Rating: 
Summary: Deep Sea E.T.
Review: I've always wondered what's "really" underneath all that ocean water that covers three-fourths of the earth's surface. Could there be more than just the critters that adorn my plate when I visit Red Lobster?Well, I must confess, I just lied: I really don't think about things like that, but James Cameron's handsome film THE ABYSS certainly tweaks at my brain matter and introduces a most interesting story that we humans are not even alone on our own planet when it comes to intelligent life. Yes, we have drama: a downed nuclear sub deep in the ocean, an underwater oil exploration platform hijacked by the feds to go on a rescue mission, and a Navy SEAL commander just itching to go bonkers. We also have a failed romance suddenly rekindled, even though it's beyond me why anyone would want to light a fire with grouchy engineer Lindsey Brigman (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), but for whatever reason ex-husband Bud Brigman (Ed Harris) does. And then we are treated to magnificent underwater camera shots, high-tech gadgets and machines, and special effects as only James Cameron can paint on celluloid. As viewers, we are asked to jettison our common sense to the high seas as we watch people swim thousands of feet underwater without protective gear, but that's okay: the assault on disbelief is only beginning. With escalating tensions between the U.S. and the old U.S.S.R. coming to a head, the pesky human race suddenly receives an eye-opening comeuppance by a superior form of intelligent life that comes up from the abyss to paternally warn us to knock it off. Lesson learned, planet saved. I'll have the shrimp scampi with extra sauce.
--D. Mikels
Rating: 
Summary: Boring and Dull
Review: Can't see the big deal about this movie. Although the story and special effects are somewhat creative, the acting and film is just plain boring and dull. A lot of shouting matches and action yelling without much significant dialogue. Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio's spousal spasms were just plain irritating. The best acting was by Michael Biehn who played the paranoid Navy SEAL. The movie takes too long to get to the point and there isn't much going on in between those long plot lags except those annoying shouting matches between Ed and Mary: one can watch Jerry Springer free for that. A nice try by Cameron but certainly not one of his best works. Worth renting if you have nothing else to watch and you have a lot of time on your hands.
Rating: 
Summary: "When you look long into an abyss,
Review: the abyss also looks into you" This is what a summer blockbuster should be. Groundbreaking special effects. Great acting. A WONDERFUL plot. Suspense, romance, drama. And of course aliens. The movie starts out with the crew of an underwater oil-drilling rig being signed on to help investigate the sunken wreck of a nuclear submarine. But it sank in territory under dispute, and international relations are tense. And then a hurricane hits (almost destroying the rig, killing people), and then the air starts to run out. And then aliens start to show themselves. And then the movie REALLY kicks into high gear, as an increasingly psychopathic Navy Seal decides to blow up the aliens. This leads to a fantastic chain of events where people on the rig will have to a. break out of confinement and swim without scuba gear across freezing water b. fight the marine hand-to-hand c. fight the marine in submersibles d. drown in order to save themselves, and finally, (in a move that really pushes the tension off the scale and the movie off the abyss) d. drop straight down an abyssal trench to the bottom of the sea (to disarm a nuclear weapon). Amazing stuff. This movie manages to blend all the elements of a great movie and succeeds at being (in my opinion) perfectly balanced. The tension is starting minutes into the film and just keeps building until the awesome ending. The extra footage seen in the special edition (to which I always refer) adds tremendously to the film (unlike many so-called special editions that really just add back filler). Little things that happen in the beginning of the film keep coming back to effect things later. What really makes the movie for me, though is the way that the once cut opening quote works on so many levels. The rig is stationed right next to a literal abyss. But the abyss can also signify the personal fears that everyone has to face. When you are pushed off the edge, and must face your worst nightmares, what will you find? Will you lose your sanity and destroy yourself and others? Or will you find the deep inner strength and all the good things that were lying dormant inside yourself? That's what this movie is really about to me. Pretty deep for a sci-fi thriller, don't you think?
Rating:
Summary: "Keep your Panty Hose On"
Review: Director James Cameron sends us on a sci-fi adventure under the ocean!
Under the ocean, Buddy runs an underwater mining rig. The rig drills for oil for a company. Soon the rig is ordered to look for a downed submarine, and a couple of SEALs is sent to the rig (along with the one-time wife of Buddy) to help look for the submarine. Coffee (The leader of the SEALs) goes crazy and vows to destroy the "russian boogey" that is being sighted around the downed submarine. A good sci-fi adventure, although the ending is a little weak.
Rating: 
Summary: Re-release of classic two disc set
Review: The Abyss became James Cameron's lost masterpiece. The film was cut for theatrical distribution because of Cameron's contract with the studio (it stated he could have final cut if it came in under a certain time limit). Thus, a whole subplot became a buried plot. This re-release of the classic two disc set has the extended version and the original theatrical version on the same disc. It also has a huge amount of extras on the second disc. The difference really comes down to the packaging; The Abyss is now in a digipak two disc set. Both the political conflict raging up above the stranded submersible oil rig and the first contact with the aliens below benefit from the enhanced screen time. While it's clear that Cameron was trying to make something of a political comment within the entertainment, it still doesn't come through as anything more than "all you need is love, and if you don't find it fast we'll blow you away" variety. So, perhaps we should be thankful that while the message isn't necessarily better, the entertainment sure is. The performances of all the principle actors enjoy the enhanced screen time as well. Ed Harris and Michael Behn both give very different but powerful performances. In this film Behn isn't the hero but an insane wannabe hero who falls victim to his own paranoia. The disc itself appears the same as the previous edition. I didn't notice any improvement in picture quality or the interactive menu. The packaging is less sturdy than the previous edition. Of all the films to re re-released as a two disc set, this film and Cast Away deserve to be presented in the two disc format. While the re-release of Planet of the Apes has oodles of extras, it's a pitiful excuse for a film. ID4 is entertaining but really doesn't deserve the extra disc space.
