abyssdvd

Another great film from James Cameron (responsible for, of course, both Terminator films), which focuses on the idea of underwater alien beings with the power to control water and ultimately, mankind. It's a far reach from ET, it being filled with a mix of romance, tension, action...and a theoretical message. Ed Harris plays Bud, foreman of an underwater mining company. When a US Navy submarine is sunk in mysterious circumstances, Bud and his crew are selected to help with the investigation mission, along with Coffey (Biehn in a wonderfully nasty 'love to hate him' role), to see what went wrong. Along the way, NTI (non terrestrial intelligence) show up, astounding many but giving Coffey the major willies and the belief that they must be the work of the Russians, and that he must blow them up with a nuclear weapon. Underpinning the whole film is a storyline surrounding a crisis building on the surface surrounding nuclear tension - something explored in Cameron's other films such as the Terminator series, where mankind is threatened by nuclear armageddon instigated by superior technology. After sending a craft loaded with the deadly cargo down into the depths of the sea, Coffey is finally stopped by Bud and co, who must then descend the watery ravine to retrieve the nuke and stop the NTI's being wiped out.
The moral of the story is basically there may be things out there with the power to control our fate, and that we shouldn't waste time warring and feuding when there are superior things watching over us who can end our existence in a second. A thought provoking and exciting movie that uses the long running time well, especially the extended version that restores an amazing tidal wave sequence inexplicably cut from the cinema release.

Year: 1989
Starring: Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Michael Biehn
Region 2 (15)
Price: �17.99 - �24.99
Director: James Cameron
Running time: 140 minutes (theatrical version)/171 mins (special edition)
Chapter points: 45 (theatrical)/54 (special edition)
Notes: Contains two versions of film, original cinema release, and longer version with re-instated footage

EXTRA FEATURES
A lengthly two disc set with extras on disc two mainly because of the running time of the two versions of the films on disc one. The extas include a text subtitle option that runs for the length of the film and provides in effect a 'making of' or commentary in text form. This is a much underused feature and is a great alternative to a commentary. There is an in depth 60 minute long documentary covering all bases on the making of the film, as well as a shorter 10 minute feature that explores along the same lines. There are numerous short features which take you through the filming of individual sections, building of sets etc, and a good multiple angle feature for the Pseudopod sequence, showing you how water was apparently manipulated into a moveable 'worm' like creature. The entire screenplay is presented in text form, and although lengthly, is a nice touch and useful for any budding screen writers out there. A 20 minute visual effects reel is included, showcasing the effects used in the film for an award's committee, and photo gallery, biographies, trailers and biographies make up the rest of the extras. And remember the 28 or so minutes of restored footage in the film itself...its good to see deleted scenes restored for a reason and not just to pad the film out - these sequences really change the tilt of the film and add a nice sub-plot to the movie. All this makes for a worthwhile and hefty 2 disc package.