One of the best and most famous sci-fi movies has landed on streaming, giving fans a new opportunity to revisit an essential film in the genre. The 1980s had their share of notable science fiction movies – E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Blade Runner, and The Thing among them. Visionary James Cameron also contributed with landmark projects such as The Terminator and Aliens. However, none surpass the hard sci-fi masterpiece that landed in theaters in 1989 and cemented the director’s status as one of the genre’s most important storytellers.
‘The Abyss’ Is One of the Most Ambitious Productions Ever
The Abyss tells the story of an underwater drilling crew who are tasked with investigating a mysterious submarine accident. Led by Bud Brigman (Ed Harris) and his ex-wife Lindsey (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), the crew finds themselves in trouble after their rig falls deeper into the oceanic trench. The SEAL team that joins them get paranoid over some supernatural events. It appears that something is watching them. What follows is one of Cameron’s boldest approaches to science fiction, and specifically, alien movies. This is not your average film about humans contacting little green men.
Naturally, with Cameron as the leader, the crew of The Abyss knew the production would be ambitious, and unlike anything ever done in the underwater movie genre. Avatar: The Way of Water landed in theaters 33 years later, and state-of-the-art technology was an essential part of its production. To make The Abyss, Cameron relied on old-school, hands-on film-making, and the support of all those who were involved in the production.
Then again, Cameron did go too far sometimes to achieve his vision. Shooting took approximately six months, and most of the time, the cast and crew spent long periods underwater and required daily decompression after filming. It has been reported that part of the cast clashed with the director over his obsessive attention to detail and perfectionism. Cameron himself said that he didn’t “ever want to go through this again.”
Why Was ‘The Abyss’ Banned?
Although the movie has one of the most innovative CGI shots in film history, many of the special effects were achieved practically. This included a scene involving an animal that was the main cause for the censorship of the movie. In the UK releases of the film, the scene has been cut, and it’s literally impossible to see it. In the film, Bud relies on an experimental breathing liquid to explore the depths of the sea, and before he’s shown using the helmet filled with oxygenated breathing liquid, a rat is used to prove the effectiveness of this liquid. While the movie shows the rat drowning, the production notes emphasize that no animals were harmed while making the movie.
When the film premiered on Disney+ in the UK, the RSPCA (the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), was instrumental in having the film removed from the streamer until the scene was cut again. Last year, they stood by their decision, saying:
“This isn’t about cancel culture – we’d welcome Disney Plus reinstating the film to their platform, just with this troubling scene removed…This was instead about highlighting a loophole that currently exists allowing animal abuse scenes deemed unacceptable elsewhere to be streamed freely and legally into our homes and protecting the public from having to see this animal abuse content.”
1989’s The Abyss has landed on Peacock as part of their July update. Although the Special Edition is arguably the most popular cut of the film (it does have a better ending), the version available to stream is the regular theatrical cut.
Release Date
August 9, 1989
Runtime
140 minutes
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
Lindsey Brigman