The Abyss (1989) - WTF Happened To This Movie?

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  • čas přidán 10. 02. 2019
  • In this new series, we'll be taking a look at a variety of films that had historically troubled productions or controversial problems in making it to the big screen. Some were massive hits despite their problems, while others died a slow box office death. Regardless of where they ended up, we have to ask the question: WTF happened to this movie?
    Our latest episode dives deep into James Cameron's 1989 underwater sci-fi thriller THE ABYSS, which stars Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Michael Biehn. The film was a tremendous undertaking to make and one that Cameron has called the worst production of his career, while Ed Harris, who nearly drowned while filming, still refuses to discuss the film publicly. It wasn't quite a box office disaster, but certainly not a massive success, especially compared to Cameron's later films, all of which have been blockbusters.
    Narrated and Edited by: Ian Jentzsch
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    #JamesCameron #TheAbyss
  • Krátké a kreslené filmy

Komentáře • 4,6K

  • @realDonXeon
    @realDonXeon Před 3 lety +310

    The fact that this is LEGIT filmed underwater....makes it ground breaking as well as its effects. The actors are top notch...this deserves 4K.

    • @me3ksdagoat279
      @me3ksdagoat279 Před 2 lety

      Same as NASA they film under water lol CGI added in ...BAM outer space

    • @harrier331
      @harrier331 Před 2 lety +1

      @@me3ksdagoat279 Tut Tut Tut, how dense...

    • @GrooveYouVerse
      @GrooveYouVerse Před 2 lety +4

      @Straya 83 I"m reading the book came after the film, books always adds the extra layer of development.

    • @KP-vy9ro
      @KP-vy9ro Před rokem +3

      What's absolutely nuts is the fact that the oxygen enriched water (which is actually an existing, real thing apparently) that was tested is mind blowing. And that it was really tested as a huge inspiration for the movie is a testimony of mankind in my opinion. The fact that it was the sparking of this idea that made Cameron dive deeper into the abyss (pun intended) of the idea took a real visionary!

    • @tykjenffs
      @tykjenffs Před rokem +3

      Watching the Blu-Ray now :) Absolutely fantastic!

  • @Blendercage
    @Blendercage Před 4 lety +658

    My father was a grip for this movie and everyday while filming, he said they were making gold.
    He is very proud of it and so am I.

  • @j.r.mocksly5996
    @j.r.mocksly5996 Před 4 lety +113

    "A fox executive barged into the editing room and told Cameron, 'you can either finish this up or personally go to 12,000 theaters and describe the movie for audiences, 4 shows a day." LMAO, that line floored me

  • @deepstatethrombosis
    @deepstatethrombosis Před 4 lety +560

    I absolutely LOVE The Abyss, why would anyone think it is bad??

    • @t_k_blitz4837
      @t_k_blitz4837 Před 4 lety +18

      Because they're Philistines.

    • @dennisjr77
      @dennisjr77 Před 4 lety +6

      Because uhhhh.... profit margins

    • @JustWasted3HoursHere
      @JustWasted3HoursHere Před 4 lety +13

      That Rotten Tomatoes score they showed is actually quite good. Well above average.

    • @NFawc
      @NFawc Před 4 lety +11

      Definitely the directors cut though! The cinema cut suffered with the cuts!

    • @carlmanvers5009
      @carlmanvers5009 Před 4 lety +6

      It has numerous scripting issues - the worst are the false act breaks. With a bit of restructuring it could work because the quality of the performances is pretty damn good.

  • @mrsparkle001
    @mrsparkle001 Před 5 lety +2871

    This film is criminally underrated. It's absolutely amazing and not enough people even know about it.

    • @christosvoskresye
      @christosvoskresye Před 5 lety +19

      @Johnny Five Next you'll be waxing poetic about the latest comic book adaptation from Disney.

    • @jameswilliams-of3mv
      @jameswilliams-of3mv Před 5 lety +31

      ..still under rated in 2019..and this kid who is narrating this video is a clueless moron lol

    • @guglacownt5946
      @guglacownt5946 Před 5 lety +11

      stars out good, becomes schlock toward the end

    • @chatlanin4135
      @chatlanin4135 Před 5 lety +4

      underrated? I knew that some movies which liked by most in my country could be fail in America. But how it's came that Abyss was disliked by American audience?!

    • @djhenyo
      @djhenyo Před 5 lety +3

      Leviathan and Proteus are both way better than The Abyss.

  • @andrewkim6037
    @andrewkim6037 Před 5 lety +696

    30 years later and I still enjoy watching The Abyss.

    • @riner9
      @riner9 Před 5 lety +5

      right I love that movie

    • @MGSBigBoss77
      @MGSBigBoss77 Před 5 lety +4

      Yup, same here!

    • @temporarymomentary
      @temporarymomentary Před 5 lety +5

      I enjoy it even more than back then.

    • @briggs9187
      @briggs9187 Před 5 lety +4

      I can't count the number of times I watched this movie.... I love it plus the making of it was absolutely breathtaking....it's a masterpiece...the only thing I would do now is the CGI ...just tweak it, don't replace it

    • @MrDeamon1
      @MrDeamon1 Před 5 lety

      30 years later and I should probably watch it.
      I was nine in my defense.

  • @victoroladuja2416
    @victoroladuja2416 Před 4 lety +192

    I don’t care what the critics say... I love this movie totally captivating. Watched it so many times and never got bored.

  • @PantsuMann
    @PantsuMann Před 4 lety +24

    This film is insane. Just insane. The fact that he even got green light to drain a lake to fill a pool and put actors at the bottom is just beyond me. That would never ever happen today. Then again, the movie is insanely underrated as well. The recut makes it much better and for what it's worth, the film really changed the movie industry.

  • @jasoncummings7052
    @jasoncummings7052 Před 5 lety +2113

    People can be so stupid at times.
    The Abyss is a damn good movie.
    Seeing the numerous challenges makes me appreciate the movie even more.
    Wonderful movie Mr. Cameron!!!

    • @coltseavers6298
      @coltseavers6298 Před 5 lety +38

      Yes! I absolutely 'LOVE' this movie.
      It is by far my favorite Cameron film.

    • @jamesbizs
      @jamesbizs Před 5 lety +22

      right? Now that I know what it took to make it, I want to watch it again. That alone, makes it an amazing movie.

    • @raythulhu5143
      @raythulhu5143 Před 5 lety +35

      The Director's Cut is a damn good movie....the US Theatrical Release is just OK. That Tidal Wave sequence is critical for the end making any real sense.

    • @jbrisby
      @jbrisby Před 5 lety +7

      @@raythulhu5143 - Both cuts are bad. The original has too little, the DC has too much. There's a lot of stuff he cut out that should have stayed out.

    • @citycrusher9308
      @citycrusher9308 Před 5 lety +5

      It was a boring film.

  • @Shnick
    @Shnick Před 4 lety +384

    For a film that “Barely broke even” it was one of the best movies of the late ‘80’s. Way to go.

    • @kashmirha
      @kashmirha Před 4 lety +5

      Well, it costed 45 million and the world wide boxy office was 90 million. The 54 was just the US income. Never understand why they count only that some times. Amazing movie btw. Specially in their time.

    • @jamesporter6288
      @jamesporter6288 Před 4 lety +12

      This movie blew my mind as a kid... Remains one of my top 3 favorite movies.. (abyss, Jurassic Park, top gun)

    • @novastar6391
      @novastar6391 Před 4 lety

      cairo because the marketing budget is usually the same cost as the movie so that’s why they refer to that

    • @Werrf1
      @Werrf1 Před 4 lety +5

      @@kashmirha $90 million on a $45 million budget _is_ barely breaking even, since the box office earnings are split between the cinema and the studio. How much it's split varies - in the US the studio gets around 55% of every ticket sale, in other countries less, so round it out to about 50%. 50% of $90 million is $45 million, so yeah - barely broke even.

    • @grunchlk
      @grunchlk Před rokem

      @@Werrf1 home cinema, screening, tv rights - I think overall, the movie did more than just break even

  • @rogerkincaid931
    @rogerkincaid931 Před 4 lety +179

    This is my favorite James Cameron film.
    It's so underrated that it hurts.

    • @sameerhafeez7029
      @sameerhafeez7029 Před 3 lety +1

      Roger Kincaid ranking?

    • @mysterious144
      @mysterious144 Před 3 lety +8

      I really liked the concept of benevolent aliens in this movie, most movies portray aliens as the enemy. It seemed like a lot of people complained about that aspect of the movie but for me it really makes it a winner! Definitely one of my favorite sci-fi movies.

    • @michaelsong5555
      @michaelsong5555 Před 2 lety +1

      Which version do you prefer? The theater version, or the extended version?

    • @bonghunezhou5051
      @bonghunezhou5051 Před 2 lety +3

      @@michaelsong5555 Extended 🎬📽
      Though it does get overlooked, there is no denying that the meticulous work done for this film paved the way for T2. Kudos!

    • @Irish_Georgia_Girl
      @Irish_Georgia_Girl Před rokem +3

      @@mysterious144 I totally agree! I love the aliens! People say the aliens should have been totally left out of the movie but that was my favorite thing in it. Like you I love that they were benevolent.

