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IMDbPro

The Abyss

  • 1989
  • PG
  • 2h 20m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
200K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,366
377
The Abyss (1989)
Trailer 1
Play trailer1:59
3 Videos
99+ Photos
Sea AdventureAdventureDramaMysterySci-FiThriller

A civilian diving team is enlisted to search for a lost nuclear submarine and faces danger while encountering an alien aquatic species.A civilian diving team is enlisted to search for a lost nuclear submarine and faces danger while encountering an alien aquatic species.A civilian diving team is enlisted to search for a lost nuclear submarine and faces danger while encountering an alien aquatic species.

  • Director
    • James Cameron
  • Writer
    • James Cameron
  • Stars
    • Ed Harris
    • Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
    • Michael Biehn
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.5/10
    200K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    1,366
    377
    • Director
      • James Cameron
    • Writer
      • James Cameron
    • Stars
      • Ed Harris
      • Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
      • Michael Biehn
    • 547User reviews
    • 92Critic reviews
    • 62Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 9 wins & 16 nominations total

    Videos3

    The Abyss
    Trailer 1:59
    The Abyss
    The Abyss
    Trailer 2:47
    The Abyss
    The Abyss
    Trailer 2:47
    The Abyss
    'The Abyss' | Anniversary Mashup
    Clip 1:21
    'The Abyss' | Anniversary Mashup

    Photos252

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    + 245
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    Top cast40

    Edit
    Ed Harris
    Ed Harris
    • Bud Brigman
    Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
    Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
    • Lindsey Brigman
    Michael Biehn
    Michael Biehn
    • Lt. Coffey
    Leo Burmester
    Leo Burmester
    • Catfish De Vries
    Todd Graff
    Todd Graff
    • Alan 'Hippy' Carnes
    John Bedford Lloyd
    John Bedford Lloyd
    • Jammer Willis
    J.C. Quinn
    J.C. Quinn
    • 'Sonny' Dawson
    Kimberly Scott
    Kimberly Scott
    • Lisa 'One Night' Standing
    Captain Kidd Brewer Jr.
    Captain Kidd Brewer Jr.
    • Lew Finler
    • (as Capt. Kidd Brewer Jr.)
    George Robert Klek
    • Wilhite
    Christopher Murphy
    Christopher Murphy
    • Schoenick
    Adam Nelson
    Adam Nelson
    • Ensign Monk
    Dick Warlock
    Dick Warlock
    • Dwight Perry
    • (as Richard Warlock)
    Jimmie Ray Weeks
    Jimmie Ray Weeks
    • Leland McBride
    J. Kenneth Campbell
    J. Kenneth Campbell
    • DeMarco
    Ken Jenkins
    Ken Jenkins
    • Gerard Kirkhill
    Chris Elliott
    Chris Elliott
    • Bendix
    Peter Ratray
    • Captain
    • Director
      • James Cameron
    • Writer
      • James Cameron
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Very few scenes involved stunt people. When Bud drags Lindsey back to the rig, that's really Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio holding her breath. When the rig is being flooded and characters are running from water, drowning behind closed doors, and dodging exploding parts of the rig, those are all actors, not stunt people.
    • Goofs
      When the divers are swimming, you can see bubbles with every breath, meaning that they are on an open-system (i.e. scuba). However at that depth (2000ft), a standard scuba tank would be exhausted in under two minutes, or much less with any kind of exertion.
    • Quotes

      Lindsey Brigman: We all see what we want to see. Coffey looks and he sees Russians. He sees hate and fear. You have to look with better eyes than that.

    • Crazy credits
      In the cast list, Super Seal Rover is credited as Big Geek and Mini Rover Mk II is credited as Little Geek. These are the actual models used for the unmanned submarines.
    • Alternate versions
      The end credits were famously shortened to run under 5 minutes in 1989 in order to hit a target runtime and maximize daily showings; doing so also made the crawl almost illegibly tiny and fast. The credits on the extended edition were almost 10 minutes, with a bigger and slower crawl, and extended/alternate music. Several home video releases of the theatrical edition on laserdisc and DVD actually use the newer credits, so they are not entirely faithful! One VHS tape (Fox Video Selections 1561), at least, uses the original short credits; though the tape is formatted for 4:3, the credits merely gain picture information above and below the intended window (which, for some reason, is very high up in the frame after the first few names). However the new HD master, which has popped up on a few HDTV broadcasts (like Cinemax) go back to the original shortened credits, plus is in the original theatrical aspect ratio, making it the most faithful version available.
    • Connections
      Edited into No Feat But What We Make: 'Terminator 2' and the Rise of Digital Effects (2003)
    • Soundtracks
      Willing
      Written by Lowell George

      Performed by Linda Ronstadt

      Courtesy of CEMA Special Markets and Capitol Records, Inc.

    User reviews547

    Featured review
    7/10

    A thrilling adventure in the deep

    There was a time, way back in the '80s - before James Cameron suffered head trauma and devoted his life to Avatar - when the man made blockbusters that had a humanity at their core; something instantly relatable despite the sci-fi setting. The Abyss is one of those, with Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio reconciling their failed marriage amidst mortal peril. Indeed, they're trapped miles beneath the ocean's surface, negotiating nuclear warheads, attacking subs and a hair-triggered Michael Biehn.

    Cameron creates a realistic environment that still feels otherworldly, populates it with real people and ratchets the tension to unnerving heights. The effects are fantastic, ast are the performances and - as scary as this place is - I would easily come back to revisit.
    • Mr-Fusion
    • Nov 5, 2021
    • Permalink

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    FAQ10

    • Is this available on blu-ray?
    • Where does the story take place?
    • What is "The Abyss" about?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 9, 1989 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • L'abysse
    • Filming locations
      • Cherokee Nuclear Power Plant, Gaffney, South Carolina, USA(two tanks - underwater scenes)
    • Production companies
      • Twentieth Century Fox
      • Pacific Western
      • Lightstorm Entertainment
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $70,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $54,981,151
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $9,319,797
      • Aug 13, 1989
    • Gross worldwide
      • $90,520,202
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 20 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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