Review of The Abyss (1989) by Emmanuel T — 10 Feb 2012

After a nuclear submarine goes missing while facing unknown danger, a civilian diving team are hired to find the lost submarine. They must also learn what the crew faced that caused their life. Let's make things more interesting by knowing the truth: they face alien aquatic species. That's right, aliens in water.

It is easy to tell that this film is very well organized. First we learn about the goals, risks, and hopes of the mission-this gives us an understanding of everything that might happen. Second we are introduced to the characters who are on the mission of finding the lost submarine, we befriend them and do not feel so lonely once the entire film is taken underwater. Characters play a big part in a claustrophobic movie such as this one, without good characters it would be tedious. And then we discover that there are actually unknown life forms living in the water (of course we already knew about this), but did we ever see them? No, we will only be seeing them after nearly 1 hour of the film. The total running time is: 138 minutes. This is why there needs to be an interesting plot, as well as interesting characters-otherwise the film itself would be a waste of time. However, some viewers may not be looking for interesting characters, and instead might be looking for sci-fi action. If so, than this may not be your kind of movie because while it is intense, there is not too much action. And this action does not involve: explosions, fight scenes, aliens chasing people in peril, nor "Bang, bang, BANG!" sort of action either. Mostly, it is more psychological action. After all, wouldn't you be deeply paranoid if you knew that there was something strange out in the water, as you are thousands of miles below? Well, some of the characters agree. Others think it's a beautiful experience, and this film is in fact very beautiful. But let's finish this review with just a few more significant words. The Abyss is a creative look into human behavior, personality, and extraterrestrial beings. However, it can often be predictable, and for some it may be a bit too long. On the other hand, this is a very well organized film that deserves to be watched.