The Abyss is my most favorite movie, partly because James Cameron is my favorite director, but more than that it is the sheer awe that the world of the film creates which is greatly more impressive than many other sci-fi thrillers that have followed it. Although the director may be more famous for the technical achievement of ’’Titanic’’ and the action of ’’The Terminator Series’’ but this movie is simply unmatched in its quality.
The story revolves around a team of underwater oil drillers(lead by Ed Harris in a riveting performance) that finds out that their rig needs to be used by the Navy to run a mission to investigate the sinking of a U.S. submarine. What first seems like a pretty routine mission begins going very wrong, very quickly as nuclear warheads rescued from the sunken sub become part of the equasion. While the team is underwater, a strange being makes its presence known and one by one, the team begins to believe that they are not alone.
Although this was a very tough production, James Cameron did a phenomenal job under those conditions. I loved ’’Titanic’’, and I praise James Cameron for what he was able to accomplish with that film(and he’s a brave guy for wanting to go back into the water after the problems of this production), but for some reason I simply find ’’The Abyss’’ more entertaining. Once the film really begins to get intense, the tension that the film builds is enormous - and it’s because we care about these people. These are great performances. This is a gigantic picture for its time, and the and its performance is excellent.
The underwater photography by Mikael Solomon (director of ’’Hard Rain’’) is spectacular. THE ABYSS is a film with a dominant blue tint and those portions of the photography come off the best. It is handled remarkably well and makes the underwater footage look great. It has a claustrophobic look overall.
The sound design is absolutely fantastic on ’’The Abyss’’ creating a full-throttle ride during some of the more intense action sequences. Surround use is frequent and effective, as well, bringing the viewer even further into the underwater environment. There are also many instances of deep, strong bass. Give particular attention to the scene when the crane breaks away from the Benthic Explorer. The sound of the mechanics of the rig put you right there.
Set Design is excellent. The special effects, which now seem dated, were pioneering at that time. The alien effects are superb. Another integral part of the film is the awesome score by Alan Silvestri. His use of the chorals is simply brilliant and gives an ecclesiastical feel to the music.The score is rich and heightens the experience.
But the film belongs to James Cameron, you can never imagine this film being made by any other person, save him. He is the man! Dive into ’’The Abyss’’