  • @thedemonthatchasedyouupyou1747

    Just saw the movie. Felt like James' version of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and I love it. One of my favorite Sci-Fi films being honest. James Cameron is easily deserves to be called one of the best directors of all time.

    • @Harold.Richard
      @Harold.Richard Před 3 lety +2

      I liken it to “The Day the Earth Stood Still” in the ocean. Especially when you compare it to the Director’s cut.

    • @Irish_Georgia_Girl
      @Irish_Georgia_Girl Před rokem +2

      Yes he does!

  • @mattkemerait
    @mattkemerait Před 5 lety +362

    Ed Harris delivered an acting masterclass when he's trying to do CPR on Liz.

    • @fromthehaven94
      @fromthehaven94 Před 5 lety +24

      It's one scene that has made me shed a few tears.

    • @tomtruett1946
      @tomtruett1946 Před 5 lety +10

      Absolutely

    • @mitchb4084
      @mitchb4084 Před 5 lety +14

      Magnificent to this day ! Take any other actor and you have a disaster

    • @johnnyskinwalker4095
      @johnnyskinwalker4095 Před 5 lety +20

      Really Liz was great too. I have never seen two actors being so good and real in a Cameron movie before or since

    • @martinrosendahl9134
      @martinrosendahl9134 Před 5 lety +18

      Couldn't agree more... def one of Harris' best moments. Beihn is also perfect in this movie.

  • @Duke_Togo_G13
    @Duke_Togo_G13 Před 5 lety +196

    The Abyss is a visual, technical masterpiece!

    • @floatingrabbit3556
      @floatingrabbit3556 Před 5 lety +2

      Absolutely/ It was back then what Avatar is today. Technical masterpiece. Not many directors can pull that off and age well with time.

  • @andrewstrongman305
    @andrewstrongman305 Před 4 lety +12

    I saw The Abyss on the big screen and adored it. The cast was amazing and the FX was mind-blowing. It still holds up even today.

  • @chewface
    @chewface Před 4 lety +18

    I remember watching this when I was like 8 years old and it blew me away. The pacing was slow, but it kept my child-like attention because it was just so....cool. I can't explain it. The acting, the mystery, the suspense, those evil marines, the hints of alien life. And that powerful ending that made me wonder about how humanity fits into this world, and if we'll ever be punished for our violent ways.

    • @LandersWorkshop
      @LandersWorkshop Před 4 lety

      I thought making the marines evil was a real shtty move, they are on the same side and they turn on their own? Sorry Chew, but the film lost me on that one.

    • @chewface
      @chewface Před 4 lety

      @@LandersWorkshop Haven't seen it in a while, but didn't the marines want to nuke the site the moment they saw indications of intelligent life?

    • @LandersWorkshop
      @LandersWorkshop Před 4 lety

      @@chewface In the story and film they did, thus making the marines 'evil'. Very fcked up decision by Cameron to do this, he did a massive about face from being patriotic and supporting of his own countries military (in an allegorical sense) to making them the antagonist. He did so more times afterwards as well with Avatar etc.

    • @chewface
      @chewface Před 4 lety +1

      @@LandersWorkshop I mean, it kinda makes sense though. Sure, its a pessimistic view of our military...but its realistic. If we were to ever discover alien life, or an alien planet....our governments first response would either be a hostile takeover, leeching of resources, or utter annihilation if the first two options arent possible.

    • @LandersWorkshop
      @LandersWorkshop Před 4 lety

      @@chewface That's more a current age view of things it's only in the recent history that such things in the Post-WW2 sphere have come about. In fact it's only in the past 30 years that shit really got out of hand to be quite honest with you.

  • @20TonChop
    @20TonChop Před 4 lety +110

    The CPR chest pounding scene still makes me tear up just thinking about it to this day. One of the most emotionally acted scenes I have ever seen. It may just be my favorite of any scene I have ever watched. I loved this movie.

    • @MarkRichardsonDigital
      @MarkRichardsonDigital Před 2 lety +8

      Absolutely. It rips your heart out.

    • @20TonChop
      @20TonChop Před 2 lety

      @Cherish God Lol. I felt the same. She was a little much.

    • @Irish_Georgia_Girl
      @Irish_Georgia_Girl Před rokem

      I agree! When I first saw it I didn't expect her to survive! I am glad they made it to where her character did come back. I never really thought about it until seeing this though, about how hard that must've been on her. I feel bad that she was so traumatized she could never even talk about it. Sounds like PTSD, actually. They were all so amazing and should be proud of themselves!

    • @Irish_Georgia_Girl
      @Irish_Georgia_Girl Před rokem +2

      @Cherish God I don't remember them calling her a bitch except when Ed was trying to revive her and said "bitch you've never backed away from anything in your life now FIGHT!". But it's been a long time since I've seen it! I need to watch it again. And as far as her response to him when he was going down the abyss, I just chalk it up to people being different and handling things different. She was freaking out afraid she was going to lose him as she saw he was starting to have trouble typing. The part where he wrote "knew it was a one-way trip from the beginning" or something to that effect and "don't cry...wife" reeeeally got to me! I don't think that her acting ever made me doubt her character 's love for his character, though. But like I said, it's been awhile!

    • @user-zi8ux6fy2n
      @user-zi8ux6fy2n Před 5 měsíci +1

      I'm trying NOT to divulge TOO much information but the opening scene was based on actual events, and I would like to know how, and from whom Cameron acquired that information. It was classified. OS-3 US NAVY inactive reserve NAB Little Creek Virginia🇺🇸🫡

  • @wayneg2139
    @wayneg2139 Před 5 lety +993

    THE ABYSS is one of the greatest SCI-FI films ever made. PERIOD.

    • @mrsnoop1820
      @mrsnoop1820 Před 5 lety +6

      no. PERIOD.

    • @Weird.Dreams
      @Weird.Dreams Před 5 lety +5

      Well, COMMA, I don't think so. FULL STOP.

    • @maxzorin9425
      @maxzorin9425 Před 5 lety +2

      Can we utilize the full range of punction when discussing movies please?

    • @BradleyPaulValentine
      @BradleyPaulValentine Před 5 lety +8

      Well, in America, The Abyss IS one of the greatest sci-fi movies ever made. Fuckin PERIOD.

    • @notahotshot
      @notahotshot Před 5 lety +9

      Space balls is the best SciFi film ever made , Space Comma ,

  • @inkwellflood8276
    @inkwellflood8276 Před 4 lety +44

    This was one movie that blew my mind as a kid, i truly love it for the memories.

  • @brendanmatelan2129
    @brendanmatelan2129 Před 3 lety +11

    Ed Harris seems or definitely asked for no credit while making this film, yet he deserves a lot of recognition for his work. The fact he got mad at himself for being scared of dying, (in my opinion) shows his dedication to working on the film.

  • @NikeaTiber
    @NikeaTiber Před 5 lety +60

    The Abyss was the second movie I ever saw in the theatres.
    My parents tell me I sat there, wide-eyed with my lower jaw in my lap the whole time.
    Groundbreaking.

    • @RighteousRhythm
      @RighteousRhythm Před 5 lety +2

      I was 12 at the time and saw it 3 times in the theatre. It was amazing watching it on the big screen.

  • @shoesncheese
    @shoesncheese Před 4 lety +225

    I had no idea The Abyss was received so poorly when it was released. It is a beautiful, very human, movie It was good even without the cut footage added back in.

    • @bobski8203
      @bobski8203 Před 4 lety +5

      It was poorly received because it was poorly crafted and poorly executed. The least they could have done is actually ask a member of the U.S. military how they actually do things and perhaps even check with a real deep sea exploration crew about how that works.
      Beyond that, they could have sent the main actors to acting lessons . . . basic ones . . . They needed them desperately.
      --note on edit --
      I absolutely hate these programs that "correct" your spelling and do it wrong.

    • @spartan456
      @spartan456 Před 4 lety +10

      @@bobski8203 To be fair, the actors received months of deep diving training before even getting a chance to actually start filming. The problems arose with the suits that Cameron wanted them to wear. They are very, very different from what your typical SCUBA is like, which is what all of the actors were already used to. Add on top of this the confusing setpieces and I can understand why there were so many complications. They were basically thrown into an entirely alien environment, wearing equipment that they were never given an adequate chance to get familiar with.
      "Poorly crafted" is probably the most insulting thing I've ever read about this movie. Nearly half of the movie was shot underwater, and it actually managed to work because Cameron didn't want to let the idea go. His obsession also gave ILM a chance to completely revolutionize how CG effects were done back then, giving birth to an entirely new generation of amazing CG for the era. That's dedication to the craft, and when you're dedicated like that, you will make it good no matter what. Every fiber of his being was invested into this movie. The dude was even willing to give up half of his salary just to appease Sony so they would grant a production extension. If you don't think that's dedication to the craft, then I think you might need to re-think what it means.
      Poorly executed, I can agree with that 100%. But there's also plenty of reasons why it was poorly executed. Hollywood studios do not like when movies go over budget, they also don't like it when movies take longer to make than anticipated. Cameron jumped to shooting prematurely, even before many sets were completely finished, because he knew that sooner or later the corporate overlords would be hounding him big time. Eventually they did, and the movie still wasn't ready yet. If he hadn't made the choice to start shooting earlier, the movie would have never been finished. If James Cameron were given all the money and time in the universe to make a movie, this wouldn't be a problem. This wouldn't be a problem for every film in existence, either. But money and time are finite resources, so sacrifices have to be made somewhere.
      Not really sure what you mean about "acting lessons", considering all of the major actors in this movie were (and some of them still are, to this day) big name actors.
      And, for what it's worth, I'm not even that big of a fan of James Cameron. I didn't like Titanic, I didn't like Avatar. And funnily enough, Avatar is his highest grossing movie of all time and it's really not that great. It was awesome the first time, because it features many incredible technological advancements in film. But it's just not that great of a movie. Cameron has always been about pushing the boundaries of film, and Avatar manages to do that, but it's not the same as something like The Abyss. This is a movie that took place in a domain that no other director or film studio wanted to mess with. The guy literally conquered a domain that nobody else wanted to touch, and he made a damn good movie while he was there. This all happening in the late 80's makes it all the more technologically impressive.

