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From: leeper@mtgzx.att.com (Mark R. Leeper)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews
Subject: REVIEW: THE ABYSS
Summary: r.a.m.r. #00602
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Date: 18 Aug 89 01:56:35 GMT
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				  THE ABYSS
		       A film review by Mark R. Leeper
			Copyright 1989 Mark R. Leeper

	  Capsule review:  A science fiction and adventure film
     that just misses a +4 rating.  Alistair-MacLean-type action
     combines with 2001-type vision to make a whale of a film that
     blows BATMAN right out of the water.  Rating:  high +3.  If
     only it had more interesting science fiction ideas.

     [Note:  THE ABYSS is a fairly long film at 140 minutes.  Enough happens
that it would be impossible to say much about the film without revealing a
surprise or two.  I will try to keep my comments general enough to avoid
marring the enjoyment, at least for some one who has seen other reviews--
still, I wouldn't want to read what follows before seeing the film.]

     THE ABYSS has two kinds of scenes: exciting scenes where suspense is
building and exciting scenes where there is slam-bang action.  And they must
have about equal screen time.  As such, it may well out-Lucas the "Star
Wars" films.  In style most of the film resembles less fantasy films than
films in the Alistair MacLean tradition.  In fact, embedded in this long
film is really a normal-length MacLeanesque adventure that would not even be
science fiction.  Not that MacLean adventures are not somewhat far-fetched
themselves.  And like a MacLean film THE ABYSS is not above throwing in the
occasional far-fetched coincidence to keep the story going.  But the pacing
and adventure-plotting are reminiscent of a film such as THE GUNS OF
NAVARONE or ICE STATION ZEBRA.  The action is not even delayed for opening
credits; the film starts under a single opening title and we cut directly to
the action.  The U. S. S. Montana, a nuclear submarine, has picked up
something unusual on sonar: a very fast-moving craft.  They see it
accelerate to over 130 knots before the sub is physically grasped by
something.  They are freed, but not in time to avoid piling into the edge of
the Cayman Trench.  A team of civilian divers from a nearby oil driller is
brought in by the Navy to try to rescue any survivors.  The chief diver is
Bud Brigman (played by Ed Harris), a strong-willed commander in the process
of divorcing the designer of the drilling facility, Lindsey Brigman (played
by Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio).  The antagonistic couple, a team of four
Navy SEALS, and the divers go to the site of the downed sub.  But there is
something else there, an apparent intelligence--perhaps alien, perhaps
indigenous--that is watching the mission with marked curiosity.

     The script of THE ABYSS shows definite James Cameron touches.
Cameron's films usually feature strong, intelligent, self-reliant women and
never more so than in THE ABYSS with its character of Lindsey Brigman.  The
dialog is crisp, but also very humanizing.  As usual, Cameron's heroes are
common, blue-collar types.

     One of the virtues of a good science fiction film can be to make
technology comprehensible.  THE ABYSS uses state-of-the-art technology--such
as recently developed breathable fluid that will allow exploration of
greater depths.  It also required new technology to be developed simply to
allow the film to be made.  In this category are diving masks designed to
let the camera see who is behind the mask, but which coincidentally also
allow a much wider field of vision for the divers than previously available.

     Like BATMAN, this film also had a large budget and was kept very much
under wraps until its release.  BATMAN turned out to be a film that was
visually fascinating, but which short-changed the story elements.  THE ABYSS
is rumored to have a pricetag of $43 million and, unlike in BATMAN, there
are no big-name stars to soak up large pieces of the budget--or rather there
is one, but it is the Atlantic Ocean, and shooting underwater made the film
much more complex to produce.

     As with any major film that has been kept under wraps, THE ABYSS has
generated a certain amount of rumor.  One rumor on the positive side is that
Hugo-winning science fiction author Orson Scott Card participated strongly
in the scripting.  He supposedly was on the set to ask the actors, "Ignoring
the script, what would you do in this plot situation?"  The next morning the
revised script would have the character doing just what the actor wanted.
And Card would add his own science fiction influence so that it is at least
claimed that THE ABYSS ranks with THINGS TO COME and 2001 for the degree of
participation of a science fiction author in determining plot.  A second and
more negative rumor is that the life form was much better explained in the
pre-release (and in Card's novelization) but that the film was cut by 25
minutes, down to 140, to make it more marketable.  In the cut the real logic
of what is happening was considered to be the dispensable portion.  (This is
strongly rumored to be what happened to the film HIGHLANDER, also from
Twentieth Century Fox.)  Cameron denies that any logic was cut from the film
and says instead that where Card's book varies, it is purely Card's
invention.

     But even as it stands, THE ABYSS is one of the best science fiction
film ever made.  This remains true in spite of a rather superficial
treatment of the some of the science fiction elements.  It is very much a
2001 with all the slowish parts replaced by a good fast-paced adventure
film.  It is entertaining, educational, and exciting, and has compelling
(albeit manipulative at times) drama.  All it lacks is a sufficiently
engaging concept.  Perhaps that was left on the cutting room floor, perhaps
not.  I would give it a high +3 on the -4 to +4 scale.  It could not do much
better than that.

					Mark R. Leeper
					att!mtgzx!leeper
					leeper@mtgzx.att.com