Click to read the article
Comment
06/19/08
The Abyss (1989)
82 %
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted: 39
Fresh: 32
Rotten:7
Average Rating: 6.9/10
Consensus: The utterly gorgeous special effects frequently overshadow the fact that The Abyss is also a totally gripping, claustrophobic thriller, complete with an interesting crew of characters.
Runtime: 5 hrs 26 mins
Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy
Synopsis: After a nuclear submarine mysteriously sinks in a remote part of the ocean floor, a team of divers on a prototype underwater oil rig are pressed into service by the U.S. Navy in a rescue attempt. When a hurricane cuts off contact between the... [More]
Starring: Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Michael Biehn, Leo Burmester
Director: James Cameron
Get This Movie
Reviews for The Abyss
Top Critic
A disappointing follow-up to Cameron's great sci-fi Aliens, The Abyss is too verbose for an actioner and the special effects, striking as they are, are not well integrated into the narrative.
09/19/07
What ultimately saves the film are its extraordinary sets and phenomenal Oscar-winning visual effects.
06/06/07
Top Critic The attempt to extract the essences of several genres (cold-war submarine thriller, love story, Disney fantasy, pseudomystical SF in the Spielberg mode) and mix them together ultimately leads to giddy incoherence.
06/06/07
Top Critic
This overlong concoction is scuppered by dire dialogue, histrionic performances and maudlin sentimentality.
02/09/06
What was once a well-made, well-acted mess is now a very poignant and satisfying sci-fi adventure.
09/10/05
For God's sake, make sure you have the director's cut. The theatrical cut was an abomination.
07/20/04
Latest News for The Abyss
August 11, 2008:
20 CGI Classics - From T2 to Batman Begins to WALL-E
We showcase 20 films which have employed Pixar's pioneering software RenderMan to create some of the last two decades' most visually-impressive movies. More...
April 08, 2007:
Michael Biehn Hopin', Wishin' and Waitin' for "Avatar"
James Cameron staple actor Michael Biehn ("Terminator," "Aliens," "The Abyss") must be happy that the director is coming back to narrative... More...
March 27, 2007:
Biehn and Cameron Back Together on "Avatar"?
They worked pretty darn well together on "The Terminator," "Aliens," and "The Abyss" -- so maybe filmmaker James Cameron and actor Michael Biehn... More...
January 17, 2007:
An Old Friend Checks Out James Cameron's New "Avatar"
Well here's some James Cameron news that's interesting if not all that surprising: In addition to the already-cast Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana, the "Avatar"... More...
Related Forums for The Abyss
Great!
by: Carl Williams 7/26/01
by: Carl Williams 7/26/01
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
 93% |
Iron Man |
| 85% |
Forgetting Sarah Marshall |
 50% |
Sex and the City - The… |
| 52% |
Leatherheads |
| 12% |
Made of Honor |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 35% |
You Don't Mess with the Zohan |
| 18% |
The Happening |
| 75% |
Paranoid Park |
| 93% |
The Visitor |
| 71% |
Stuck |
IGN RSS Feeds