Rating: 
Summary: One of the best movies I've ever seen!
Review: I only recently saw the abyss. My boyfriend claimed that it was a great movie but since I was never a fan of sci fi movies, I was hesitant. But when I finally gave it a chance, it blew me away. The movie is brillant. It is such a smart movie! The cast is also terrific. I could not give this movie the rating it deserves because it is that great. There is also romance in the story and thats always a plus for us girls. I also highly, highly reccommend the dvd with the original version of the script that James Cameron wrote because that is the TRUE Abyss. The theater version cut out too much crucial scenes. Watch the DVD!!!
Rating:
Summary: Underwater Thriller
Review: Spectacular underwater saga about an oil rig crew that gets involved in a perilous mission to rescue a sunken a nuclear submarine.Oscar winner for Visual Effects
Rating:
Summary: The Real Abyss
Review: You may think that you have seen The Abyss, but you may not have really seen The Abyss. If you saw the version that was originally released in the theaters (1989) and on VHS, then you have not seen The Abyss. Instead you have seen one of the greatest injustices in the history of Hollywood. That was an edited version that cut about twenty minutes out of the movie that James Cameron had originally created. As it turns out, those twenty minutes are crucial to the film. Just as crucial as the smile is to the Mona Lisa. The original edit of the movie deserves only two and a half stars. The additional twenty minutes moves the rating from two and a half to five stars (highest rating). The movie opens with an American submarine encountering a strange object moving very quickly through the depths of the Atlantic. The object causes the submarine, which is carrying multiple nuclear warheads, to crash. The military then commandeers an underwater drilling platform to assist in the recovery of the downed submarine which rests at the edge of a deep undersea trench. Military personnel are sent down to work with the crew of the platform and tensions run high. To make matters worse, the designer of the drilling platform, who is the estranged wife (Lindsey Brigman played by Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) of the platform?s boss, is along for the ride. In their attempts to survey the submarine, they encounter an apparently benign alien presence. Meanwhile, above the ocean a hurricane is moving in and tensions are running high between the American and Soviet governments. Through a series of mishaps between the crew of the drilling platform and the military personnel, an armed nuclear warhead plunges several miles down into the depths of the trench. Bud (Ed Harris) must then go on what appears to be a one-way mission to disarm the warhead. In the version originally released, Bud disarms the warhead yet appears to be trapped at the bottom of the abyss. The aliens, who we have learned almost nothing about, show up to save the day. They take him and the others from the platform back up to the surface and all is fine and dandy. I remember seeing this in the theater when it first came out. When the movie ended, I thought it was just at the intermission. I thought there was no way that they could end a movie, which had been so good up to that point, like that. But they did. As I found out later, there was more to it. The twenty plus minutes that had been cut from the original release focused more on the mounting tensions between the Russians and Americans and explained more about the aliens. This footage also contained the gut wrenching scene where the aliens launch enormous tidal waves as a threat to destroy all of the world?s major cities then halt them in mid-crest. Without this additional footage, the movie is not complete. Search out the special edition (which is the only version available on DVD). If it does not say Director?s Cut Special Edition, do not even bother with it. This version is almost three hours long (171 minutes running time), but it is worth it. There are many reasons to recommend The Abyss. Technically, it has few peers. It is scientifically accurate in what it depicts, and the special effects are virtually flawless. The story is very engaging. It unfolds slowly and smartly and takes many twists and turns. The aliens and their importance to the story are kept a mystery until the end. And the movie also has something often missing in science fiction, drama. Science fiction in television and movies often tends to be overly intellectual or overly melodramatic. The Abyss, in contrast, is a dramatic story through and through. The scenes between Bud and his wife (particularly when he tries to revive her after she drowns and when she talks to him as he descends into the abyss) are among the most engaging I have ever seen in any movie. The movie did poorly at the box office upon its original release, not surprisingly. It has since not garnered the attention I believe it rightly deserves. If you have never seen it ? see it! If you have only seen the original version ? check out the real version!
Rating: 
Summary: Ahhhh - wonderful film!
Review: The Abyss - wonderful film, the special effects, I thought, were superb. This is one film, where you can sit down, with a big bag of sweets and enjoy. Definitely one to experience.
Rating: 
Summary: Abyssmal?
