The Abyss (Special Edition)

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Summary: THIS FILM IS AN ENIGMA....
Review: FIRST, LET ME PRAISE THE TECHNICAL PROWESS AND THE HARD WORK OF THE CAST AND CREW THAT WENT INTO PRODUCING "THE ABYSS". I COULD NOT HANDLE MAKING A CHARACTER FILM LIKE THIS ON LAND...YOU PUT IT UNDERWATER, AND WOW...IT IS QUITE AN ACHIEVEMENT. AS OTHER VIEWERS HAVE COMMENTED, THE CHARACTERS ARE DRAWN VERY DEEPLY. YOU REALLY KNOW THEM QUITE WELL (WITHIN THE BONDS OF FILM) BY THE TIME THE "ACTION" STARTS. AND I AGREE WITH MADCAPLAUGHS, THERE IS A PARTICULAR SCENE THAT SHOULD BE MATERIAL FOR THE ACTORS STUDIO...IT IS THAT WELL DONE. BUT THE FILM LOSES A STAR FOR SEVERAL MOMENTS THAT ARE EXTREME ON THE CORNINESS SCALE. AND THE END HAS PROBLEMS, ESPECIALLY THE "DIRECTORS CUT". BUT THE PROS FAR OUTWEIGH THE CONS. THIS IS A MOVIE-LOVERS MOVIE. CAMERON DOES NOT INSULT OUR INTELLIGENCE, BUT HE DISPLAYS A TENDENCY CONTINUED IN TITANIC TO PULL AT THE "HEARTSTRINGS" JUST A LITTLE TOO HARD. COMMENTS WELCOME AT [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: Buy it now
Review: Everyone who likes sci-fi movies must add this excellent DVD to his/her collection.

The movie has great ideas which are well presented. Besides this DVD has an excellent work in the special features and offers an excellent sound quality.

This DVD offers the Special Edition of the movie, with 28 minutes of added footage.

The story is original and although you can see better special efects now a days, you can notice an excellent work (taking in consideration that the movie was made in 1989).

The story presentes the possibility that an advanced alien race could be living in our oceans.

The movie doesn't have too much action (it does have some, but not as an essential part of it), instead, it has a deep meaning and a little suspense, the scenes are well written and worked.

Rating:
Summary: Movie excellent - but why no Standard version?
Review: Yeah...Yeah... The movie is great. The added scenes were nice and more informative, especially towards the end. This is the kind of movie you can watch over and over and see new things on every viewing. The detail, story, acting and bonus materials are all top-notch. But I see here that some people are complaning about the added scenes... well, duh, that's why both the theatrical AND special edition versions are included.

Like many other Cameron Films, it was shot in Super 35, not Widescreen. So the best way to view this movie is in the standard 4x3 acedemic format... which is sorely missing from the DVD. I would think that with movies shot in Super 35, they would have standard AND anamorphic widescreen versions. Instead they just give you the letterbox version, which only serves those that have $5000+ 2.35:1 Big Screen TVs-- and even those few people are missing the upper and lower halves of the movie! I know people, who are screaming for widescreen on DVD, may object to 4x3 - but do an internet search on "Super 35" and you'll see why it's much better to watch them on a standard TV. So it's a pity that you'll have to wait for it to come out on TV just to see those parts of the picture. I realize that you can't please 100% of all the people all the time, but by just having the letterbox versions on a special edition DVD shot in Super 35, they are really making it better for less than 2% of the people!

Rating:
Summary: Very good film and very good DVD
Review: The film itself is very good, the story is engaging and the effects are excellent. There are two versions presented, the original theatrical and a longer version with cut scenes. Both are good, but I prefer the cut scenes version since it fleshes out the ending better.

As far as extra material, this set is full of them. The production notes are very complete, and there are a number of items on how they filmed and all the troubles thay had. The drama of actually making this film at some times exceeds what ended up on screen.

If you have seen this film and liked it then get this DVD for all the bonus materials, it is still a bargain at the price. If you have never seen the film, get this DVD and you will enjoy it, plus you have about 10 hours of material to watch so plan on taking some time to devour it all. If you like the art of filmaking and learing how it all happens then this DVD is one you should have.

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Summary: The Best movie about underwater contact
Review: To some extent we can pretend that we know what's like experiencing something in space. But underwater, we know what type of equipment to use and how far we can go. Excellent movie!!!

Rating:
Summary: The Abyss
Review: I saw this movie just a coulple of weeks ago and really liked it. This weekend I'm buying both the origanal and the specil edition! RENT IT!

Rating:
Summary: Not for this century!
Review: After reviewing the encouraging reviews I decided to buy the movie and see it for the first time. To tell you the truth I was not impressed at all. This movie might have been something extra ordinary back in the 80s but if you see it now for the first time you'll be very much disappointed!

Rating:
Summary: DVD the way it always should be!
Review: James Cameron is a great writer and director, and The Abyss is one of his best works. I could tell you all about the story, the cast, the performances, the special effects but there plenty of reviews here that cover that stuff and I am in agreement with the majority. The reason I am adding my opinion to this is that I want to point out why this DVD edition is superior to all others. The 1st disk offers you a viewing choice of either theatrical release or special addition (go with the latter). While this is standard fare, the menu is exquisite! Before watching the movie I went straight to the extra materials and I was amazed. In exploring the 2nd disk of extra material I found more information than I could have imagined. Behind the scenes footage, documentaries, stills and storyboards are just the tip of the iceberg! I really enjoyed the 7 minute time-lapse construction of the underwater set (uniuon work never went so fast before... lol). There are hidden movie trailers for other Cameron works (True Lies, Aliens and Strange Days) and it can become a fun obsession trying to find them all. The DVD has an amazing interactive menu that begs to be explored, and the additional content goes beyond any other DVD I have seen or purchased! In my opinion, this is why the format is superior to all others and The Abyss has finally received the treatment it deserves. This one is a keeper!

Rating:
Summary: Get this edition to see how Cameron really wanted the movie
Review: This special edition shows what was cut out of the theatrical release. I won't spoil the plot for you but suffice it to say that much of the point of the movie is different. The documentary shows how hard it was to make this movie. If you thought you liked the theatrical release wait till you see this.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best movies ever made
Review: This has to be one the best movie ever made. The characters are likeably, it has a good story, good action, and a love story. Overall this is a great movie that everyone should own.