984 first time director, James Cameron gave millions of movies fans just the first taste of his directing talents when he burst on the scene with "The Terminator" which started a run of extraordinarily successful movies culminating in "Titanic" which is one of the highest grossing films of all times. "The Abyss" was the third in this run of incredible movies and arguably the most intriguing of them all as the script, while being science fiction and adventure is "that much more" inventive than the rest of those films. In addition to James Cameron's exceptional talents on this film, the musical score by Alan Silvestri makes "The Abyss" that much better, greatly enhancing every scene!

The Premise:

Welcome to what appears to be the mid eighties or early nineties and we have an American nuclear submarine that is patrolling an abysmal trench in the Atlantic. Their tracking something that is going faster than anything they've ever seen before and suddenly they lose all power as the "thing" goes by; a minute or so later, all power is restored but it's too late, they slam right into the abysmal wall and the ship goes down, fortunately for them, they get a beacon off before the bridge is consumed by water... Some twenty odd miles away is a deep sea oil rig operation with a control ship on the surface and an underwater station at about fifteen hundred feet below the surface. The US Navy comes in and wishes to send a SEAL team down and use the station and the crew to find the sub...

What follows from there is one of the most intriguing, captivating and enthralling Science Fiction films ever made that only gets better every time you see it and if you've never watched it before, you will most certainly be blown away by what director James Cameron created in this film!

I highly recommend this film to any and all who are fans of Science Fiction or fans of very good dramatic films with a "splash" of Sci-Fi in them. {ssintrepid}

Special Features:

-Theatrical Version
-Special Edition with 28 minutes of additional footage.
-Audio Commentary for both versions.
-Collector's edition 12 page booklet.
-Bio's for all of the actors, director and several others.
-DVD-ROM content.
-60-minute documentary - "Under Pressure: Making the Abyss."
-James Cameron's complete screenplay.
-Multi-angles of pseudopod sequence.
-3 DVD-ROM games.
-Extensive storyboards and original concept art and more!

So disappointing! I thought this would FINALLY be the anamorphic dvd we've been waiting for, but... NO! Strange that so many "different" versions of this film have been released on dvd without the anamorphic addition. A HUGE amount of dvd buyers now own hd tv's and home theater projectors... the anamorphic aspect of a dvd is of significant importance to us!! I love this movie... what a total shame.

Dazed and confused!!!!! I feel like I am in the Abyss!!!!! What happened to the Anamorphic? The box cover even states anamorphic? What is Fox up to? I was so excited that all of the advertising for this edition stated anamorphic, but I was left so violated when I discovered that I had yet spent more money for the same version that I had on the 5 star edition. Fox please have someone check this stuff before you fool the public!

Non-anamorphic widescreen and no 5.1 dolby digital sound...what a joke.

I couldn't wait for The Abyss Special Edition to be released on DVD. I already have the Special Edition Widescreen released on VHS in 1995 with the 10 minute featurette on the making of The Abyss. But as soon as I bought the DVD - I went home to watch it. You can choose to watch the theatrical version or the Special Edition with 28 minutes of additional footage. The commentary is visable via subtitles in the black bar. Which is great. For anyone who hasn't already seen this movie - it's an action-adventure/sci-fi/romance. Basically it's for everybody.

Ed Harris play Bud Brigman, the toolpusher on an underwater drilling platform designed by his soon-to-be-ex-wife, Lindsey (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio). A US submarine sinks near Cuba & the Navy enlists the help of the workers on the drilling rig in a rescue attempt. Four Navy SEALs are sent down to supervise this mission. Headed by Lt. Coffey, played by Michael Biehn. Too bad that Coffey suffers the effects of HPNS and begins to go a little over the edge.

All this and oh yeah, there seem to be some unidentified underwater flying objects. Of course only Lindsey seems to see the & Coffey thinks they're Russian.

This movie is full of conflicts, romance, action and adventure & is one of my favorite movies. This DVD is just full of extras that I haven't even fully explored yet. Just a few are a 59 minute documentary on the making of The Abyss as well as a 10 minute featurette. There are stills, cast historys, storyboards and anything else you could ever possibly want to know about this movie. This is a must buy DVD. 20th Century Fox takes it's time and puts out first rate DVD's. The Abyss, Fight Club & Aliens are just a few examples of this. If you do enjoy The Abyss Special Edition - try these others.

You know how DVDs claim to have special features, and the special features end up being chapter selections and the original trailers - and that's it? Well, The Abyss Special Edition is a model for what special editions should be. When the movie was originally released, the studio thought it was too long and wanted it cut. So Cameron cut a whole subplot of the movie, but it turns out to be the most important subplot. So the disc not only includes the original theatrical release, but the directors cut, which lengthens the movie to almost three hours, but fills in a lot of holes in the plot. The movie, in both versions, is an above average science fiction thriller. Cameron, for all his vision and movie-making skills, is still only an above-average writer. But the DVD includes scores of information that makes the technical achievement of the film very fascinating. There are two "making of" documentaries, one 10 minutes and one 60 minutes. There are storyboards, drawings, and pages of technical information on deep sea diving. Want to know more about if the liquid breathing apparatus used in the critical section of the film is science fiction or science fact? There is a ton of information on the history of experiments in liquid breathing and the possibilities for the future. There is even a copy of the 20 minute special effects video sent to Motion Picture Academy voters to vote on Oscars for the movie.

