Rating: 
Summary: It will not appear good on 16x9 TVs
Review: This DVD is not anamorphic and will not play very well on your 16x9 HDTVs - which is very disappointing.
Rating: 
Summary: Dumb.
Review: Have you ever seen a movie where you want the hero to die? No? Watch "The Abyss" and you will. Anything to end this film more quickly. What was really diappointing is that it was made by James Cameron. Having seen the Terminator, which I loved, I find it hard to see how both films could have been made by the same man. Well, this was one of his earlier works. Thankfully, he learned from his mistakes. Now, why was the movie so bad? The plot is okay, maybe a little standard. An unknown object is found under the water. Some explorers go to investigate and find something very unusual. They dig deeper and discover that it appears to be a craft of some sort. No problem here. The problem comes from two or three different areas. The acting was poor. Sorry, but if the actors do a bad job, how can we enjoy any movie? The sub-plots were annoying. For example, one of the divers is divorced? from his wife, who happens to come about his ship. Of course, she is supposed to be a hard women, but he still loves her. Later in this movie his love for her, in a way, saves his life - in the dumbest way possible. Finally, the "mystery" wasn't. Everyone knows what the answer to it is at the beginning of the movie. I was waiting, hopefully, for something else to happen. It never does. Why two stars? First, don't let my genoristy mislead you. Skip this film. But, today is Christmas. More to the point, the special effects are interesting. I also thought the this movie was okay for about 30 minutes. Then it falls into cliches. So, it wasn't a total failure (i.e. 1 star), but it certainly was below average and a bore.
Rating: 
Summary: Talk about INTENSE!
Review: I STILL to this day believe the scene between Ed Harris and his wife where she intentionally drowns herself in a desperate attempt to survive an almost hopeless situation is one of THE MOST INTENSE I have EVER seen. You could almost FEEL the panic as she succumbs to her situation. Underrated at best, 'The Abyss', whether you add the deleted scenes (which really DO add to the story) or not, this is a fantastic story of intelligent life living on planet earth for just as long as we have (who knows, maybe even longer?). I STILL have a problem with the ending. Its as if Cameron came out and wrote and directed a great story which had no ending, but in order to wrap up filming, he tied up some loose ends WAY TOO QUICKLY. For instance, when everyone finally notices they are at the surface of the ocean instead of at the depths, the explanation for why they didn't suffer from the bends was something like this: "They musta DONE somethin' to us!" C'mon! Is that the BEST you could've come up with when you've got a budget of millions of dollars?? Aside from the contrived and on the whole totally unbelievable ending, 'The Abyss' IS in fact a great adventure worth the ride, and the DVD version only enhances an already great movie (except for the ending, of course). By the way, 'The Abyss' SCREAMS for a sequel, don't you agree? PLEASE!! If for nothing else than to explain exactly WHAT was found under the water, where they came from, and a few other questions I've come up with over the years.
Rating:
Summary: The Director's Cut does nothing for this movie.
Review: Even with the new scenes, this movie is still long, drawn out, and full of characters we don't care for. It shows what an over-rated film maker Cameron really is.
Rating: 
Summary: not the best by james cameron
Review: but quite the adventure for sure. it isn't james cameron's best work. i don't think it deserves five stars just because it played too much on the cold war, which just ended after the movie came out. that's all.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible movie, fantastic Special Effects, Excellent Story
Review: This was and is an excellent movie. The special effects are absolutely fantastic. Several plot lines weave together to make this movie riveting, surprising, and fast paced. Its only drawback is the length, it is over 3 hours. If you have the time then spend it on this movie, it is just well worth the investment.
Rating:
Summary: Better ending, better movie
Review: The Abyss fell into the Abyss because it was chopped to fit the time length of movie theaters, making it another ho-hum trapped-under-the-sea flick, with some aliens. When you finally see that the world is on the verge of nuclear destruction and that the ocean-bottom aliens are fed up, that the movie makes sense and takes on an entirely epic meaning. Now it becomes a GREAT movie. There are 2 scenes in the movie that are noteworthy, one belongs as one of Hollywood's single most powerfullest, perhaps it is THE most powerful single scene ever filmed. That is when Mary E. M drowns herself to save her husband played by Ed Harris and he wills her back to life in a flood of tears. This scene alone, even if the rest of the movie is truncated, makes it worthwhile. But the director's cut then shows why later on when Harris dives into the Abyss--a metaphor on life----to deactivate a nuclear bomb with no chance of getting back before his air runs out, this is the second most powerful scene. As Harris descends, deeper, deeper, Mary E. M in tears says goodbye to her husband. The Aliens see this unselfish courage and love and decide to give mankind a second chance. I second the motion. Real people do such things in real life. They call of their imminent destruction by tidal waves etc. Buy the director's cut, watch the film as it should be seen and enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Deep Sea Adventure for True Romantics
Review: James Cameron has developed a reputation for turning out first rate action films. OK, on one level, he does that. However, if one examines his total output, it becomes obvious that the man likes love stories. I haven't been able to find one of his films that does not fit that description. Case in point: THE ABYSS. The movie opens as a nuclear submarine is caught in the wake of an object moving at incredible speed through the water. The sub regains navigational capabilities too late to prevent disaster. Since a hurricane is on the way (Mr. Cameron does lay it on pretty thick), timely rescue from the surface is impossible, so an underwater drilling rig is dispatched to provide assistance. The crew of the rig is to be under the supervision of Navy SEALs. Sounds like a pretty good premise for an action movie so far, doesn't it? Well, the SEALs arrive with the soon-to-be ex-wife of the drilling rig commander and the story takes a turn from that point. I won't give away too much. Just know that I don't shed too many tears in action films as a rule. This is an exception. Get it. You won't be sorry.
