IMDb > The Abyss (1989)
The Abyss
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The Abyss (1989) More at IMDbPro »

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The Abyss (1989) -- A civilian diving team are enlisted to search for a lost nuclear submarine and face danger while encountering an alien aquatic species.
The Abyss (1989) -- MattTrailer.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
7.5/10   45,441 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 5% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
James Cameron
Writer (WGA):
James Cameron (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Abyss on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
9 August 1989 (USA) more
Genre:
Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller more
Tagline:
There's everything you've ever known about adventure, and then there's The Abyss. more
Plot:
A civilian diving team are enlisted to search for a lost nuclear submarine and face danger while encountering an alien aquatic species. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Won Oscar. Another 4 wins & 12 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(45 articles)
Birthday Suits: Giant Sized Edition
 (From FilmExperience. 17 November 2009, 11:05 AM, PST)
Cameron Receiving Ves Lifetime Achievement Award
 (From Get The Big Picture. 15 November 2009, 8:05 AM, PST)
User Comments:
Good Sci-Fi Flick more (323 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Ed Harris ... Virgil 'Bud' Brigman

Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio ... Lindsey Brigman

Michael Biehn ... Lt. Hiram Coffey
Leo Burmester ... Catfish De Vries
Todd Graff ... Alan 'Hippy' Carnes

John Bedford Lloyd ... Jammer Willis
J.C. Quinn ... Arliss 'Sonny' Dawson

Kimberly Scott ... Lisa 'One Night' Standing
Captain Kidd Brewer Jr. ... Lew Finler (as Capt. Kidd Brewer Jr.)
George Robert Klek ... Wilhite

Christopher Murphy ... Schoenick, SEAL Team Member

Adam Nelson ... Ensign Monk, SEAL Team Member
Dick Warlock ... Dwight Perry (as Richard Warlock)
Jimmie Ray Weeks ... Leland McBride

J. Kenneth Campbell ... DeMarco
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for language and some scenes of action. (special edition)
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
138 min | USA:171 min (special edition)
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (DuArt)
Aspect Ratio:
2.20 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby SR (35 mm prints)
Certification:
Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (special edition) (2000) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Canada:AA (Ontario) (special edition) (2000) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) (also special edition) | Canada:PG (Ontario) (original cut) | Portugal:M/12 | Malaysia:U | South Korea:12 | USA:PG-13 (Certificate #29764) | Brazil:Livre | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-14 | France:U | Iceland:12 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 (special edition) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | West Germany:12 | Netherlands:AL (special edition)
Filming Locations:
Harbor Star Stage, San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, USA more
Company:
Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
During the resuscitation scene, Ed Harris wasn't acting to Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio in many of the shots. He was yelling at thin air. During the scenes she did appear in, Mastrantonio stormed off the set because the experience was so traumatic. She learned afterwards the camera was out of film and had to do it over again. more
Goofs:
Factual errors: Although, of course, all the equipment and terrain is fictional and only subject to fictional physics, it is intuitively extremely unlikely that something the size and weight of the fallen crane could pull something the size and weight of the rig along the sea bed, especially when the cable is draped over the edge of the cliff and the crane is presumably bumping along the rocky cliff wall. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
USS Montana Captain: Sixty knots? No way, Barnes. The Reds don't have anything that fast.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in The Making of 'Tremors' (1998) (V) more
Soundtrack:
Too Much Pressure more

FAQ

I've heard that the set with the Deepcore rig still exists; is this true
Why did they delete the alternate ending (with the tidal wave) from the theatrical version? That was exactly the point that the aliens in the movie were trying to make!
Why was there no blood after Coffey's ship implodes in the abyss?
more

User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
10 out of 11 people found the following comment useful.
Good Sci-Fi Flick, 31 December 2003
8/10
Author: travisimo from Saint Anthony, Idaho, USA

I've never really heard of The Abyss except in Fox DVD commercials. When it came out, I was only 8 and not into sci-fi movies that weren't titled Star Wars. However, now I decided to check it out and was quite pleased with this solid sci-fi movie.

At first, I wasn't quite sure why this was considered sci-fi. It seemed pretty normal with the sinking of a nuclear sub and the hiring of an oil crew to save it. It wasn't for a while till we really got to meet the "extraterrestrial" creatures. The special effects for representing these characters were quite good, and I especially liked the water creature that toured around the rescue vessel. It's also neat to see that effect inspire a similar one used in Terminator 2.

As I said, the story took a little while to gain steam, but it was pretty interesting from then on. The acting was good too, most notably by Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. The other actors didn't do anything really extraordinary but serve as solid supporting characters.

Overall, I wouldn't say The Abyss is the best sci-fi movie out there or that it will dethrone Star Wars anytime soon, but rather it's a solid addition for any sci-fi fan's collection.

My IMDb Rating: 8/10. My Yahoo! Grade: B+ (Memorable)

Was the above comment useful to you?
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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Abyss (1989)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
For the divers out there Thephantomharpoonist
The Resuscitation Scene nuajer
How did YOU rank the Abyss? terminatorguide
100 things I learned while watching The Abyss n1ckwo1f
Drowning scene question (spoiler) dsmithgeo
the blue hand dario_van_kuschn
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