    • @bobski8203
      @bobski8203 Před 4 lety

      @@spartan456 --
      Oh, I absolutely loved MOST of the special effects. What I don't appreciate about the move is that none of it happened the way it really would have happened, and the actors, if they had ANY talent at all, must have been horribly distracted. That only happens with an extremely bad director.
      You talk about pushing the boundaries of film, and my contention is that this was done quite unsuccessfully and with a great deal of inattentiveness (i.e.by a hack).

    • @TheViolalove
      @TheViolalove Před 4 lety +12

      Bob Ski I don’t see where the acting was bad. I own the director’s cut and watch it several times per year. It still sets me on the edge of my seat and conjures emotions. Maybe you need glasses?

    • @billking7325
      @billking7325 Před 4 lety +5

      @@bobski8203 You sound like the .00001% who had some technical knowledge. The rest of the audience wouldn't know and wouldn't care. Also, Harris and Mastrantonio are solid actors in everything they do. The "villain" also acted well and the rest of the crew was standard. I think the reason it wasn't well-received was because of the length and pace of the movie. I was 21 when it came out and loved it. When I saw the director's cut, I wished they would have gone with that. It would have pulled more viewers just because of the threat that was portrayed. It still holds up today.

  • @lewisruffalo2221
    @lewisruffalo2221 Před 4 lety +18

    "His name is James Cameron, the bravest pioneer. No budget too steep, no sea too deep...Who's that? It's him, James Cameron."

  • @stephantranquille6681
    @stephantranquille6681 Před 4 lety +7

    This movie blew me away. Cameron managed to recreate a true sensation of claustrophobia, especially once it was DVD. Those lucky enough to have a home cinema were gasping for air throughout the movie. Cameron is such a LEGEND!!!

  • @Level-ts7xl
    @Level-ts7xl Před 5 lety +136

    why this masterpiece hasn't seen a Blu-ray release yet is beyond me. in fact, it is just mindblowing.

    • @paullynch1246
      @paullynch1246 Před 5 lety +18

      Apparently it's ready for Cameron's approval but he needs to sit and watch it and check the colour grading ect. Same for true lies

    • @FeelOfWartune
      @FeelOfWartune Před 5 lety +6

      @@paullynch1246 its been 'ready' for years. studios and cameron are still are being cunts to each other at the cost of the release.

    • @Surannhealz
      @Surannhealz Před 5 lety +3

      Not to mention True Lies never being re-released after 9/11 (so no bluray format). It's not even AVAILABLE on iTunes.

    • @001rnv
      @001rnv Před 5 lety +1

      Level 99 I was lucky to get it on dvd. As of this date, no online digital download or Blu-ray. They must not like making money, cause I’d buy it in a heartbeat, and tell all my friends to buy it. Some who’ve never heard of this awesome movie.

    • @chrisdroste3296
      @chrisdroste3296 Před 5 lety

      they updated the Wiki for this; supposedly it was supposed to be out in 2017; and they were doing direct 4k scans of the master using a "wet scan" ?? it's reported to be absolutely amazing but; in true fashion; still not complete. double-edged sword apparently it actually took a very long time for them to approve the BD/4k release; but hey, transfer methods have improved, riiiight?

  • @critercat
    @critercat Před 5 lety +342

    Surprised that The Abyss wasn't more successful. As a kid it was a staple of sleepovers. Seemed like everyone owned a copy and everyone liked it.

    • @TruthIsKey369
      @TruthIsKey369 Před 5 lety +8

      Know the feeling! THIS was one of those movies that deserved so much more!

    • @Wis_Dom
      @Wis_Dom Před 5 lety +16

      Yeah, As a 40 yeah old, I agree, everyone owned the VHS. I never knew it was disliked so much. I also never knew it was a James Cameron film until later.

    • @MGmirkin
      @MGmirkin Před 5 lety +9

      I think it was poorly marketed and folks didn't get it in the first run, but it did well on video, etc. It's a damn classic and it's a bloody crime that it hasn't been remastered yet for Blu-Ray & 4K... It was great.

    • @rustincohle2135
      @rustincohle2135 Před 5 lety +2

      The movie was long, had no real big bankable stars, was marketed incorrectly, was hard to describe to moviegoers etc. It's not a surprise it bombed.

    • @miou-miou-
      @miou-miou- Před 5 lety +2

      @@rustincohle2135 as in this video.. how would you sell 2001 to an unknowing audience?

  • @Duncan_Idaho_Potato
    @Duncan_Idaho_Potato Před 4 lety +11

    James Cameron has been my favorite director since I was old enough to know what a director is. This has been my favorite movie of his since I first saw it. The drowning/resuscitation scene is one of the most intense and emotional sequences that I've ever seen in a sci-fi/action movie. A true tour de force from everyone involved.

  • @jeanlee1911
    @jeanlee1911 Před 4 lety +11

    my son who has Autism at the time loved this movie( we had it on VHS) he would watch it and his first real sentence was " I Like the biss angels they b good" he is now 27 and has come a long way verbally through alot of hard work, and he still loves this movie.

  • @TheSQDoctor
    @TheSQDoctor Před 5 lety +338

    The scene where Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio says, "I'll drown, and you save me" is still, to this day, the most intense thing that's ever happened to me from just watching a movie. I was on the edge of my seat, freaking out to the sheer genius and terror of it.

    • @KC-fb8ql
      @KC-fb8ql Před 5 lety +8

      very true. this is one of my favorite movies but I just can’t watch that scene. it’s terrifying

    • @nottingham_ChrisAllison
      @nottingham_ChrisAllison Před 5 lety +7

      I agree.. that was an intense scene beyond words

    • @SuperScottCrawford
      @SuperScottCrawford Před 5 lety +14

      True. But instead of waiting, they should've started swimming together, you know? So she could be a little less dead.

    • @TheSQDoctor
      @TheSQDoctor Před 5 lety +5

      @@SuperScottCrawford Yes! She should have hyperventilated and then started swimming.

    • @davidwatts1871
      @davidwatts1871 Před 5 lety +12

      Is it just me who holds there breath when watching this, just to see if she might have made it.

  • @CoinOpTV
    @CoinOpTV Před 4 lety +199

    wish we could get a nice 4k of this movie

    • @stiimuli
      @stiimuli Před 4 lety +3

      other comments here speak of a 4k 30 year anniversary release that was due out in 2019.
      I don't know if that actually released or not. Look for it.

    • @bingsinatra5283
      @bingsinatra5283 Před 4 lety +4

      I read Cameron hoped to get it (and True Lies) ready for blu ray this year, but obviously that's been delayed.

    • @ronaldh8446
      @ronaldh8446 Před 3 lety +11

      Not looking good at all. 😡 Disney holds the rights to the film since they bought 20th Century Fox and own their entire catalogue. In August they announced that they will no longer be releasing back-cataloged movies in physical format. They're sticking with digital streaming. Really sucks! Hoping that a third party (Shout! Factory) can pry it away from them.

    • @JI-xx5ot
      @JI-xx5ot Před 3 lety +5

      @@ronaldh8446 that is so depressing :(

    • @187mrsmith
      @187mrsmith Před 3 lety +7

      I wish we could get The director's cut that we were meant to see

  • @xilvrado
    @xilvrado Před 4 lety +13

    if there's ever a movie that truly blew me away, this was it.

  • @captainyossarian388
    @captainyossarian388 Před 4 lety +18

    I thought this movie pulled you in from the get go, with Horner's choir and brass pulling you into the deep blue sea. May he rest in peace. The novelization was also great in fleshing out the story and making it more understandable. This movie SHOULD have been 3 hours long.
    EDIT: My bad, the composer was Alan Silvestri as pointed out below.

    • @huntress1013
      @huntress1013 Před 4 lety +5

      It was not James Horner. It was Alan Silvestri who wrote the score.

    • @captainyossarian388
      @captainyossarian388 Před 4 lety +2

      @@huntress1013 DOH! I stand corrected.

  • @brianknapp6215
    @brianknapp6215 Před 4 lety +42

    I remember doing a report/review on this movie my junior year in high school- even showed clips from a rented VHS copy of the film (cuss words and all).
    The human aspect of the story is what I personally love about the film. Ed Harris' performance in the Lindsey drowning scene is one of the most emotionally wrenching I have ever seen.
    So good- yet so underrated.

