The Abyss (1989)

	Directed by: James Cameron	COUNTRY USA GENRE Action/Science Fiction/Thriller NORWEGIAN TITLE Abyss RUNNING TIME 145 minutes
	Produced by: Gale Anne Hurd
	Written by: James Cameron

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Bud Brigman	Ed Harris	½
Lindsey Brigman	Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
Lt. Coffey	Michael Biehn	½
Hippy	Todd Graff

Review

The possibilities in CGI effects today are seemingly limitless, a fact which makes a film like James Cameron's The Abyss even more technically impressive. Largely filmed underwater without stunt performers, this is a unique technical achievement with a handful of majestic physical performances. Cameron isn't a director who demands the subtlest thespian performances, but he's an industrious filmmaker who makes films in which the energy and effort put into the production shine through. This is one of the aspects that makes The Abyss such an intense, high-octane and remarkably suspenseful experience. As always, Cameron deploys a collection of tough-minded, no-nonsense macho characters. His women are rarely shown embracing their femininity, and his men are always clever non-intellectuals. Initially, they border on caricatures, but as Cameron teams them up and introduces his intriguing setup, we quickly forget all that. As with The Terminator, Cameron's ability to make the most spectacular action seem perfectly logical also elevates The Abyss thematically. He intertwines high-tech realism with illusory, Close Encounters-esque science fiction in impressive fashion. The film features one of Ed Harris' finest performances – and appears to have inspired Brian De Palma's subsequent masterpiece Mission to Mars.