Rating:
Summary: When will the special editions stop?
Review: James Cameron is clearly the Werner Herzog of today's modern action film. He never does things halfway and weather you like his films or not you have to respect his courage. I personally love "The Abyss". It's my favorite Cameron film because it typifies his work. The acting is top notch and all out heart. You never hesitate for two seconds when Ed Harris or Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio step onto the screen. That's because Cameron creates the most realistic environment for his actors to work in. If your characters supposed to be stressed then he's gonna make sure to do something that reflects that on the screen. He dosen't pull any punches and I think that's why he's such a love him or hate him kind of filmmaker. In the case of "The Abyss" I got both sides. The original film is offered on the first disc. It's a great movie about and underground oil facility that has to rescue a downed American sub. The military gets involved and like most movies that's when things go wrong. I won't go any further than to say that the film does enter "E.T." terrain. The performances are outstanding and the cinematography and effects are Cameron's typically brillant standard. The second film....well, here's the delima. Every time a special edition comes out you get a taste of the good and the bad. A lot of times the extra footage is great, but there's always that one scene that just dosen't fit and you think to yourself "That should've stayed on the cutting room floor!" With the special edition of "The Abyss" I thought I had finally found the perfect special edition. That was until the end. I won't tell you what happens but it angered me so much that I hated the rest of this film. I will say this. The last guy I need telling me that we are a waring race and that peace is the only way possible is James Cameron. This is the guy who made "True Lies" and "The Terminator". He's killed more men than Cecil B. DeMille. I know I shouldn't be angry when someone offers hope and peace to the world but I can't help but wish it wasn't Cameron. Also, like the thumbs up at the end of "T2" this was just way too sappy for me.
Rating:
Summary: Get Thee Immersed
Review: A military submarine encounters an unknown presence in the depths of the ocean, and meets with disaster.
The submersible oil rig Deep Core just happens to be in the area, and its crew, led by Bud Brigman (Ed Harris) are called upon to assist a group of Navy Seals to investigate the fate of the sub. Unknown to Brigman, the Seals, led by the intense Lt. Coffey (Michael Biehn) have an agenda of their own ..... and Coffey doesn't seem to handle the underwater pressure too well. Meanwhile, Brigman's soon-to-be-divorced wife Lindsey (M. E. Mastrantonio), who technically owns Deep Core, is on hand to make sure her investment doesn't get monopolized by military interests. Add to this already volatile mixture a nasty tropical storm that ends up severing the crew's connection to the world above, inflicting crippling damage and literally perching all on the edge of catastrophe, and you know there's a rough ride ahead.
And oh yes: there is the matter of those funny illuminated shapes zipping around in the deep at impossible speeds.
A reviewer above referred to this lengthy underwater sci-fi epic adventure as "ponderous". Nonsense. From the opening sequence of the doomed sub crew exchanging panicked looks of knowing they will not survive, the viewer is involved, and after a leisurely half hour of character and setting development, the relentlessly unfolding story gets its hooks into you and doesn't let up for an almost unbearable two hours of nail biting tension. There are sympathetic characters (even the villain, in his own way), superb cinematography and sound, a moving, lush score by the great Alan Silvestri, and much high emotion in the midst of the action ..... some may be moved to tears at times.
With this film, James Cameron cemented his reputation as not only the action filmmaker with heart, but a consummate visionary and storyteller, making risky investments for a project which, surprisingly, has taken awhile to truly find a wide audience. Almost as involving as the film itself is the featurette included on this DVD, "Under Pressure: Making the Abyss". Director, actors and crew alike are subjected to the many challenging ordeals of filming a predominantly underwater action opus,and all performances hit the mark, an admirable feat under the circumstances.
This edition of "The Abyss" is a prime example of what the DVD technology has to offer the home video medium: a thriller with a message that is not just a Guy Film, and all the informative extras a movie buff could want, and then some. This one goes to the desert island with me, so long as I can bring my Trinitron. A true piece of digital literature.
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