Review: Walking out of the theatre upon first viewing James Cameron's mini-epic, I remember thinking what a wretched payoff to such a sensation build-up. On subsequent viewings -- and with the help of some restored footage ACTUALLY MAKING SENSE OF THE ENDING -- THE ABYSS is a far better film than I remember. Ed Harris plays a remarkable man caught in a remarkable situation, and the ensemble cast are standbys from most of the Cameron pics for the timeframe. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, in particular, has never been lovelier, and the frustration her character feels at loving a man who makes her so incensed is an emotion only a true adult can identify with. Without a doubt, every viewer can appreciate the truth: Jim Cameron had to make this film before he could go on to make the titanic THE TITANIC. So, viewing THE ABYSS as a stepping stone to a greater end, certainly helps put a new perspective on this film. Great special effects, excellent pacing, and superb editing, THE ABYSS still feels like a meal only half-prepared to me but one I wouldn't walk away from the table from. A little more meat on them bones would've made this a film for the ages.
Rating:
Summary: Good But Can Be A Bit Water-Logged At Times
Review: James Cameron's underwater sci-fi actioner from 1989,THE ABYSS, starts off with a mystery. A civilian oil rig crew, is asked by the United States Government, to assist in the search and rescue of a nuclear submarine, that disappeared. Virgil "Budd" Brigman (Ed Harris) and his crew agree to help. However, Budd gets more than he bargains for, when his estranged wife Lindsey (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), and Lieutenant Hiram Coffey (Michael Biehn), are asked to consult on the mission. It is discovered that Coffey was asked to complete a top secret mission of his own that puts everyone at risk... What the crew finds, 25,000 feet below the sea, is a force like no other. The first half of the film is a winner. Cameron matches the mystery with the right amount of action and effects. However, at one point in the film, I began to feel as though he stretched credibility a bit. Before we even encounter the sci-fi elements, one of the characters is pronounced dead from drowning. In a rescue attempt that takes far too much screen time, the crisis passes, and the character is good as new with no ill effects seconds later. The only reason I point that out is due to the fact that the same trick is used again late in the film. Both outcomes seem rather predictable and just annoy rather than entertain or add anything to the movie. Complaints aside, I still think the film is good enough to own. (As a footnote on the actors, Biehn steals the show as Lt. Coffey, and is by far the most interesting character.) Because I still think the film is worth a look and I am sucker for Special Edition DVDs, I recommend the feature-packed 2 disc set over the single disc versions now available. Not only do you get the theatrical cut of the film, but you also get special edition cut as well. The latter incorporates 28 additional minutes into the movie (both versions can be found on the 1st disc). The screenplay by Cameron and the 60 minute documentary on the making of the film highlight disc 2.[4*'s]stars
Rating:
Summary: Great DVD, superb film! Mary E Mastrantonio is outstanding
Review: James Cameron have made one of his best movies here, with science fiction, thriller, action, drama The Abyss. The movie is a classic, the cast is outstanding. Award winning special effects. One of the best moments in recent movie history is the drowning scene with Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. She is truly and great actress that i want to see more of.
The DVD is full of extras, and there are the better, "special edition" of the movie. So if you haven't seen this movie yet, buy it, becourse this is one of those DVDs you have to own!
Rating:
Summary: An abyss of special features!
Review: All DVDs should be made as this one. James Cameron has brought us so many great films and this is one of them. This movie has one of the best punches captured on film when The Hammer knocks Michael Bein on his [rear] when he is attempting to choke Ed Harris with a chain. Definately get this DVD over all other versions!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Movie, Good Transfer
Review: One of my top 100 movies (I have seen 3000 or so). This is also a good transfer to DVD. Turn out the lights and enjoy the blackness of the deep and then see the glows of the "aliens".
Rating:
Summary: "The Abyss"
Review: The Abyss (PG-13) 5/5
Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Michael Biehn, Leo Burmester, Todd Graff.
Directed by James Cameron.
Synopsis: A deep sea oil rig crew is recruited to investigate a submarine crash, but something unknown resides in the abyss.
Special Features: Original Theatrical and Extended Versions of the Film, Feature Length Commentary for Both Versions, Filmographies.
Review: One of my all time favorite films. An oil rig crew is joined by a military team to investigate a mysteriously downed sub. As they descend into the abyss they begin to realize they may be the only humans down there, but they are not alone. Sci-fi has never been better this deep social commentary was originally cut by hack producers thus again proving they know jack about films. Know it is restored in its originally intended glory. Ed Harris is as always fantastic, Mastrantonio is great, and Biehn has fun with his bad guy role. The rest of the crew excels too. Cameron is in his staple genre and he directs to perfection. As for the DVD? Should've bought the 5-star collection. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! This is a solid disc, but really this is one film worth the extra cash.
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