Subject: RETROSPECTIVE: THE ABYSS: THE DIRECTOR'S CUT (1992)

From: [email-masked] (Mike Watson)
Date: 28 Apr 1997 16:09:18 GMT

THE ABYSS: THE DIRECTOR'S CUT
                       A film review by Mike Watson
                        Copyright 1997 Mike Watson

DIRECTED BY:	James Cameron
SCREENPLAY:	James Cameron
STARRING:	Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Michael Biehn.
RUNTIME:	164 minutes
RATING:		4 out of 5

****WARNING: SPOILERS****

This reviewer is ignorant of what hands were responsible for
delivering the original version of THE ABYSS in 1989.  Whether it was
the meddling of studio executives, or the work of writer/director
James Cameron himself, the original cut of this underwater sci-fi
thriller was entertaining enough but also quite seriously flawed.  The
main problem was fairly simple: the film's climax was unworthy of its
build-up.

Someone at 20th Century Fox - and no doubt Cameron himself - must have
agreed, because in 1993 came the theatrical release of THE ABYSS: 
THE DIRECTOR'S CUT.  Now available on video, it seems timely to
re-evaluate what, in its newly revamped state, is now a
near-masterpiece despite its borrowings from films like 2010: ODYSSEY
TWO, ALIEN and CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THIRD KIND.

The plot is thus.  We meet the crew of an experimental underwater
mobile oil rig designed by the hard-nosed Lindsay (Mastrantonio) and
captained by her soon-to-be-divorced husband Bud (Ed Harris).  The rig
and its crew are diverted from their normal duties when the Navy seeks
their help in investigating the mysterious sinking of a U.S. nuclear
submarine.  Requiring a dive part-way down a three mile deep trench,
three Navy divers arrive to command the operation, led by the edgy
Lieutenant Coffey (Biehn).  But a series of strange sightings soon
convinces at least one member of the civilian crew that whoever or
whatever they're dealing with, as she memorably puts it, "aren't
speaking Russian".

Meanwhile on the surface a hurricane is brewing and, even worse, a
series of incidents around Cuba involving Russians ships and an
increasingly nervous U.S. Navy sets off an international crisis of
possible catastrophic proportions.  This crisis is mirrored in the
confines of the now isolated underwater rig, with the trigger-happy
and increasingly paranoid Lieutenant Coffey at odds with the crew
about how do deal with the mysterious goings-on around them.  The
human drama is often riveting, with the principal players performing
with an intensity that recalls the fine ensemble acting in Cameron's
ALIENS.

The stunts, hardware, special effects and underwater cinematography
are all outstanding.   And so they should be: Cameron's technical
credentials are well established.  But what ultimately makes the film
so gripping is three intersecting plot strands: 1) the tension between
old sparring partners Lindsay and ex-hubby Bud;  2) the war of wills
between the civilian crew and the Navy divers as a series of
escalating crisis' befall them; and 3) the slowly unfolding revelation
of what lies at the bottom of the three mile deep abyss.

THE ABYSS: THE DIRECTOR'S CUT is an improvement on the original film in
two major respects.  One is that it further fleshes out the
relationship between Bud and Lindsay, a relationship at times
touching, at others incredibly intense and volatile.  The second
improvement is the restoration of some absolutely crucial scenes
towards the film's end, when the aliens demonstrate their control over
water with a terrifying and extraordinary display of power to a world
on the brink of nuclear war.  With the inclusion of these startling
scenes, the story's climax is now given real weight.  Why on earth
were they left out of the original?  This reviewer finds it utterly
incomprehensible.

So then, we have 25 minutes of additional footage that's turned a
decent underwater thriller into something quite magnificent.  I say
"quite" because some flaws do remain.   The most grating is several
moments of corny Hollywood schmaltz - some new, some old - that may
well have you reaching for the barf bag.

Nonetheless, THE ABYSS: THE DIRECTOR'S CUT now stands this somewhat
maligned film among James Cameron's greatest achievements, alongside
ALIENS and TERMINATOR 2.  See it and be moved, gripped and spellbound.