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Plot, Details & Awards

Abyss

PG-13 In Theaters 08/8/1989 , 140min.
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Plot & Details

The crew of an experimental, high-tech submersible is called into action to investigate a mysterious nuclear submarine crash. A series of strange encounters leads the crew to suspect the accident was caused by an extraterrestrial craft, and that they may be participating in an encounter with an alien species. However, in order to make contact, they must not only brave the abyss, an exceedingly deep underwater canyon, but also deal with the violent actions of one of their own crew members, an increasingly paranoid Navy SEAL officer. Approved by director James Cameron, The Abyss: Special Edition is an extended director's cut of the 1989 underwater science fiction epic, reinstating nearly a half hour of footage removed from the original release under studio pressure. Much of the restored footage places the film's events in a grander political context, as the crew's mission becomes a factor in the dangerous escalation of nuclear tension between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The largest change involves the film's ending, which provides further information on the aliens' mission on Earth, bringing the film to closer to Cameron's intention: a modern remake of Robert Wise's The Day the Earth Stood Still.
  • MPAA Rating: PG-13
  • Genre(s): Action,Horror
  • Run Time: 140min.
  • Theatrical Release Date: 08/08/1989
  • DVD Release Date: 12/21/1999
  • Distributor(s): 20th Century Fox
  • Director(s): James Cameron
  • Starring: Ed Harris , Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio , Michael Biehn , Leo Burmeister , Todd Graff
  • Themes: Terror in the Water,Disasters at Sea,Heroic Mission,Benign Aliens
  • Tone: Chilly,Claustrophobic,Grim,Ominous,Slick,Tense
  • Keywords: UFO (Unidentified Flying Object),alien [not human],high-seas,hurricane,love,rescue,sea,sea-disaster,shipwreck,submarine,survivor,underwater
  • Country of Origin: USA (08-09-1989)
  • Language: English

Awards

Academy Awards

Year Award CategoryCast & Crew Result
1989 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound Lee Orloff Nominated
1989 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Art Direction Leslie Dilley Nominated
1989 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Visual Effects Dennis Muren Won
1989 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound Don Bassman Nominated
1989 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Visual Effects Hoyt Yeatman Won
1989 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Visual Effects John Bruno Nominated
1989 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound Richard Overton Nominated
1989 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Art Direction Anne Kuljian Nominated
1989 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Cinematography Mikael Salomon Nominated
1989 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound Kevin F. Cleary Nominated
1989 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Visual Effects Dennis Skotak Won
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