Review of The Abyss (1989) by Jay R — 14 Oct 2009

A high octane, nail biting, and emotionally engrossing epic under the seas. It's a mixture of Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Alien, except everything is underwater. Despite all of the obvious science fiction, there is nothing fictitious about the human drama, the A grade acting and the smart script.

Ed Harris is electrifying as Bud head of the underwater base. But it is really the special effects, the action and the sci fi elements that shine in this movie. The movies does go a bit overboard at the end, but name a James Cameron movie that doesn't.

It has the same claustrophobic feel of Alien and the same secluded factor as well. These characters are enduring bad luck and timing, and the result is a wrenching underwater suspense movie. I can only imagine how difficult this was to film.

Virtually everything takes place underwater. The movie however is a bit suffocating at times, stuffing too many things into too little amount of time. That is probably why the length of this film is so long.

There are many great moral messages and while it is far from being a masterpiece, this is fantastic entertainment. The human drama element of this movie only adds to my liking of it. James Cameron has another win under his belt with his intense and claustrophobic direction.

He really gets you in with these people for the 2 and a half hours with very few dull moments. Its frightening, awe inspiring, and mesmerizing. A great film indeed. Thumbs up!