  • @Monarchyman1
    @Monarchyman1 Před 5 lety +268

    Personally, I LOVE this movie, and I even like the special edition.

    • @TheLiquidheat2643
      @TheLiquidheat2643 Před 5 lety +10

      Exactly what I'm saying this movie was great this guy's an idiot

    • @mar10ssj1
      @mar10ssj1 Před 5 lety +6

      Me personally, think JC is an absolute genius and madman. Would explain why he is one of the greatest directors to ever live.

    • @davidwebb7885
      @davidwebb7885 Před 5 lety

      @@mar10ssj1 He's still only human though. Stalker much?!

    • @Susrek
      @Susrek Před 5 lety +5

      I loved both but prefer the Special Edition.

  • @Nacho-Mamma
    @Nacho-Mamma Před 3 lety +5

    First off...
    WTF happened to the movie? It became one of the GREATEST sci-fi classics of th 1980's!
    The actors & crew spent 9-10+ hours A DAY underwater, and in extremely DANGEROUS situations!
    And, except for the opening storm & the ending, not including the cut killer wave scene, 95% of the movie is UNDERWATER!
    The fact is, James Cameron is a master filmmaker! And, throughout his career, he has invented underwater equipment that is now considered industry standard, and still used today! The mini subs used in both "The Abyss" & "Titanic", ALONG WITH THE DEEP WATER SUBMERSIBLE HE USED TO GET TO THE HE TITANIC NEVER EXISTED UNTIL HE DESIGNED THEM!
    So, just because you don't like the movie, and have absolutely no imagination of your own, using word by word narration from the original making of documentary, HAVE SOME RESPECT FOR THE MAN WHO HAS CREATED SO OF THE GREATEST MODERN SCI-FI CLASSICS OF ALL TIME!

  • @alx42013
    @alx42013 Před 4 lety +32

    Isn't the girl from the abyss....
    Gina Montana?
    Tony Montana's sister?
    She's an amazing actress.

    • @anon17472
      @anon17472 Před 4 lety +8

      Yep
      She's also Maid Marian

    • @Kthomasritchie
      @Kthomasritchie Před 4 lety +3

      She was also very good in 'The Colour of Money'.

    • @dirtyzombie2197
      @dirtyzombie2197 Před 4 lety

      Mary Elizabeth Manstrantonio

    • @MrHantz101
      @MrHantz101 Před 4 lety +1

      Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. Must take her forever to sign autographs

    • @waynegoldpig2220
      @waynegoldpig2220 Před 4 lety

      I always though Miss Mastrantonio and Madeleine Stowe were the two most beautiful women in film.

  • @AcydDrop
    @AcydDrop Před 5 lety +429

    The Abyss (in my opinion of course) is one of the best ever. I've watched in countless times, and it's still entertaining even after 20+ viewings.

    • @jshorto
      @jshorto Před 5 lety +2

      Exactly but suppose people are running out of ideas on how to be a youtuber so are just finding ways by being negative about movies or whatever just by nitpicking.

    • @godchi1dvonsteuben770
      @godchi1dvonsteuben770 Před 5 lety +3

      Totally true. Ask ANYONE, it's one of those films that you can, not only, enjoy watching COUNTLESS times... but you don't EVER change, when you stumble upon, when channel surfing...

    • @godchi1dvonsteuben770
      @godchi1dvonsteuben770 Před 5 lety +6

      @@jshorto this guy doesn't do vids BASHING these flicks, he just focuses on the history behind films with batshit crazy stories, and incidents, attached to them. This video isn't meant to be negative OR positive. It's a subjective history of the films production, and release, based on old interviews and aricles, that's all!

    • @thoughtsonfitness3249
      @thoughtsonfitness3249 Před 5 lety +3

      My laser disc is pride of place......👏🏼

    • @MGmirkin
      @MGmirkin Před 5 lety +4

      That's why it's a classic. And a crime that it hasn't been remastered for Blu/4K...

  • @wkm001
    @wkm001 Před 5 lety +482

    One of my all time favorite movies!

    • @lennynero635
      @lennynero635 Před 5 lety +5

      Same here

    • @adrian72300
      @adrian72300 Před 5 lety +3

      Yes!...what a surprisingly good movie,the emotion between the actors was awesome,the ending was amazing

    • @briancherry8088
      @briancherry8088 Před 5 lety +1

      was going to say the exact same thing. Amazing movie.

    • @lordzed83
      @lordzed83 Před 5 lety +1

      same here. Respect it even more now

    • @TheLiquidheat2643
      @TheLiquidheat2643 Před 5 lety +3

      This movie was awesome this guy doesn't know what the hell he's talking about

  • @holomatrix
    @holomatrix Před 4 lety +5

    Possibly the best way to ever end a James Cameron video, you just won the Internet.

  • @FernandoLobo
    @FernandoLobo Před 3 lety +33

    A classic !!!

  • @michaellennicx3040
    @michaellennicx3040 Před 5 lety +192

    the abyss is a masterpiece. to micro analyze the sum of the parts of the struggle in making the film is actually to justify the means. story/concept, the screenplay, the storyboards were all done by cameron before he toiled it underwater for a year with the actors. super unique, visually very satisfying, and conceptually genius. great film, not good film.

    • @KilliK69
      @KilliK69 Před 5 lety +1

      amen

    • @FlankerB3
      @FlankerB3 Před 5 lety +1

      exactly!

    • @AnonEyeMouse
      @AnonEyeMouse Před 5 lety

      Shame about the fuck up at the end with the decompression. Oh, sure there's the line 'we should be dead, we didn't decompress!' 'They must have done something to us...' 'oh yes'.
      Fine, alien woo. They 'did something'. What they DIDN'T do was tell them about it, so the question remains why a crew of the most experienced divers on the planet blundered out of deep core to what, as far as they knew, was certain death?
      I love the film, especially the extended version, but that still bugs the crap out of me.

    • @stubkar
      @stubkar Před 5 lety

      And don't forget.... several copycats were spawned. Whole genre(s) of underwater thriller/horror prevailed in the next 10 years.

  • @Kusanagikaiser999
    @Kusanagikaiser999 Před 5 lety +326

    And....this film is still fucking AWESOME today....so I agree with James Cameron.

    • @SteveLomas
      @SteveLomas Před 5 lety +2

      One of my favourite films.

    • @RansomeStoddard
      @RansomeStoddard Před 5 lety +1

      I love this film, both the original theatrical version and the special edition director's cut.

    • @kanaric
      @kanaric Před 5 lety +3

      That's the best thing about him as a director. His movies hold up. The time put in pays out for decades.
      This movie was genius, people say it's slow but the pacing was fine.

  • @fabrisse7469
    @fabrisse7469 Před 4 lety +7

    I remember seeing this in theaters. I had to walk out during the scene where Ed Harris kept falling. Reviewers warned that claustrophobics might have trouble with that scene, but as an acrophobic, that endless fall was terrifying to me.

    • @inkwellflood8276
      @inkwellflood8276 Před 4 lety

      I feel your pain, and my second name is flood.

    • @animeangel1983
      @animeangel1983 Před 4 lety

      I was too young to see it in theaters, I was 6 in 1989 but I did see Terminator 2 and it scared the hell out of me, so guess my parents were right to not let me see it until I was a teenager. Though today at 36 I think one of my worst fears is drowning.

    • @DJHastingsFeverPitch
      @DJHastingsFeverPitch Před 4 lety

      Do you mean thalasophobia - fear of deep and open bodies of water, or truly aquaphobia - fear of water itself?

    • @animeangel1983
      @animeangel1983 Před 4 lety

      @@DJHastingsFeverPitch If you're asking me, then probably thalasophobia, I can handle water but submerging my head under it...nope.

  • @derekwall200
    @derekwall200 Před 4 lety +29

    well even though the movie was a nightmare to produce the abyss was one of the greatest sci fi films ever hands down. where they really did well was with the special effects using CGI which was pretty damn good especially for 1989

  • @DennisSantos
    @DennisSantos Před 4 lety +328

    One of the BEST sci-fi movies I've ever seen.

    • @jc.1191
      @jc.1191 Před 3 lety +3

      Yes

    • @michaelsong5555
      @michaelsong5555 Před 2 lety +1

      Which version do you prefer? The theater version, or the extended version?

    • @Lord_of_Dread
      @Lord_of_Dread Před rokem +2

      Check out Sphere. It's basically this film but significantly better in every way.

    • @DennisSantos
      @DennisSantos Před rokem +1

      @@Lord_of_Dread Seen it. Great film too 👍
      Book's better, though.

  • @NathanielHarari
    @NathanielHarari Před 5 lety +41

    I remember watching this movie at the age of 18 in a theatre with my friends and brother when it first came out. I can tell you: It was incredible. We had grown up on Star Trek and Star Wars pushing the limits, but this movie literally told us "They really can do anything with computers now." It's legendary for what it achieved, and the scope of the scenes and all the rest. It certainly deserves its place in the top tier of cinema history.

    • @deathstrike
      @deathstrike Před 5 lety

      The Abyss is just a great movie!! How many movies from the 80s hold up so well today? This movie gives a new appreciation to what sailors, mariners, and undersea workers go through day in and day out. As for the extended parts, they made the movie BETTER!!!! They gave it motivation and depth and show the lesson of tolerance for difference.

