Review of The Abyss (1989) by Bobby B — 27 Nov 2009

One of James Cameron's best films, and certainly his most underrated. The Abyss perfectly shows off Cameron's gift for building interesting characters and ratcheting up the intensity. The Abyss does take its time to get started, but I was never once bored, because the characters are just so likable. Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrontonio play the leads, a married couple who are on the verge of divorce until all hell breaks loose on their underwater rig and they rediscover how much they love each other. The 'former couple getting back together' is a cliche in action movies, but I don't think I've ever seen it done better than here. This is easily one of the best romances I've seen in an action movie.

However, even if The Abyss did not have the wonderful acting and characters, Cameron's ambitious vision would still make this an incredibly impressive movie. It's visually stunning, with plenty of gorgeous, eerie underwater scenes, and just an unbelievably tension-filled adventure. A high level of suspense is sustained throughout, along with plenty of mystery, wonder, and beauty. The Abyss was an absolute 10/10 until the final few minutes, which is the only part of the film I'm not completely sold on. Not that the ending is poorly done, it's just too sentimental and ruins the feeling of mystery that came before - maybe it could've been a good ending for a different movie, but feels out-of-place here.

Nevertheless, I think that The Abyss is a masterpiece and all-around incredible achievement - I'm sure that I'll be watching this one many more times.