This is the film where a new special effects computer company showed the world what could be done. Industrial Light and Magic using a Toaster (not that sort of Toaster but a special computer based on the Amiga) and Lightwave software startled the world with their creativity. Considering that it was 1990 the effects were truly magic. People may forget the plot but surely they will always remember when a finger of water confronts the heroine and morphs into a replica of her face. A truly stunning piece of imagery.
Instead of going into outer space to confront aliens we go down into the depths of the ocean with no idea that an alien race lives in such an unfriendly environment.
A massive, underwater, mobile platform is the setting for this sci fi adventure that is enlisted by the US military (who else?) to aid the recovery of a submarine. To this end the sea bed habitat is reinforced by the arrival of a group of navy Seals, the human variety not the oink! oink! flipper clapping, ball balancing on the nose kind.
A storm topside creates havoc and a huge crane and its associated paraphernalia tumbles to the sea bed creating mayhem down there. Being science fiction then anything goes but surviving the huge pressure at the bottom of the sea by breathing water does stretch credulity to the limit. But the scene where the hero and heroine are trapped in a rapidly filling vessel with only one set of breathing gear between them borders on the possible. She opts to drowning whilst he using the sole breathing gear pulls her to the safety of the habitat to be resuscitated. A novel concept that could work in real life although I wouldn’t volunteer to be the guinea pig.
Abyss made a change from the usual sci fi stories that abound our screens and was enjoyable to watch which made the three hours seem less.
We had the usual American Army (Seals) flexing their muscles in an attempt to get the better of the aliens and failing but then that is par for the American course. Korea, Vietnam.