    • @Stoppskylten
      @Stoppskylten Před 5 lety

      @menckencynic Jurassic Park does not involve as much CGI as it appears to most though, and often not in the places most think it is. The T-rex vs car scene is a great example of that in using the limits of CGI at the time.

    • @Stoppskylten
      @Stoppskylten Před 5 lety

      @menckencynic
      But what other thing has changed between every new Jurassic Park entry? The amount of dinosaurs. There was not a lot of screen time in the first one even comparing only to the second. Since the "wow-a-dinosaur!"-factor like anything else is a quickly losing novelty, it inevitably becomes a question of ever more quantity over quality. And of course having more of the same at the same (lower preferably) price rarely work. This is not exclusive to dinosaurs of course, it fits anything. Explosions, aliens.
      That can be true, but it depends greatly on the environment. Kitchen dinosaurs be much simpler than lawn dinosaurs. Usually full CGI is still more expensive than partial though.
      As much as I like "The Abyss", the real environment CGI that made the final cut does not account for a lot of screen time. And the integration of the "rescue" in the end I'd guess most would think looks very bad today. It can of course be explained by alien physics, but still. It does look very pretty, but believable by any stretch, not so much.
      Starship Troopers is interesting though. It indeed has a massive amount of integrated complex CGI action. But on the other hand bugs are "simple" to do. And Verhoeven may even have wanted a bit unreal look to it for the surreal or comedic effect. It is a bit similar in his other works really, sometimes the tech even seem scaled back at times intentionally while other things look great even today. Not talking about just CGI but even tried and tested stop motion follow this pattern. Whatever the case, every sequels to ST looked worse. So nothing out of the ordinary really. ;)
      That is not what I meant though. The question is why you can't tell, and what exactly you can not tell. Spielberg was just more experienced in knowing the rules of illusion. The Jurassic Park example I mentioned illustrates this well. Most viewers are naturally paying full attention to the (very real) dinosaur wrecking a car that they don't notice the car looking very unreal indeed. And really most of the scenes in the film do the same. When the dinosaurs actually are CGI they are in a simple environment, with more predictable lightning (kitchen) or hidden in shadows, rain or other environment effects to add life to them by distracting the eyes. When the first sequel came, we got ten times the dinosaurs, under full daylight, outside, in complex environments. And it just escalated from there of course.
      Tech has moved forth. Film making..? Stepped back some maybe.

    • @Stoppskylten
      @Stoppskylten Před 5 lety

      @menckencynic ""So you're saying....uh....the amount of dinos make...what? More recent ones better, CGI-wise? That the wow factor is gone, so...CGI has improved? The movies are shittier now, which makes the special effects of the first one not so good? I can't imagine how you meant that would make the CGI better now. ""
      Very little CGI and practical effects is cheaper and simpler to make then lots of CGI and lots of practical effects. Concise enough of a concept?
      """At best you seem to be wandering off the reservation of what we were talking about and bringing up something else. At worst you seem to have lost your own point. Ah ha! This I can answer because you're back on point AND you've got an experiment where we have both the control and the variable to compare: The original movie compared with the exact same franchise later on. The very simple fact of the matter is the other movies don't look as good. Comparing JPI to JPIV and it becomes completely evident that the new ones don't look any better. ""
      I don't think I have argued the later do look better though. Only why they would have a hard time to do so.
      """That's my whole point, a la Avatar. It STILL doesn't look believable. Ok, it didn't quite look right then. Agreed. Problem is, it's now 2019. Just saw Planet of the Apes. It looks less real by comparison.""
      Sure. Though I doubt it was even meant to. It's just too much in any way one look at it to ever be believable anyway. Even if discounting the obvious that we would think so because we know it can't be real. It's simply beyond the suspense of disbelieve. Unlike Jurassic Park. We know there are no dinosaurs, but there could be, and we think they would look exactly like that because that is how we already knew dinosaurs would look. There were indications to make more scientifically accurate dinosaurs available to Spielberg well before production started. He chose to ignore those in favour of less realistic animals that we would think more realistic.
      ""They were on the cusp in 1994. They're still on the cusp. That's my whole point. Progress has been almost zero. Ok so they have more dinos or apes, or blue space hippies in a scene. Woo. Whoopie. Yay. That's not a great advancement. And it's certainly not an argument that they have advanced. ""
      The cusp is the outset because ambitions are moved. Apes though, speaking of, may actually be more interesting in terms of CGI evolution than dinosaurs or smurfs. Compare "Congo" for example with later monkeys in "Kong" or "Planet of"
      ""Well again, all movies are taken as a whole and they all have a look. That's just how it works. It looks good or it doesn't. It holds up or it doesn't. JP looked awesome . Raptors per square inch or no raptors per square inch. If Verhoven was looking to shit his movie up, he succeeded beyond his wildest dreams, it was a goddamned cartoon. I take it back: Hanna Barbara would have thrown it back, saying "Scooby Doo doesn't look this shitty". ""
      It was obviously meant to be a cartoon. But if one really managed to miss the entire not so subtle fifties B-film parody tonality of it, then I guess it can appear just plain modern B. The point is that the sequels do not have the tone, and just look like B TV productions from the nineties instead. And I guess the last one even is that. So no wonder really.
      ""There is a possibility, and you can take it or leave it, that Verhoven was just a shitty director who made a "B" movie with an F- grade, don't you think? Here's how bad it was: until you told me, I didn't know Troopers HAD sequels. And I'm a huge sci-fi dude. ""
      Nah, Verhoven is clearly skilled and versatile. Which is why every attempts to follow up his work resulted in much lesser films, at best.
      ""Respectfully, that is absolutely wrong. It's 1) How good does it look? and 2) Is it getting better? ""
      It's right because you are looking at the wrong thing if you want to argue the truth about tech evolution. "Hey, that dino is some amazing CGI!" "Well, that is actually not CGI at all, but never mind. It is the result that counts." :) Otherwise one be just comparing a sack of apples to a banana. What kind sense does that make.
      ""I swear, sometimes it seems like you're arguing MY position. The beauty of your questions are they all have both controls and the variables. ""
      Your position that the first Jurassic Park is a better in every way than the all the sequels? It is. Maybe objectively so even. Does it have better CGI in a reasonably fair comparison than any of them? No.
      ""Ok, so if that's true, then explain "BFG".""
      Big Funny Gun..?
      IDK ..
      ""See what I mean? We were close to reality in 1994. ""
      Not really, no. I still think "Final Fantasy" looked a bit more realistic than "The Lawnmower Man". And "Avatar" or "Alita" more so than both, despite all that mentioned inherent unreality.
      ""We're not much advanced from that now. That's *clear*.""
      I really think you should to see the "Lawnmower man" though.

    • @Stoppskylten
      @Stoppskylten Před 5 lety

      ​@menckencynic Sighs.. Even Cameron thought the few minutes of CGI in Abyss looked dated, even before the release of the film. The studio refused more work on it.
      There are also only 15 minutes of dinosaur effects in "Jurassic Park" in total. And those include the 5 minutes of CGI. Yes, five minutes, partial CGI. If you still can't understand what the scale and level difference that makes to the sequels, or something like "Avatar"s pretty much two hours of full CGI, then you will never understand this "concept" either.
      Wouldn't take stabs at any linguistic quirks if writing like you do. It's completely indecipherable at most points, and so thoroughly crude and childish at all times it's serves best to illustrate the standard fare troll-out-of-arguments you resort to.
      Right down to the end. Nice touch there...

  • @MrHereWeGoYo
    @MrHereWeGoYo Před 4 lety +4

    I'll always have a soft spot for The Abyss. I saw it during the second or third week. There couldn't have been more than 10 people in the theater but I will never forget it. During Bud's descent, when they cut to that wide shot of him falling into the darkness. It was an incredible feeling of dread. Just an all-around amazing theater experience. I had no idea Leviathan and Deep Star Six came out first. I saw them both years later and they are both a SHELL of what The Abyss is.

  • @ZakatomiPlaza156
    @ZakatomiPlaza156 Před 4 lety

    Truly amazing video man!!! well done.

  • @astrotrance
    @astrotrance Před 5 lety +187

    The extended cut is one of the best sci-fi movies of all time.

    • @markhunter954
      @markhunter954 Před 5 lety +8

      Nathan Bell this cut is the only way you can make sense of it,it’s a masterpiece

    • @astrotrance
      @astrotrance Před 5 lety +7

      @@markhunter954 Agreed. It deserves so much more than a non-anamorphic DVD or Laserdisc as the only way to watch it. I've been hoping James Cameron will remaster this one for 3D. We at least need a blu-ray or HD download.

    • @homevalueglass3809
      @homevalueglass3809 Před 5 lety +2

      Never seen the extended, will have to look for it.

    • @sithompson74
      @sithompson74 Před 5 lety +9

      The extended version is a completely different film - as mentioned it changes everything

    • @garycrant4511
      @garycrant4511 Před 5 lety +4

      if i remember right, the extended cut was still cut by British censors to remove the rat scene on grounds of animal cruelty.
      Just another example of the petty interference they impose on too many movies.
      I don't know if its been restored for blu ray.

