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It’s a shame that James Cameron’s best movie is his least-seen movie. I hope that we get some kind of restoration/release this year of his director’s cut so more people can discover this.
When I saw this for the first time, it was like a dam burst in my eyes. It still makes me gasp with emotion.
I do think the Director’s Cut of THE ABYSS is the essential version. It may be slower paced, but the added scenes add needed context: more of Bud and Lindsey’s relationship, the dire situation that Deepcore finds itself in, the nature of the aliens, and most of all, the ending.
The theatrical ending is a bit abrupt and too deus ex machina. The Director’s Cut explains everything clearly and gives more purpose to the ending. The added material dates the movie a bit (the Russian stuff) but it gives the ending a larger context than what the theatrical does.
And, Cameron’s and Gale Anne Hurd’s marriage was ending when THE ABYSS was being made but they continued to work together on the film. A lot of that winds up in THE ABYSS, making the film feel more grounded than Cameron’s other films, and gives Bud and Lindsey much more weight.
Bud and Lindsey’s relationship is probably my favorite thing about the movie. It’s real, not a fairy tale. It’s contentious but you can see how they wound up together. And the resolution is so earned. There’s nothing forced about the chemistry between Harris and Mastrantonio.
The shoot was... difficult. Today, Cameron would have likely got into serious trouble, perhaps deservingly so. Ed Harris almost died during the scene where Bud drags Lindsey back to Deepcore. No movie or director can justify that, and I’m certain Cameron regrets it.
The tension of the shoot certainly makes its way into the finished film. It moves non-stop. Michael Biehn is terrifying in the movie, and gives one of his best performances. The film’s science is mostly accurate.
THE ABYSS is James Cameron’s masterpiece. 4K now, please!
THE ABYSS is James Cameron’s masterpiece. 4K now, please!
