The Abyss

"The Abyss" features a random assortment of sequences which look suspiciously altered to accommodate the course of the film and one of the most obvious is why Bud isn't instantly crushed to death by the pressure while plummeting to what appears to be certain death. And how can he possibly rally himself so quickly when he is already caught in the unforgiving grip of delirium? And how can he be capable of successfully defusing a nuclear warhead after enduring such trauma? The film also enthusiastically throws every conceivable obstacle at its cast of characters - that would probably include a kitchen sink if they had one available - as Murphy's Law is unleashed upon them and runs rampant like never before in any previous film to produce what is essentially a thrilling and completely enthralling motion picture experience.

When a nuclear-powered submarine goes missing, scientists-cum-salvagers “Bud” (Ed Harris) and his estranged wife “Lindsey” (Mary Elizabeth Mastroantonio) are drafted in to find out what’s happened. The area where it was lost has become something of a “Bermuda Triangle” with mysterious power surges and electrical failures but luckily (?) they have the help of navy SEAL “Lt. Coffey” (Michael Biehn) and his team of gun-toters to assist as they dive deep under the ocean. Things doesn’t quite go to plan and they are dragged even deeper, where she is convinced that they are not alone - and that what they are seeing isn’t natural, nor man-mad either! Might it be possible that there’s another species peacefully adorning the ocean floor that’s had it’s fill of mankind and it’s dangerous tantrums? I can’t say much for the acting here, it’s all a bit wooden and with not much by way of decent or scientific dialogue here it’s largely left to the increasingly maniacal Biehn and to some stunning visual effects to deliver the story. It’s that imagery, coupled with the vivid imagination of James Cameron that keeps this slightly over-long adventure moving seamlessly. There’s a predictable, if rather heavy-handed, moral at the denouement (anyone seen “Warlords of Atlantis” from 1978?) and, indeed, the whole thing is riddled with environmental messages of some degree but it’s still essentially a quickly paced and claustrophobic adventure film with plenty going on. It looks great on a big screen with Alan Silvestri’s score compensating well for the banality of the writing, and I quite enjoyed it.