  • @tankmaster1018
    @tankmaster1018 Před 5 lety +64

    "I felt like I was really gonna drown... and that PISSED ME OFF!"
    -Ed Harris

    • @clubdredd1337
      @clubdredd1337 Před 4 lety +4

      That's deep shit.. understanding that you were there and you were scared.. it says alot about what kind of person you are. It probly made him seek enlightenment!

    • @MrDavidh4
      @MrDavidh4 Před 4 lety +1

      "Failure is not an option!"

  • @escaton74
    @escaton74 Před 4 lety +6

    imagine this being shot digitally and the editor accidentally erasing all the footage after shooting

  • @MusizKanuck
    @MusizKanuck Před 4 lety +2

    I had a chance to speak with Michael Biehn at a Comicon last year; he was rather surprised that someone wanted to talk to him about The Abyss rather than Aliens or Terminator. We joked about how the movie basically went off the rails when his character was out of the picture. If you haven’t seen The Abyss before, give it a go. It’s fantastic!

    • @jedijones
      @jedijones Před 3 lety +1

      Deja vu. I saw him in Allentown, PA at a small con in 2014. I probably asked him more about The Abyss than any other movies. I remember him saying it wasn't as difficult a shoot as people seem to think it was. That seems true to this video, where Biehn seems to be the only one who says he enjoyed the shoot. He definitely mentioned that he thought the movie ended when his character died and the rest of it is just unnecessary. I didn't really agree with him though. I was just saying I liked the whole thing. Shortly after that he basically said, well, nice meeting you, enjoy the con and brushed me off. It was a small con and I don't think there was even anyone behind me waiting to talk to him at that point. He just didn't seem to care for our conversation too much, LOL.

  • @zzygyy
    @zzygyy Před 5 lety +175

    Directors cut the only version to watch.

    • @GrooveYouVerse
      @GrooveYouVerse Před 5 lety +3

      Totally, I didn't know about the directors cut until 2000, and my mind was blown.

    • @TechnicJunglist
      @TechnicJunglist Před 5 lety +3

      Agreed.

    • @Vladdie777
      @Vladdie777 Před 5 lety +1

      I watched the theatrical cut a couple weeks ago. Loved it. Guess I have to rewatch the directors cut now!

    • @bricecate
      @bricecate Před 5 lety +6

      100% I watched it on TV a few weeks ago, and all of the alien threat was cut out of the ending, just showed "I love you wife, then the ship rose up. Fuckin boo

    • @PeterG00000
      @PeterG00000 Před 5 lety +6

      @Finn MacCool Yeah. It's not the business of aliens to threaten us all with death in order to change our politics. The theatrical cut shows them as benevolent, the director's cut, tyrannical.

  • @SecksyMan
    @SecksyMan Před 5 lety +142

    I love The Abyss. One of the great 80's movies.

    • @kbanghart
      @kbanghart Před 5 lety +3

      Probably one of the reasons it's underrated, so many other good movies came out then as well. Keaton's Batman, The last crusade, Dead poets society, lethal weapon 2, the list goes on, many moviegoers spent a lot of money that year.

  • @pennypaints8091
    @pennypaints8091 Před 3 lety

    Thanks so much for making this. While watching the film recently I was super curious about how it was filmed! Great job.

  • @dragonwarlock4354
    @dragonwarlock4354 Před 4 lety +5

    The Abyss is one of the top 10 SciFi movies of all time!

  • @VirginiaTombstoneRevival
    @VirginiaTombstoneRevival Před 5 lety +72

    This movie is absolutely amazing. From start to finish.

  • @Geronimo_Jehoshaphat
    @Geronimo_Jehoshaphat Před 5 lety +78

    It's a flatout great movie. Thank you James Cameron for your tireless tenacity and vision. Don't muck up the Avatar sequels!

    • @LukeLovesRose
      @LukeLovesRose Před 5 lety +4

      Here here! We don't want to live through another Phantom Menace / Force Awakens

    • @ThePereubu1710
      @ThePereubu1710 Před 5 lety +3

      I don't want to live through another Avatar...the best looking shit film I've ever seen.

    • @Geronimo_Jehoshaphat
      @Geronimo_Jehoshaphat Před 5 lety

      @@ThePereubu1710
      Well you're less than 20 months away. Start gaining a taste for crow.

    • @BarrySlisk
      @BarrySlisk Před 5 lety +1

      Avatar sucks!

    • @Geronimo_Jehoshaphat
      @Geronimo_Jehoshaphat Před 5 lety +3

      @@BarrySlisk
      Slightly flawed in clunky dialogue and too familiar archetyping, but yet told with completely competent craft and conviction - in impeccably realised technical innovation, design, and execution - is a pretty persnickety standard for proclaiming a thing "sucks".

  • @AimlessMoto
    @AimlessMoto Před 4 lety

    THANK YOU for including the SP scene at the end.

  • @MattnessLP
    @MattnessLP Před 4 lety

    A really interesting video, as always, great job!

  • @arnoldcelaya6702
    @arnoldcelaya6702 Před 5 lety +45

    The Abyss is one of my favorite movies. I wish the could rerelease it in IMAX 3D. That would be such a sight to see.

  • @Jayeeyee
    @Jayeeyee Před 5 lety +79

    You'd never get to experience a movie of this calibre in this day and age ever again. Everything is CGI'ed and not to mention, the studios will NEVER allow such high risk for the actors let alone the insurance companies will opt out in a heartbeat. Back then, if you wanted something to look realistic, everything was done with props, not green suits. Actors and actresses back then had more grit and knew what needed to be done to get the shot right.
    The closest actor I can somewhat relate this to is Tom Cruise in the MI franchise, still staying somewhat true to practical effects and doing his own stunts but still nowhere near what movies like the Abyss was.

    • @Linerunner99
      @Linerunner99 Před 5 lety +5

      You do know the "water tendril" was the first use of that brand new CGI technology in this film.... right? It went on to be one of the stars of T2 as the liquid metal effect for the T1000. I agree film making was different then, but CGI was invented for a reason. It helps great storytellers tell even greater stories.

    • @zoidberg444
      @zoidberg444 Před 5 lety +4

      Tom Cruise or Keanu Reaves are probably the only actors who would do such high risk work today. Only other option would probably have to find TV actors who wanted to make a name for themselves today.

    • @blainwilson7937
      @blainwilson7937 Před 5 lety +3

      You must not have seen the last Mad Max film.

    • @soundphile988
      @soundphile988 Před 5 lety

      @@leonefurlan137 I agree, theres definately an overusage of CGI nowadays, i mean in many movies they aren't even in the city, but instead get greenscreened into it..., but there are some exceptions, the movie inception for example, the scene where the rooms were rotating and the actors were fighting meanwhile, that was a real huge rotary machine that actually rotated this room with the actors in it.

    • @kbanghart
      @kbanghart Před 5 lety

      Practical effects are still used all the time today.

  • @starttherebellion9146
    @starttherebellion9146 Před 4 lety +3

    In the early 1990s when this movie came to cable, my girlfriend at the time and I watched this movie literally dozens of times. Every time it came on we were glued to the screen. The Abyss was, and will always be, one of the best movies ever made in my book! A true masterpiece!

  • @annieladysmith
    @annieladysmith Před 2 lety

    That was a really creative synopses of this very strange movie. Good work!

  • @stevewildeagle965
    @stevewildeagle965 Před 4 lety +60

    Abyss was a great movie highly underrated that gives the viewer a bit of everything.
    If you haven't watched it, watch the extended cut NOW.

    • @Deelifull
      @Deelifull Před 4 lety +1

      Is it available via any of the streaming providers?

    • @stevewildeagle965
      @stevewildeagle965 Před 4 lety

      @@Deelifull AZMovies for normal version, Amazon prime for extended.

  • @VictorKellar
    @VictorKellar Před 5 lety +17

    The scene where ed harris brings mary elizabeth back to life is one of the most powerful scenes I've ever watched, to this day it gives me chills and chokes me up

    • @janenls1066
      @janenls1066 Před 5 lety

      I totally feel the same!

    • @harryo6126
      @harryo6126 Před 5 lety +1

      It's one of the most stupid scenes ever made.

  • @chrisp2249
    @chrisp2249 Před 3 lety +4

    Excellent acting and superior script with one of the best directors in the business. What many don’t acknowledge is the character development was phenomenal, much like most of Cameron’s movies.

  • @kamanama3671
    @kamanama3671 Před 3 lety +2

    The scene where she has to drown because he'll bring her back not only made me obviously cry but I understood what complete and utter empathy was. I actually put myself in both of their places and it shook me to my very core.

