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IMDbPro

The Abyss

  • 1989
  • PG-13
  • 2h 20m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
184K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,586
193
The Abyss (1989)
Theatrical Trailer from 20th Century Fox
Play trailer2:47
2 Videos
99+ Photos
AdventureDramaMystery

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, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.5/10
    184K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    2,586
    193
    • Director
      • James Cameron
    • Writer
      • James Cameron
    • Stars
      • Ed Harris
      • Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
      • Michael Biehn
    • 501User reviews
    • 94Critic reviews
    • 62Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 9 wins & 15 nominations total

    Videos2

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

    Photos247

    Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio in The Abyss (1989)
    Ed Harris in The Abyss (1989)
    Michael Biehn in The Abyss (1989)
    Ed Harris and Joe Farago in The Abyss (1989)
    The Abyss (1989)
    Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio in The Abyss (1989)
    The Abyss (1989)
    The Abyss (1989)
    The Abyss (1989)
    The Abyss (1989)
    The Abyss (1989)
    Jimmie Ray Weeks in The Abyss (1989)

    Top cast

    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
      Real oxygenated fluorocarbon fluid was used in the rat fluid breathing scene. Dr. Johannes Kylstra and Dr. Peter Bennett of Duke University pioneered this technique and consulted on the film, giving detailed instructions on how to prepare the fluid. The only reason for cutting to the actors' faces was to avoid showing the rats defecating from momentary panic as they began breathing the fluid.
    • Goofs
      While Lindsay's drowning scene in the submersible was obviously played for dramatic effect, if they were really concerned about reviving her it would have made much more sense for her to take a deep breath and for Bud to then immediately began towing her back to the rig. She would have then drowned on the way there and there would have been less time between her drowning and the start of the resuscitation attempt, thus increasing the chance that she would be successfully revived.
    • 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 reviews501

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    Epic original sci-fi adventure with a lot of heart, action, suspense, and brains
    The Abyss is one of my all-time favorite sci-fi films. It mixes hard science with abject fantasy to make moral and philosophical points about the human condition and our place in the universe without the usual clichés. And it does so with good dialog, strong characterization, and intensely emotional acting. Harris and Mastrantonio are absolutely electric together and dominate the screen, but the entire cast deserves plenty of credit. The production itself is mesmerizing despite its vast scale and tastefully used special effects. The film is long, but worth every second of the experience, and the slightly lengthier, more detailed Special Edition version is even better than the original.

    Ostensibly, this is a film about first contact with non-terrestrial intelligence. But the story allegorically deals with an amazing array of themes common to great dramas - violence, love, capitalism, war, courage and cowardice. The hardest, most obedient soldier in the film, played spectacularly by Michael Biehn, is a coward, and a man who is hopelessly in love with his estranged wife (Harris) turns that love into an act of suicidal heroism which might unintentionally save the world. And yet nothing is exactly as it seems to be, and there are really no spoilers in this review. There are so many subtle and sensitively developed themes in this film that it is hard to imagine a more epically human drama in the sci-fi genre. Even so, this is a film which entertains at every level, and will satisfy the action fan as much as the wannabe film critic. ;-)

    Most of the film takes place on an experimental submarine drilling platform owned by a petroleum company. A nuclear sub has been lost in "the abyss" - a subduction trench near the Caiman Islands - after encountering an impossibly fast object. Soon, the US military commandeers the platform and its command ship - The Benthic Explorer - to attempt a rescue mission. As everything begins to go wrong, and the encounters with strange phenomena continue, the Navy SEAL in charge of the rescue attempt begins to crack. Meanwhile, on the surface, accusations concerning the sub are escalating between the USSR and USA, and nuclear war seems immanent. This describes just a small segment of the deliciously complex plot that unfolds in The Abyss. You'll have to see it to enjoy the rest.
    helpful•48
    13
    • mstomaso
    • Jul 5, 2005

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    FAQ16

    • When will there be a Blu-ray release?
    • What is "The Abyss" about?
    • Is "The Abyss" based on a book?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 9, 1989 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Abyss - Abgrund des Todes
    • 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
      • $54,461,047
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $9,319,797
      • Aug 13, 1989
    • Gross worldwide
      • $90,000,098
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 20 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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