Abyss, The: Special Edition (US)

When I saw this film back when it first released I can`t say I wasn`t disappointed!
I went in expecting `Aliens` meets 20,000 leagues under the sea!
What I got instead was a wonderful (if slightly overlong)film about people and how they get along under pressure!

This is such a moving film in all aspects!
The amazing effects(even by today`s standards), only served to enhance the tension action thrills spills and genuinely human emotion.
Bud fighting to bring back Lindsey is an all time high for me!
The extra scenes (just like in Aliens) make then film even better!

The Documentary - Under Pressure is a great movie in itself!
The Trivia Subtitles(never seen it done like that before) Almost as good as a commentry.

A truely great DVD - but why not make these discs double sided instead of having two discs in a big box!

Best movie of year 1989 and one of the greatest of all time.
Abyss is a real classic and it`s got a great transfer to dvd.
You can watch both version of the Abyss, the Theatrical ver & Special edition.There`s so much extras and easter eggs that you have to spend all day to look them all.The best dvd of year 2000.

28llimaH[at]moc.liamtoh

"The Abyss" tells the story of a deep sea oil rig called "Deepcore" in which oil drillers literally live and work on the floor of the ocean. With sophisticated technology and a variety of small submersibles they live in a world of their own, a cold world of omnipresent and eternal darkness.

The 2-disc DVD set 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is presenting here contains two separate cuts of the film in a so-called multi-story presentation that utilizes DVD's branching capabilities to hold both versions of the movie on a single dual-layer disc. One of them is the theatrical cut while the other one is the special edition version that adds almost 30 minutes of additional footage to the movie, giving it a very different atmosphere in the bigger picture. Both versions are excellent and well worth seeing, although I personally prefer the longer special edition cut as it puts more emphasis on the characterization of some characters, and because of the clearer social message it sends in the end. The branching itself is implemented absolutely flawless and is practically seamless without notable delays that can be found in some other releases that use the same technology.

Although there is no doubt The Abyss is first and foremost and adventure, it doesn`t sacrifice integrity for excitement. While viewers can expect some fantastic action sequences and underwater stuntwork (usually performed by the actors themselves and made to be as true-to-life as possible), it is carefully tempered with drama. The movie spends a generous amount of time getting the viewer used to the characters and their individual personalities.

"The Abyss" is a fascinating movie and this special edition gives you the chance to see it in all two incarnations, supplemented by an unbelievable wealth of additional material. It is without a doubt the best release of the movie ever. Although I do feel it is slightly overated.