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The Abyss (1989)

Starring Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Michael Biehn, and Chris Elliott.  Cinematography by Mikael Salomon.  Editing by Conrad Buff, Joel Goodman, and Howard Smith. Produced by Gale Anne Hurd.  Written and Directed by James Cameron.

The commercial drilling platform Deepcore is called upon by the US government to investigate the disappearance of a nuclear submarine.  After reaching their destination they discover that they are not alone. A culture of intelligent life has evolved in the depths of ocean and while the crew of the Deepcore is amazed by the discovery, the Navy SEALs on board see them as a danger and threaten to destroy them.  Their communication line between them and the surface is knocked out by a storm and the life and death drama plays out on the bottom of the sea.

The Abyss is a story that James Cameron has been working on since he was a teenager.  At the age of seventeen he became dive certified.  From there he begin to dream about incorporating his love of film and his love of diving into a project, but didn’t want to do something as flat as a documentary. He developed a short story about a research vessel parked on the edge of the Cayman Trough.

Using a breathable fluid to fill their lungs (which is based on an actual technology developed by the Navy) the scientists would routinely dive into and explore the deepest parts of the ocean. Cameron had his story published in a school literary magazine, and intended to flesh it out into a graphic novel, but his priorities shifted when he graduated and moved on to college. Years later Gale Anne Hurd, his wife and business partner, heard Cameron’s ideas for the story and encouraged him to develop it into a script. With the help of recent film school graduate Vin Ling, Cameron spent months researching dive and underwater technology.

When he finally finished his first draft of The Abyss, the script ended up one hundred and ninety two pages long (which translates to over three hours of film). It took months for Cameron to trim the script down to an acceptable level, but the problems with The Abyss didn’t end there. The original budget for the film was twenty one point five million dollars, but it ended up demanding over forty five.  Cameron actually had to give the distribution rights of the film over to Twentieth Century Fox in exchange for the additional funding.

The production of the film was also delayed a number of times due to various unforeseen events.  When the film was finally released it was hit and miss with the critics.  It struggled in the box office but finally started to turn a profit when it reached video stores and television broadcasts.

In the end the hard work paid off and Cameron ended up with one of the most well crafted and unique science fiction films in recent memory.  Since its release it has slowly built itself a pretty solid fan base which warranted Cameron to release a special “director’s cut” on video which includes nearly thirty minutes of additional footage that was cut from the theatrical release.

Budget: $69,500,000

Total US Gross: $54,243,125

Genre: Science Fiction

Runtime: 146 Minutes

US Release Date: 8/9/89

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Awards:

Academy Awards: 
Won for best visual effects.
Nominated for best art direction/set decoration, cinematography, and sound.

Tagline: Deep Below The Blue Surface There Lies A Place No One Has Ever Dreamed Of….

Quote: “There is something down there… something not us.”