Rating:
Summary: They had me till the end
Review: The first time i saw this I walked out thinking, "what a stupid ending!" But I saw it again, and remember that i was loving this movie right up to the end. I just didn't like the end. So, we'll say here that for the first 80% it is a 5 star movie, giving it 4 stars. Hey, maybe you'll like the ending better than we did in the household far far away.
Rating:
Summary: One Of The Greatest DVDs Ever Created!
Review: I'd never seen this film, but I heard it was directed by James Cameron, the master behind both TERMINATOR films and ALIENS, three of the all-time great science fiction films. So I went ahead and picked up a copy of this two-disc set (this site says it's out of stock, but I found it at Costco for $16.99) and prepared to immerse myself into what other reviewers had called a masterpiece. And I was not disappointed; this movie IS a masterpiece! It's so incredibly suspenseful and so loaded with pulse-pounding action that it really is difficult to remember to breath! The visuals are also some of the most spectacular I've ever seen! From "grittily realistic" futuristic underwater hardware to heavenly aliens and alien craft, this film boggles the mind. I mean, this was made fourteen years ago, and it beats the s#%t outta some of the stuff they're plaguing theaters with today! I wish I could've seen this on the big screen...... THE ABYSS is far more than just an action flick, however. It's an incredibly moving love story as well, and packs an equally powerful dramatic punch. The acting is first-rate by all involved, and Alan Silvestri's sweeping score enhances the film's adventurous feel. I must note that the film DOES take a rather sudden turn at the end, and it's as if we're suddenly watching CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND. This change of pace may be too quick for some; but the more you watch the film (I bought it four days ago and I've already watched it twice), you don't really seem to notice it anymore. In fact, it only gets better with every viewing, as does the rest of the film. THE ABYSS is an underwater epic like no other, and it's certainly a milestone in the history of motion pictures. From reviews on this website (as well as others), I was expecting a very solid DVD presentation. But never in my wildest dreams had I expected anything like this!!! Not only is it the second best DVD I own, it is also one of the finest ever made! I've heard that the film is only presented in a non-anamorphic form, but even if I did know what that means I wouldn't be able to tell the difference. The picture and sound are both a solid 10! And the extras...........WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! To attempt to go through it all in one sitting would not only be ridiculously stupid, but uttery impossible as well! First off, the menus are some of the all-time greatest ever made. Am I repeating myself? It's hard not to with a set like this! Anyway, though the hour-long documentary is very well-done, it was the massive collection of production notes entitled "THE ABYSS In Depth: Operations" and "Mission Components", which cover every aspect of the film, that I found to be the set's highlight. I know, I sound crazy: production notes outdoing an actual documentary?! Yeah, right! But low and behold, it has been done. I mean, THIS THING IS HUUUUUUUUUGE!!! And every single bit of it is fascinating. It would be awesome if they released it all in a paperback book format. Yes, it's THAT good! Aside from those, there's plenty more to find on this set...so much that it would be futile to attempt to name them all and do them all justice. As well, this is any Easter Egg lover's dream come true! Sure, they're all only trailers for other James Cameron film projects (ALIENS, TRUE LIES, and STRANGE DAYS), but the whole fun of Easter Eggs is finding them, right? It's really fun here (hidden "facehuggers" everywhere)! Truly, only my Special Extended DVD Edition of THE LORD OF THE RINGS surpasses this set (in terms of quality of both movie and extras), and that's saying a lot right there! So do whatever it takes to grab ahold of this Special Edition DVD of THE ABYSS......I'd easily pay twice as much as I did to get this DVD! P.S. Amazon labels this as a part of Fox's "Five Star Collection" DVD titles, but there is no sign of that anywhere on this set. It stands out on its own as not only a milestone of a movie, but a milestone of a DVD as well!
Rating:
Summary: Best DVD docummentary yet !
Review: Regardless of how much I love this movie, it is the extras in this edition that really surprised me. The 1 hour docummentary has got to be best I've seen in a DVD yet and the reason is very simple: few filmakers have gone through such lenghts to bring their vision to the screen as James Cameron has with the Abyss. To think he went even further with Titanic ! It's a shame that DVD edition is so very plain.
Rating:
Summary: "The Abyss" Single Disc Edition--Misleading Advertising !!!
Review: Just want to make you all aware that the single disc edition for the DVD THE ABYSS has misleading sound options.The back of the disc jacket states that English 5.1 sound is available.When you engage the menus only English or French surround sound are available.I blew my stack when I noticed this and now I am stuck with an inferior product.
Rating:
Summary: The Abysmal
Review: Spectacular!... until the "goody-goody" ending... ah, I still love this movie.
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