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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
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Popularity
901 ( 638)
Won 1 Oscar. Another 8 wins & 15 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ed Harris ... Bud Brigman
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio ... Lindsey Brigman
Michael Biehn ... Lt. Coffey
Leo Burmester ... Catfish De Vries
Todd Graff ... Alan 'Hippy' Carnes
John Bedford Lloyd ... Jammer Willis
J.C. Quinn ... 'Sonny' Dawson
Kimberly Scott ... Lisa 'One Night' Standing
Captain Kidd Brewer Jr. ... Lew Finler (as Capt. Kidd Brewer Jr.)
George Robert Klek George Robert Klek ... Wilhite
Christopher Murphy ... Schoenick
Adam Nelson ... Ensign Monk
Dick Warlock ... Dwight Perry (as Richard Warlock)
Jimmie Ray Weeks ... Leland McBride
J. Kenneth Campbell ... DeMarco
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Storyline

Formerly married petroleum engineers who still have some issues to work out. They are drafted to assist a gung-ho Navy SEAL with a top-secret recovery operation: a nuclear sub has been ambushed and sunk, under mysterious circumstances, in some of the deepest waters on Earth. Written by Jwelch5742

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

A place on earth more awesome than anywhere in space. See more »


Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language and some scenes of action | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

To create the alien water tentacle, James Cameron initially considered cel animation or a tentacle sculpted in clay and then animated via stop-motion techniques with water reflections projected onto it. While looking for a company to create the effect, Phil Tippett suggested that Cameron contact Industrial Light & Magic, which had just taken its first steps into computer-generated (CG) images with Young Sherlock Holmes (1985). Visual effects artist Dennis Muren, who had been setting up a CG division within ILM, worked on the effect for nine months, with the idea to resort to claymation in case the CG effect did not work. Fortunately, the finished effect proved even better than expected, because there was no more time to try another technique. See more »

Goofs

The Statue of Liberty does not face the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
USS Montana Captain: Sixty knots? No way, Barnes. The Reds don't have anything that fast.
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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. See more »

Alternate Versions

For the original UK VHS release of the Special Edition, the "rat sequence" was poorly edited. This included an alternate shot of Monk removing the rat from Hippy's shoulder, shown at a slightly different angle and clearly unfinished as it was of poor quality. This also resulted in the entire scene being displayed at a ratio of 1.85:1, before reverting back to 2.35:1 for the rest of the film. See more »

Connections

Featured in Side by Side (2012) See more »

Soundtracks

The Walk To The Gas Chamber
(uncredited)
From The Seventh Sign (1988)
Music composed and performed by Jack Nitzsche
Courtesy of Tri-Star Pictures, Inc.
Published by TSP Music, Inc. administered by EMI Music, Inc.
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User Reviews

 
James Cameron's forgotten gem
13 June 2020 | by pmtelefonSee all my reviews

I saw "The Abyss" in the theater (Cinema City, Fresh Meadows, NY) and many times times since. I hadn't watched it in quite a while when I sat down to watch it last night. I won't wait that long to watch it again. "The Abyss" is a rock solid adventure. The action is edge-of-your-seat stuff. The emotional scenes are brutal to watch. The story moves well and the cast is very good. "The Abyss" is not as well known as most of writer/director James Cameron's other movies but it's one of his best.


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Frequently Asked Questions

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 August 1989 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

The Abyss See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

$70,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,319,797, 13 August 1989

Gross USA:

$54,461,047

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$90,000,098
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (special edition)

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)| Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1
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