The Abyss

James Cameron has a very strong filmography with a lot of films that I can rank among some of my favourites from the likes of Aliens to the first two Terminator films. Avatar was overhyped on release but it still a very entertaining adventure to this day but there is one film on his list that I only saw once and could never make-up my mind about until just recently; The Abyss. 

Released in 1989, The Abyss follows a civilian deep sea diving team enlisted with helping to retrieve a missing US nuclear submarine that has gone quiet. Ed Harris is the salt-of-the-earth leader, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio the former lover interest turned corporate boss of the operation and Michael Biehn is the macho military guy with his squad to ensure Harris' team complete the mission. Their characters and the tropes here have been used time and again by Cameron but what makes this film is how the director went about making this hugely ambitious adventure. There's production hell and then there's the cast and crew nearly drowning on a huge underwater set that is impressive to watch but I can't decided if I prefer the film or the fascinating behind-the-scenes to this even more.

The Abyss functions well as claustrophobic thriller with great performances from the cast, and the production team have achieved something that would likely never be made the same way again today which makes this feel special. However it is painful to admit that despite all the effort from the crew, Harris' dedication to the role and what he went through, and Cameron's vision that this is unfortunately an uneven experience. 

Running twenty minutes over the two hour mark, Cameron takes the film into the territory of epic adventures and the visuals alone are worth the duration but the left turn this film takes somewhere around the middle before finally revealing itself won't gel with everyone. Without spoilers, there's a great film to be made with the initial premise but the story takes a level that it isn't cut-out for when many of the scenes to justify its direction were left on the cutting room floor. Yet I can't call the final act bad at all as some of The Abyss' best scenes come around that point but I think to call this one jarring wouldn't be unfair. 

It's far from perfect but The Abyss is a fascinating example of the type of films Hollywood just doesn't go for anymore. Cameron's direction and ambition is mesmerising as is the work his crew achieved in making this all possible but do do yourself a favour and see the making-of documentary afterwards as it rivals the stories of Waterworld. The Abyss is weirdly enjoyable and should be seen once at least if you've enjoyed the rest of his work even if you probably won't ever rank it among your favourites.