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| Ed
Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Michael Biehn |
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Anamorphic
widescreen |
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Dolby Digital
5.1 |
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DTS |
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Trailer(s) |
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Featurette(s) |
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Documentary |
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Audio commentary
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Deleted scenes
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Concept art
/ storyboards |
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Multi-angle
feature |
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'So
raise your hand if you think that was a Russian water-tentacle.'
A
team of off-shore workers are recruited by the military to assist in
investigating a sunken nuclear submarine on the edge of an immense underwater
abyss.
An
'underwater adventure' that might have been the hit Titanic turned
out to be had it cast two teenagers in the leads and understood that
the climax should be at the end rather than two thirds into the film.
Apart from that, all of the tricks Cameron utilized to such spectacular
success on the big boat movie are here in spades: narrow escapes from
rapidly flooding cramped interiors, spectacular underwater photography.
The Abyss however feels at the same time more adult and more
misjudged than Titanic. The dialogue is much better -- it could
hardly be worse --and the characters are somewhat more believable. Yet
at the same time, both plot and structure of this action-epic-with-a-message
are so full of holes that it's a miracle it fails to sink a lot sooner
than it does.
 As
it is, the first hour is simply astonishing, a clever, breathless plunge
into mysterious underwater happenings, with Mastrantonio remarkedly
well adapted to the testosteron-heavy atmosphere. The whole thing starts
coming apart though from the moment events are (more or less) explained.
This is also the starting point for Michael Biehn's Nicholsonesque descent
into campy, rolling-eyed madness. Along with his loss of sanity, the
plot loses all sense of credibility, ultimately leading to the No Nukes
aliens appearing in the Least Spectacular Mothership Of All Time. The
Special Edition version adds another 50 minutes or so and features more
build-up of character, but also a rather embarassing expansion piece
for the finale. This only further demonstrates the silliness of the
film's central idea, one that was lifted directly from the stolid classic
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) and the even sillier Plan
9 from Outer Space (1953): 'Stop building nuclear weapons, insignificant
humans, or we will destroy you with our awesome powers.' |
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The
Region 2 Benelux release has only a French language DD 5.1 sound mix,
the English soundtrack is (bafflingly) only available in DD 2.0. Many
of the extra features and all the Easter Eggs from the Region 1 version
are also missing.
The
movie is letterboxed at 2.35:1 and is unfortunately not anamorphic.
The picture is however very good for a non-anamorphic transfer, with
good definition and deep black levels.
The Dolby Surround 2.0 sound mix is a disappointment, especially as
a French-language 5.1 mix has been included that is clearly much stronger
and better defined in its sound stage.
The
most interesting item on the second disc is the hour-long documentary
on the making of the movie. The Abyss was probably the most problematic
major movie shoot since the legendary production problems on Jaws,
and watching the wealth of material shot during this process and listening
to the cast and crew recount some of their stories is a riveting tale.
The outstanding depth and wealth of information from the R1 version
is sadly lacking on the Region 2 (Benelux) release. The extensive menus
of items to choose from have been severely cut down and limited almost
exclusively to audiovisual segments, missing almost all of the in-depth
textbook approach. It's also a pity to see that the facehugger Easter
Eggs have been disabled, as have the trailer/movie poster jokes. The
menus are very nicely done. All available features on both discs
are built into a 3-D rendering of the Deep Core station used in the Abyss.
The menu options are organized in a striking and original way and display
remarkable consistency. Keen eyes will also be able to pick out several
easter eggs related to Cameron's other films in and around Deep Core.
Dan Hassler-Forest
Reviewed: 2001
Click
here for IMDB info on The
Abyss .
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to return to the front page.
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