Abyss, The: Special Edition (US)

9 / 10
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A place on earth more awesome than anywhere in space
Certificate: PG-13
Running Time: 171 mins
Retail Price: $34.98
Release Date:

Synopsis:
In this thrilling, underwater action adventure from writer-director James Cameron (Titanic, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Aliens), a civilian oil rig crew is recruited to conduct a search-and-rescue effort when a nuclear submarine mysteriously sinks. One diver (Ed Harris) soon finds himself on a spectacular odyssey over 25,000 feet below the ocean`s surface, where he confronts a mysterious force that has the power to change the world or destroy it.

Special Features:
Disc One:
Special Edition with 28 minutes of additional footage and original theatrical version
Text only commentary option for both versions
Collector`s edition 12-page booklet

Disc Two:
60-minute documentary - "Under Pressure: Making The Abyss"
James Cameron`s complete screenplay
Multi-angles of pseuopod sequence
3 DVD-ROM games
Extensive storyboards and original concept art and more!

Video Tracks:
Widescreen Letterbox 2.35:1

Audio Tracks:
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Dolby Digital Surround 2.0 English

Subtitle Tracks:
English
Spanish

Directed By:
James Cameron

Written By:

Starring:
Leo Burmester
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
Todd Graff
Michael Biehn
Ed Harris

Casting By:
Howard Feuer

Soundtrack By:
Robert Garrett
Alan Silvestri

Director of Photography:
Mikael Salomon

Editor:
Howard E. Smith
Joel Goodman
Steven Quale
Conrad Buff IV

Costume Designer:
Deborah Everton

Production Designer:
Leslie Dilley

Producer:
Gale Anne Hurd
Van Ling

Your Opinions and Comments

9 / 10
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!
posted by Magnum on 17/7/2000 00:32
10 / 10
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
posted by Hamill82 on 31/12/2000 12:43
7 / 10
"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.
posted by Aslan on 29/9/2002 05:31