The Abyss (1989)
Cameron staples: Tough woman, Nukes, Aliens, Underwater Shots
IMDB Rating: 7.5
Academy Awards Nominations: Visual Effects (win), Art Direction, Cinematography, Sound
The Abyss is much like the rest of James Cameron’s films. It has laughable dialogue and a cliche ridden plot, but it is balanced out by superb action scenes, groundbreaking visual effects (in 1989), and unbelievable tension. What Cameron pulled off with the underwater action scenes is stunning to this day. There are probably five or six sequences in the film that rank it as one of the most intense Sci-Fi movies of all time. It also helps that the cast of characters is so likable. Ed Harris gives one of his best performances, and the supporting cast works well despite the cheese coming out of their mouths. The only caveat is a predictable villain, but that’s easily ignored.
In my opinion The Abyss is not quite the classic that Aliens and T2 are. While the action and pacing is perfect through the first two-thirds of the film, the ending kinda falls apart for me. It’s not the a fault of the film. It’s more of a problem of me not liking where the story goes in the final 30 minutes. That said, I still think it’s a great movie. The thrill of action sequences alone makes it a near classic. It is worth noting that I’ve never seen the Director’s Cut of the film, which some people say is the superior version. I’ll give it a look some day.