Stevecorp Don't listen to the negative reviews

ChampDavSlim The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

Micah Lloyd Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

Phillipa Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

hellholehorror This was a really good underwater thriller. The special edition version is definitely too long though. The ending is brilliant and the middle good but a few bits really did drag on too long. This is definitely worth watching but probably only the theatrical version. That is assuming that the ending remains intact. Ignoring occasional slow pacing the bottom of the sea was never so exciting.

sukhib I only just saw this movie because it was directed by James Cameron. I was expecting maybe a little too much, the film was over long and boring. There is not that much too the movie, but it does have a fairly decent story line. Michael Biehn & Ed Harris are both solid in their roles. But the movie overall is a huge disappointment, if you are a James Cameron fan. I would not watch this ever again.

Predrag "The Abyss" is one of the most intriguing Sci-Fi/action movies to have ever been made. From the very beginning of this exceptional movie to the end, for the first time viewer or for those that have watched it many times, it is a highly inventive and an ultimately captivating movie. Although there have been many movies made about events under the surface of the ocean, few can match up to the intensity that "The Abyss" is laden with. One of the more intriguing aspects about the edition of "The Abyss" that I'm reviewing today or any other version that contains both the original theatrical release and the Special Edition with twenty eight minutes of additional footage is how the whole tone of the conclusion of the film changes between the two. This is not something that I wish to go in to in great detail; suffice it to say that the Special Edition gives a whole new meaning to this classic movie.From Ed Harris to Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio to Michael Biehn and all of the other marvelous actors that performed in this film, they all deserve high praise for their collective efforts in creating this Science Fiction classic. It isn't too often that Ed Harris or Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio gets the lead roles in films but in the case of "The Abyss," they both proved that they were quite ready for such roles.Technically, it has few peers. It is scientifically accurate in what it depicts, and the special effects are virtually flawless. The story is very engaging. It unfolds slowly and smartly and takes many twists and turns. The aliens and their importance to the story are kept a mystery until the end. And the movie also has something often missing in science fiction, drama. Science fiction in television and movies often tends to be overly intellectual or overly melodramatic. The Abyss, in contrast, is a dramatic story through and through. The scenes between Bud and his wife (particularly when he tries to revive her after she drowns and when she talks to him as he descends into the abyss) are among the most engaging I have ever seen in any movie. Give it a shot, this is definitely a sleeper classic that deserves more exposure than it's gotten!Overall rating: 9 out of 10.

widsith-58602 I saw the extended version with the 'real' ending. It is just as rubbish as the shorter version. This is an astonishingly poor movie.It is sort of Close Encounters underwater, but with awful dialogue, one-dimensional characters and zero imagination. It's the kind of film that one keeps watching, presuming that some development or impressive finale will make up for all the dross that one has to sit through. It doesn't. I watched the longer version, thinking the 'directors' cut might have some qualities that the theatrical release did not. Big mistake.Unless you're a student of bad film-making, avoid this.