  • @JAGtheTrekkieGEMINI1701
    @JAGtheTrekkieGEMINI1701 Před 5 lety +46

    Back when movies were made out of REAL sets and adventure-like tasks for the crew/actors!
    May the 80's/90's and early 2000's be BLESSED 🤟

    • @JAGtheTrekkieGEMINI1701
      @JAGtheTrekkieGEMINI1701 Před 5 lety

      @boostedsil40
      Couldn't agree more

    • @mojeimja
      @mojeimja Před 5 lety +1

      Interesting. You're seem to be talking bullshit :). James Cameron's movies - mostly straightforward, pioneering in many things, but with mostly simple screenplay. Take this Avatar of his - just a Pocahontas for adults. Now, take "modern UNREAL CGI movies" like A:IW. Comprehensive screenplay and characters, parallel story lines, character development and arcs, some thing are pre-planned years ahead. Who cares of CGI when you have the most internally comprehensive, developed, smart, and even humane (in some ways) villains of all times - Thanos, Black Panther Guy (sry, forgot his name), even Ultron has depth. Compare this to stupid and blunt Avatar "baddies", Aliens (although this is ok as they are of different type) and etc. Now wonder JC ranted about modern state of business - he is unable to keep up :)

    • @Bonez0r
      @Bonez0r Před 5 lety

      @@mojeimja that's because those movies (Avengers and other superhero movies) are based on comic book story arcs written in the 80s and 90s, so some of it is actually good because those comic books sometimes had damn good writers who planned years ahead.

    • @kellyweingart3692
      @kellyweingart3692 Před 5 lety +1

      Chadwick Boseman

  • @TheSoapbox77
    @TheSoapbox77 Před 5 lety +54

    One of the best movies I have ever seen. The CPR scene still brings emotion.

    • @pauloneill9880
      @pauloneill9880 Před 5 lety +3

      WINTRELL fight god damn it fight.

    • @steprockmedia
      @steprockmedia Před 5 lety +8

      OMG, when she drowns???? Sweet mercy! You'll put fingerprints into your chair watching that. Just...wow.

    • @TwoTonedT
      @TwoTonedT Před 5 lety

      😱😭

    • @Peatman
      @Peatman Před 5 lety +11

      That scene is truly amazing. I have to remind myself to breathe during the entire sequence from the voluntary drowning till resuscitation. Elizabeth is fantastic. Ed Harris gives it all. The way he refuses to give up, blowing out his voice in the process...the actors in the background in silent shock and pre-grief...that scene is the product of all that the cast went through in the making. I think Ed deserved an Oscar nod for that scene alone.

    • @Redmenace96
      @Redmenace96 Před 5 lety +4

      100% Best scene in the movie and moved a 40 yo man to tears@@Peatman

  • @raythulhu5143
    @raythulhu5143 Před 4 lety +16

    The theatrical release is a decent movie....the Extended Director's Cut is right up there with 2001, Citizen Cane and Gone With The Wind.

    • @stiimuli
      @stiimuli Před 4 lety +2

      the ending is still kinda cheesy. Then again, 2001 has its problems too.

    • @WildMoonLacquer
      @WildMoonLacquer Před 4 lety +2

      I agree that the director's cut is the better version. It was the version I saw first and on laserdisc (I think?). So when I saw the theatrical release I was confused by the abrupt ending. I feel that the D.C. gives more answers and ends the movie better. One of my favorite movies still.

  • @encinobalboa
    @encinobalboa Před 4 lety +1

    The analog stunts in this movie are amazing. The submarine compartment filling up with water in the opening scenes is simply amazing because it looks so real.

  • @-C.S.R
    @-C.S.R Před 5 lety +49

    One of his best!
    Love Abyss!
    When she purposely drowns and they bring her back to life, OMG crazy!!!

  • @ApolloXL5
    @ApolloXL5 Před 5 lety +47

    I think the title for this video should be 'How the hell did a great film come from this mess on set?!"
    Though we all know the answer......James Cameron.
    This is a great film and the fact that the shoot had so many problems that were overcome is a testament to the great Director that Cameron how brilliant his cast and crew were.

    • @spec24
      @spec24 Před 5 lety +2

      A lot of great movies come from messes. Look at Jaws.

  • @kylemoore7746
    @kylemoore7746 Před 4 lety

    Thanks for all the information

  • @aaronrocs
    @aaronrocs Před 4 lety +2

    Still stands as one of my all time favorite movies. It is unmatched in the underwater arena

    • @tedtheturbot
      @tedtheturbot Před rokem

      yes more than 30 years later and still the best underwater movie ever made

  • @thomasbabilon9146
    @thomasbabilon9146 Před 5 lety +42

    "The Abyss" is one of the greatest Sci-Fi films ever made. My opinion. 😊

  • @dinosoid2000
    @dinosoid2000 Před 5 lety +71

    I love this movie so much! Alan Silvestri's score is magnificent. Also quite possibly the performance of Ed Harris' career.

    • @johntiggleman4686
      @johntiggleman4686 Před 5 lety +1

      Alan Silvestri has quite a lot of scores to his credit. One that has gotten overly ragged on is "Van Helsing."

    • @kbanghart
      @kbanghart Před 5 lety +1

      I agree, very possibly Ed's best role. A strong second for me is the right stuff.

    • @Bonzi_Buddy
      @Bonzi_Buddy Před 4 lety +1

      And his most recognizable score will probably be Back to the Future.

    • @kbanghart
      @kbanghart Před 4 lety

      @@Bonzi_Buddy from hearing the music, no doubt. But whenever I read the name, I think of the abyss.

  • @DMalltheway
    @DMalltheway Před 3 lety +3

    This is Cameron’s most personal film. Blends Titanic, E.T., and Terminator themes so well. This is my favorite Cameron movie.

    • @moshosihole4185
      @moshosihole4185 Před 3 lety

      And avatar too with the machines and blue jelly

    • @nialllappin4159
      @nialllappin4159 Před 3 lety

      Daniel being wrong as always 🤣.

    • @DMalltheway
      @DMalltheway Před 3 lety

      @@nialllappin4159 Niall being wrong as always 🤣

  • @PiperPurdon
    @PiperPurdon Před 2 lety +1

    One of my all time favourites- just amazing effects for it’s time. Totally mind blowing

  • @joannemarkus4019
    @joannemarkus4019 Před 4 lety +20

    Can we all talk about the music in this movie! WOW...Such powerful music!!

  • @slayer99199
    @slayer99199 Před 4 lety +217

    The Special Edition version with the Cold War subplot is really the superior version.

    • @TreeFreak
      @TreeFreak Před 4 lety +11

      Agreed!!

    • @TheViolalove
      @TheViolalove Před 4 lety +6

      Absolutely

    • @TurboLazer007
      @TurboLazer007 Před 4 lety +23

      I never knew this version existed. Downloading now! thanks!

    • @TreeFreak
      @TreeFreak Před 4 lety +9

      @@TurboLazer007 you will love it. Completely different story with that information back in.

    • @TreeFreak
      @TreeFreak Před 4 lety +9

      @Heyward Shepherd well, there is more to the story. A lot more. Basically, he was told to give the studio the movie or he would be required to go.to every single theater and describe the movie to the audiences. The studio was pissed at him. Terminator 2 came out and was only made possible by the new technology he had created to make The Abyss. He had to make it under 3 hours and he had to do it right then. Nowadays, he could pull off a good three hour movie.

  • @sysable
    @sysable Před 4 lety +2

    One of my favorite films. I was an oceanography student and loved everything about exploration of the seas, and was amazed at how Cameron and his team git everything right. I enjoyed the fact that the crew were not scientists, but when faces with such an amazing mystery, they forgot all about their terrible predicament and focused on trying to understand the aliens. I don't agree with the people who like the extended version, however. I much prefer the aliens not being involved with human affairs and being oblivious to the danger of the situation, and the humans defeating the real enemy, fear of the unknown, and saving the aliens in the end.

  • @pb4ugo08
    @pb4ugo08 Před 4 lety +1

    Lived in South Carolina for 25 years and I had no idea they filmed this right up the road from me until literally a few months before I moved to the west coast. I read online that the tank had been torn down a few years prior but man would I have loved to go see the tank ( still had lots of the set inside it ). Also, Ed Harris is an absolute bad ass. Mad at yourself because you were afraid you may die? Damn dude.

  • @TheDarkwingj
    @TheDarkwingj Před 5 lety +46

    The Abyss is an damn good movie, special edition is definitive version of the film. the original version didn't make sense with the rushed ending but the directors cut shows more scenes and that tidal wave at the end

  • @steerpike66
    @steerpike66 Před 4 lety +91

    Also a milestone in CGI effects; with the water-serpent predating the T1000 in Terminator 2.

    • @LastExile123
      @LastExile123 Před 4 lety +6

      Did you not watch the video?

    • @swahiliranger1022
      @swahiliranger1022 Před 3 lety

      That wasn't in the theatrical my dude- you're referring to the directors cut that was finished with CGI later.

    • @steerpike66
      @steerpike66 Před 3 lety +1

      @@swahiliranger1022
      'But it was the sequence where the aliens manipulate a tendril of water which would prove to be the most signficant to the history of cinema. As Bud and his crew sleep, a column of water rises from Deep Core’s moon pool and explores the rig curiously. When Lindsey and the others wake up, the “pseudopod” - as it was known to the crew - mimics their faces in a magical moment of non-verbal communication.'
      www.redsharknews.com/production/item/6304-the-abyss-we-look-back-on-james-cameron-s-groundbreaking-thriller

    • @steerpike66
      @steerpike66 Před 3 lety +3

      @@swahiliranger1022 'Only one shot of the pseudopod - where it transformed back into ordinary water - was composited digitally. The remainder were done traditionally, with various different render passes of the CG creature recorded onto separate strips of film which were then combined on an optical printer.
      The 1990 Oscars ceremony saw The Abyss honoured with an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. Within a year, ILM were at work on Cameron’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day, which pushed the art of CGI even further. In 1993, Jurassic Park was released, and by the end of the 20th century the cinema was awash with computer generated images, most of them considerably less convincing than their landmark predecessors.'

