The Abyss Movie Review

When it comes to staging big action scenes involving people and hardware, director James Cameron is as good as anyone in the business. Here, he has created some brilliant underwater set pieces, but the film falls victim to its own excesses: a crippled submarine, dangerous nuclear warheads, the hurricane, the insane diver, and if those aren't enough, we've also got extraterrestrials who look like tropical fish that have swallowed Tiffany lamps. Fine performances from Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and Michael Biehn, and even better effects. The laserdisc version contains 27 extra minutes of footage; this director's cut will also be released on VHS. AKA: L'Oeuvre au Noir.

1989 (PG-13) 140m/C Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Todd Graff, Michael Biehn, John Bedford Lloyd, J.C. Quinn, Leo Burmester, Kidd Brewer Jr., Kimberly Scott, Adam Nelson, George Robert Kirk, Chris Elliott, Jimmie Ray Weeks; D: James Cameron; W: James Cameron; C: Mikael Salomon; M: Alan Silvestri. Academy Awards ‘89: Best Visual Effects; Nominations: Academy Awards ‘89: Best Cinematography, Best Sound. VHS, Beta, LV FXV