Rating: 
Summary: Does calling the DVD 'Incredible' do it Justice?
Review: When I'd first heard that Fox's transfer would be widescreen but non-anamorphic I was thoroughly disappointed... until a trustworthy friend urged me to take a look at it. I did. And he was right. It looks and sounds astounding. Crisp and sharp and oh, so very blue. It's a great image. And the audio is fully enveloping. The two-disc set is also just mind-boggling in the extras department. I didn't know where to begin. Amazing. Incredible. Along with Criterion's edition of "Brazil" this is just about the cream of the DVD crop.
Rating: 
Summary: Underwater Thrills!
Review: While this under-water epic concentrates more on the action/suspense sequences it does have some nice sci/fi plot elements. A technical marvel with breathtaking visual effects and sound. The action sequences are intense and very well done, what else can you expect from James Cameron, one of the best action directors of our times. The story is great and so is the acting. The fantasy and sci/fi elements are fascinating but are put beside to concentrate on the suspense. Great special effects and suspense make this one definitely worthwhile. From a scale of 1-10 I give this film a 7!
Rating:
Summary: Best of the Best
Review: This movie is spectacular. Great story, great acting, and great special effects. This movie has some of the most powerful scenes I can think of. The scene of Bud (Ed Harris) and his wife trying to decide who gets the helmet for air while the submarine fills with water is incredible. Just as incredible is, what I believe to be the climax, when Bud descends down into the abyss. This is perfect filmmaking in my eyes. Not to mention that this DVD has more extra features than anyone would ever need, including an incredible documentary. I would HIGHLY recommend this DVD to anyone that came a-knockin'.
Rating:
Summary: THE ABYSS IS DEFINETLY AN EXPIEREINCE LIKE NO OTHER
Review: I rented this movie at Blockbuster once (in Special Edition widescreen VHS) and thought, I wonder what the theatrical version is like. Six months later I pull out my friends old Abyss Special Edition Laserdisc. We start watching it. About an hour and a half later, I go to bed. I tell my friend about how that movie should be on DVD, and suprise! Its realeased in a month! I rent it, then buy it! This is an amazing DVD! GET IT! By the way watch both endings, and compare. Also (if you have DVD-ROM) look in the Imaging station on disc two to find a face hugger from "Aliens". Select it. Also on Abyss-In Depth Operations, above the wave you see a jet, select it and watch.Also see the documentary. Multi-angle seen is very cool too. Having two versions of a film is also neet. Look for hidden trailers. Theatrical version is OK. It doesn't have a point to it. Special Edition version makes the film flow much more smoothly. Mainly because of the wave scene. Disc ranking: 9.3
Rating: 
Summary: Amiss with the Abyss
Review: The amount of work that went into this film merits a 5 star. There are lot's of features to look at and that helps. I did watch the part that has all the actors responding to the movie. It did make me appreciate their efforts. It was a good movie, but as the guy with the rat in the movie said, " We went from underwater drama to E.T. " The ending was pretty crummy. Most movies either live or die because of their endings. This ending crushed all their efforts. It is worth renting, but not a great movie.
Rating:
Summary: Great movie, and the best DVD in my collection of 130
Review: First of all, if you have only seen the theatrical cut of The Abyss, the special edition is a must-buy. The 30 minutes of cut footage transforms the film into a different genre almost. Both cuts are interesting and both are included on the disc with seamless branching- flawless on my player.The features are the star and they don't disappoint- the list on Amazon's description doesn't do the disc justice. Highlights include the hour-long in depth documentary and pages and pages of technical information. A very through look at this wonderful film- watch for a T2 special edition later in the year from the same DVD producer (who also worked on the ID4 SE DVD).
Rating:
Summary: Dive in to the extras for a tedious film
Review: I was first attrcated to this DVD by the wealth of extras , having never seen the film before. I'm not a great fan of Cameron, but credit where credit is due, he really knows how to handle the underwater scenes. The film itself is odd...the Special Edition is definitely an improvement, but you get to the end and say - so what? The 'message' is trite and bloody obvious, and the aliens are surprisingly dull when on screen. What makes it is the insanity of Michael Biehn's character and the conflict between the trapped workers. It's not a classic, but the extras on the DVD are worth a look. Unfortunately, a lot of them are just writing, accessible by the old 'delayed' movement between screens, making it excruciatingly boring when trying to read them. DVD's aren't really there for pages of script, so thankfully there are lots of other supplementals like the hour-long documentary which is fascinating, and the multi-angle scene which is great fun (NB - Multi-angle here means flick between storyboards and special effects layers, not camera angles, so bear that in mind). A great package for a mediocre film, which, as every DVD fan knows, is usually the case.
Rating:
Summary: All DVD's Should Be This Good
Review: "The Abyss-Special Edition" shows off the capabilities of DVD. There are over 3 hours of extra features including two "Making Of" documentaries. The best feature of this disc however is that you have the option to watch either the theatrical version of the film or the 171 minute director's cut, both on the same disc. I can only hope that when other studios bring out movies on DVD they can put a much time and effort in to their DVD's as 20th Century Fox put in to this disc.
Rating:
Summary: The Abyss - Special Edition
Review: One of the best movies for home theatre systems due to the quality of sound engineering. You'll be really happy you bought that active sub-woofer. As a bonus, it is a good movie that still stands up well in spite of its age (1989). Special Edition features a great documentary on the "making of" that is worth the price of admission.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible value, but not picture perfect.
Review: First of all, let me make it clear that I would love to give this DVD five stars, however, small flaws prevent me from doing so. Features: The content included on the double disc pack is absolutely incredible. The inclusion of both the directors and editors cuts along with the documentary and storyboards shows a real attention to detail on behalf of the producers of the DVD. The documentary is both entertaining and informative, worth a couple of viewings alone, and puts other "featurettes" to shame. Picture: My only gripe is with aspects of the picture quality. The dark tones and subtle contrast of the underwater scenes do exhibit a digital "feel" at times. Although the effect is quite subtle, it is far more apparent than what you would expect from a production of this calibre. I watched the film on a 21" Sony TV, and, given a larger widescreen model, I do think there is a distinct possibility of the digitization being distracting at times. Overall, although I have only given this DVD 4 stars, I do have to recommend it strongly. The design and content of the disc illustrate exactly what the DVD medium should always offer. In terms of production, it puts the additional features of most DVD's to shame. Having said this, I cannot ignore the small flaws in picture quality, which have marred and otherwise perfect production. -Richard Shaw
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