    • @andreatomassini5521
      @andreatomassini5521 Před 3 lety +1

      @@swahiliranger1022 Are you high or what? The "water serpent" was in the theatrical version indeed. At the time it was something never seen before and everybody was talking about it.

  • @kingayy9267
    @kingayy9267 Před 4 lety +110

    Nuclear = "new-clear"
    Not nuke-ya-lerr
    Ugh

    • @RedBeerd
      @RedBeerd Před 4 lety +10

      I may have screamed at my TV.

    • @ufopilotFPV
      @ufopilotFPV Před 4 lety +3

      Phoney science anyways dont worry, its all fake. Those huge concrete domes hide tesla coils, not nuclear reactors !

    • @allisonthesupernova447
      @allisonthesupernova447 Před 4 lety +10

      LOL What an anal retentive comment.I knew what he meant ,I'm certain you did too.Knit picking at it's best. Geesh ! Yer a nuclear snob LMAo

    • @t_k_blitz4837
      @t_k_blitz4837 Před 4 lety +14

      @@allisonthesupernova447 I'll bite: *nit; *its.

    • @azuresword666
      @azuresword666 Před 4 lety +3

      Or new-clee-ur. As it derives from nuclei

  • @jp3813
    @jp3813 Před 3 lety +4

    15:28 89% is lukewarm???

  • @kerrypobanz
    @kerrypobanz Před 5 lety +90

    The Abyss is a true masterpiece, and for that matter, James Cameron is an all-around cinematic genius!

    • @jameswhite-aldworth2804
      @jameswhite-aldworth2804 Před 5 lety +2

      Hmmm not so sure. He’s definitely a bully.

    • @ked1224
      @ked1224 Před 5 lety

      Evil genius, is my conclusion.

    • @thefilmeffect6089
      @thefilmeffect6089 Před 5 lety +1

      That's why it makes me sick that he is stuck on all these bullshit Avatar sequels that are constantly getting delayed. Does anyone even want these damn things? Avatar might be Cameron's worst movie, besides Piranha II: The Spawning. I would rather watch True Lies than Avatar. He is such a legendary filmmaker and was always creating new worlds and great films. Now, he is stuck on creating endless sequels to an already forgotten movie. I just wish he would continue making great original movies.....or any movie at this point.

    • @MrDemonicDan
      @MrDemonicDan Před 5 lety +1

      @@thefilmeffect6089 Well said, honestly, I think I would rather watch Piranha II to Avatar. Can't believe he's wasting his time and talent on more.

    • @semiconductorwave7859
      @semiconductorwave7859 Před 5 lety

      Kerry Pobanz you’ve seen Avatar? That movie was horrible.

  • @maxlopolo2415
    @maxlopolo2415 Před 5 lety +269

    oh god. NUCLEAR. N U C L E A R.
    Jesus christ.
    Also the abyss is good.

  • @Peedarb
    @Peedarb Před 4 lety +18

    Has the most intense death scene I have ever seen

  • @siblej1
    @siblej1 Před 4 lety

    Your videos rock! Subscribed.

  • @Trans909
    @Trans909 Před 4 lety +7

    I have the full Special Edition on DVD AND the original VHS release. I've seen it at least ten times with different people. My ex-wife saw it first with me and even she was stunned at how powerful and flat-out scary that movie is. During Mastrantonio's "revival" scene, she looked me and said quietly, "How the fuck could she DO that?" I've seen it with real-life engineering students and tech-heads and the looks on their faces was something to behold. One guy who was working on his master's in mechanical engineering said to me: "I don't even know how some of that shit is even POSSIBLE." I've had other science people and even film students tell me that the movie HAD to be mostly CGI because it just wasn't possible to do what was on the screen. When I told them that the ONLY CGI was in the "water snake," the tsunami waves, and Bud's trip down to the City/starship and then proved it by showing them the release date, one of them just shook his head and muttered, "Awesome, dude. Fuckin' awesome." The others simply refused to believe it.
    Here's a little bit of trivia y'all might like. Cameron hired the author of "Ender's Game," Orson Scott Card, to hang out on the set--where it was dry--and take notes, then retreat to the motel and do a novelization of the screenplay. So Card got an up close and personal look at the storyboards and planning sequences and constructed an incredibly detailed backstory for all the threads and subplots running through the movie. At night, he'd go back to the motel, pound out a couple dozen pages and then bring them back the next day and show them to Cameron and the cast. The cast would read them and incorporate them into their own interpretations of their characters.
    Case in point: the scene where Coffey is sitting near the Moon Pool, fiddling with the hoist chains and weeping, comes from Card speculating on Coffey's memories of being an abused kid growing up with a single mother, playing video games with no point except a single purpose: to win, and then joining the Navy and finding a real purpose for his existence. He's weeping because he sees himself as being a truly noble figure who TRIED to do everything right but somehow still managed to fuck up the most important mission of his career.
    Read Card's novelization. It is SO worth it. It explains all of your questions, like why the hell the aliens were there in the first place and how they thought, what THEIR motivations were. It goes deep into the heads of everyone on screen and it's one of the best novels Card has ever written. I'm not real fond of Card because he goes all spiritual and swoony too often, but this particular effort is just as brilliant as the movie itself.
    www.amazon.com/Abyss-Orson-Scott-Card/dp/0671740776

  • @joshuapatrick682
    @joshuapatrick682 Před 5 lety +20

    it's easy to push everyone else to be the best through life threatening conditions when the crew is making 50k a year and you're making 50k an hour...

    • @theerepenterakatheecomfort277
      @theerepenterakatheecomfort277 Před 4 lety

      lol more like millions a year

    • @yvesnyfelerph.d.8297
      @yvesnyfelerph.d.8297 Před 4 lety +1

      ?...yeah he just said that

    • @Oscuros
      @Oscuros Před 4 lety

      This is exactly what I was thinking. Even the actors were hired help. Cameron was due a profit from the film, I worked under people like that. Obviously, if I'm not making a share of the ultimate profit and am just paid to do a specific task, even and artistic one, I forfeit all rights on being paid some change.
      I hate how much american videos unintentionally shill for these auteurs being so "driven", whereas it's just because you have your own money invested in the thing and could lose everything, but also stand to gain from final profits and having all rights to the finished product.
      An equity partner in a law firm has money invested in the firm, but also gets a direct share of the profits. Of course he's fucking motivated as ever to do whatever it takes, come in early, stay late, I mean, duur. Yes, they might employ some people, but the whole basis is that you just come in and do a tiny bit, even if it's your intellectual copyright you have to hand over and renounce in perpetuity for that set price.
      It's bullshit to represent these people as job creators and inspirations, because anyone would be motivated and "inspired" in those circumstances, only a gullible moron would fall for such soft soap like that.

  • @twowheelsbetter7
    @twowheelsbetter7 Před 4 lety +2

    Even still to this day (2020) struggle to watch the drowning scene, Mary's performance is so good I'm drowning with her.
    I first saw The Abyss on its VHS release, and have seen it many times since. AMAZING FILM.

  • @JCResDoc94
    @JCResDoc94 Před 4 lety +2

    ☼ this is a fine entry. nice work jo.

  • @BoilerBloodline
    @BoilerBloodline Před 5 lety +81

    This makes me like Ed Harris that much more.

    • @kamuelalee
      @kamuelalee Před 5 lety +5

      He's a badass

    • @HistoricaHungarica
      @HistoricaHungarica Před 5 lety +3

      And Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio.

    • @bustopherjones2285
      @bustopherjones2285 Před 5 lety

      @jameshisself She is still working...

    • @ingainloggningsnamn
      @ingainloggningsnamn Před 5 lety

      @@bustopherjones2285 Well to be fair, that's a respectably long name.

    • @kbanghart
      @kbanghart Před 5 lety +1

      She's had steady work up to the present. Remember, Hollywood isn't too easy for older actresses.
      Loved her in Robin Hood also.

  • @ryankrystowski4644
    @ryankrystowski4644 Před 5 lety +95

    This movie is a complete and total fu**ing masterpiece. In my top 3 of all time and I'm old enough to have seen T2 Judgement Day on opening day.

    • @truthsocialmedia
      @truthsocialmedia Před 4 lety

      ME TOO!

    • @ChironZore
      @ChironZore Před 4 lety

      me too

    • @youhou2000youhou
      @youhou2000youhou Před 4 lety +1

      Saw T1 in an empty theatre as people thought it was some Cobra/Commando stuff

    • @jesperjee
      @jesperjee Před 4 lety

      Me too

    • @Kenjuu
      @Kenjuu Před 4 lety

      A total masterpiece, hahahahHHHaaahahaha. You clearly have never seen an actual masterpiece.

  • @batsondceiling
    @batsondceiling Před 3 lety +2

    1989 ... This film could have been released in 2021, the only indication of it's age would be the actors' faces. A masterpiece even by today's standards.

  • @alexv3357
    @alexv3357 Před 4 lety +2

    "And on days off, wild goats-" now that's an A+ way to start sentence right there