If you like science fiction movies, you will probably like The Abyss. If you also like to know how movies are made, you will love this DVD. Any studio that calls their disc a special edition without this level of production is guilty of false advertising. The only negative is there is no audio commentary by the director or cast included.

Few other "Special Edition" discs get you as intimately familiar with a film and the film-making process as this new DVD does, though the laser disc collector's edition of TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY comes awful close. Now you fortunate DVD-player owners can get for about $30-$40 dollars what we laser disc owners shelled out $100 for years ago, plus more. A heart-pounding movie, beautifully and intricately shot under nearly impossible circumstances (it wasn't nicknamed "The toughest shoot in film history" for nothing). Part military action thriller, part love story, and all impressive, THE ABYSS SPECIAL EDITION on DVD gives you both the theatrical version and expanded version of the movie (even the laser disc only had a one-version option), documentaries (the longer one is not to be missed), and enough bonus features to monopolize your entire day. It can really take the whole afternoon and evening to see it ALL. Granted, at 171 minutes the expanded version is a bit cumbersome at times, but by then you are so engrossed you don't mind. We've all seen good-looking special effects movies undermined by a so-so script or lame acting. But THE ABYSS delivers where it counts -- solid performances and an often tense script. This is the version to own. All other versions and formats of this film pale in comparison - even the expensive laser disc version. For what you'll pay for this disc you get much more than your money's worth. This collection sets a new standard for discs with bonus features. And if you enjoyed THE MATRIX for how it took full advantage of your surround-sound system, this disc will also please. Make sure your subwoofer is turned on.

Great Story! 5 Stars
Great Actors! 5 Stars
Great Director! 5 Stars
Great Sci-Fi Movie! 5 Stars
Great on DVD? NO, NO, NO!!! Zero Stars!!! Non-Anamorphic, Non-16x9 Widescreen, Very Poor Video Transfer onto DVD, and Not on Blu-Ray yet? What the #$%*! We are living in an age of HD 16x9 TV's and this, one of the great emotionally moving Sci-Fi movies of our time is placed on DVD that is formatted for a 4x3 Standard Definition TV's? You have got to be kidding me.

Hey James Cameron and Paramount or whoever is involved in the process of bringing this great movie to DVD, WE WANT THIS MOVIE IN 16x9 HD Format OR if you won't do that, how about a regular DVD in 16x9 Format/Anamorphic and why don't you throw in a remastered video transfer while you're at it so WE CAN ALL enjoy this movie on our 16x9 Widescreen Plasma, LCD, and LED TV's and Projectors!!!

What a shame.

For those of you who loved this movie despite the corny, rather confusing ending or those who just couldn't get past the ending, the special edition finally brings justice to a fantastic film.

The special edition includes 28 minutes sliced from the theatrical version to keep the movie within a Studio accepted length. A significant portion of the additional footage comes towards the end. It explains the motivations of the NTIs (non-terrestrial intelligence), creating a much more powerful finale to the film.

In addition to the special edition film, the two discs takes full advantage of the wonders of DVD technology. A fascinating documentary takes the viewer through the extraordinary trials and tribulations encountered in the making of the film. I truly was amazed by the dedication of Cameron, the crew, and the actors to bring this film to life. Furthermore, a wealth of information is provided in storyboards, pictures, etc that would make any film student drool.

I own "The Abyss" on VHS and it pales in comparison to the DVD version. I only wish all my favorite films on DVD contained the thrilling additions this one does.

James Cameron's charachter driven film The Abyss:Special Editon at nearly 3 hours makes this a hole new film experience.Strong performances by Ed Harris , Michel Beihn , Mary Eliz Mastriantonio this new version will explain much of what the theatrical version didn't.A band of oil riggers must aid in the salvage of a sumberine down with Navy Seals joining the expiditon.But Bud played by (Ed Harris)must tackle his ex wife as well as a nuclear slavage.

In a sudden change of events the crew get caught in a giant hurricane and damages there complex.In a routine maintance check one of the crew members finds that they are not alone in the abyss they come in contact with a peacful alien race.But in the Special Editon we find that they don't have to be so peaceful but that they have no choice but to destroy us because we in turn are destroying ourselves in this incredible and inteligent special effects powerhouse of an epic. This is what science ficton is all about.

The DVD is packed with special features giving you the option to veiw the 21/2 hour version or the 3 hour version.Trailers and giving you an inside glimpse at the making of this legendary film.If you have never seen this film you will not be dissapointed because after you see it you will not want to view it any other way.A true epic.