The Abyss (1 Viewer)

[Kenshiro]

Just caught the theatrical version on HBO-HD. In one word...TERRIBLE.

4:3, SD Upconvert. Even though I was expecting bad all of the VFX scenes were atrocious.

An alarming amount of print damage and video anomalies cover the entire frame during these scenes.

A proper restoration of this film is going to be quite the undertaking.

 

[DVDvision]

Well as said earlier in the thread, the new transfert just awaits approval I do like the 4/3 DVD thought (the Pan & Scan edition), right now I prefer to see the movie this way than in the old, letterbox but non-anamorphic version.

 

[Jobla]

I hope very much that an anamorphic transfer of THE ABYSS happens soon, and it should definitely be released on DVD as well as Blu.

 

[AbbyNormal]

I was lucky enough to see the extended version of THE ABYSS at the now-gone Plitt/Cineplex Odeon/. . .Whatever theater in Century City back in '93 and as much as I loved the original cut, the longer version just packed more of a whallup. For me, it is Cameron's best film, closely followed by ALIENS (Extended version), T2 (Extended version) and TITANIC. I still have not seen AVATAR (sorry, when we try to go the shows in IMAX are sold out and we haven't had much free time for the past month) but I expect that to join this group. I also had the good fortune to be invited to a screening back in '89 on the Fox lot that Cameron introduced (the film had been out for a week so I am not sure who it was intended for) with the concluding remark "Hope you enjoy it-we almost died making it." Is that SC facility still being used? I don't recall any other credits for it since. . .

My only quibble with the film is one mentioned earlier-the raising of the alien craft from the depths. After seeing the film onopening night at the Avco's big screen (also long gone) many of us were talking about this, and I said if only the ending had taken place toward dusk, the ship would not have looked so much like lawn furniture that just came up from the bottom of the swimming pool. Van Ling mentioned something earlier in this thread about the possibility of that being rectified and I was wondering if that was still a possibility for any remastering? I mean, might as well do that if you are going to spend the time and cash to do the rest.

Also, does Mary Elizabeth Mastrontonio still hold a grudge or hatred towards this film and JC? With the exception of appearing on the series "Without A Trace" (and also disappearing from that show without so much as an explanation) she has not done much in the past few years and I think this is her best work, IMHO.

 

[cineMANIAC]

I'm breathlessly awaiting an announcement of this on Blu-ray...hopefully sometime soon now that the Avatar hoopla is starting to pass?

 

[Mike Wadkins]

http://babelfish.yahoo.com/translate_url?doit=done&tt=url&intl=1&fr=bf-home&trurl=http%3A%2F%2Fera-hd.ru%2Fblu-ray%2Fthe-abyss%2F&lp=ru_en&btnTrUrl=Translate
March release in Russia

 

[Mike Wadkins]

Double post

 

[Jobla]

Did the scheduled March Russian release occur?

I certainly hope that a true anamorphic DVD will be released in the US at some point.

 

[TheBat]

Mary Elizabeth Mastrontonio joining the tv series: law and order: CI with jeff goldblum. its airs on USAnetwork. her first episode is this tuesday. she will will be playing the new captain.
http://www.usanetwork.com/series/criminalintent/theshow/characterprofiles/callas/bio.html
Jacob

 

[oscar_merkx]

interesting casting news

 

[DVDvision]

Hopefully the Abyss Blu-Ray is now at the horizon ! Question is, will it be in the old LD format (1.85) or the 2.35 theatrical format ? I feel the DVD in widescreen 2.35 is too cramped, and I wouldn't mind that the new transfert does an "Avatar" on us and is 1.85... The first version on Laserdisc was 1.85 (or 1.95) and the extra room allowed for more immersion.

 

[Scott D S]

So, uh... anything new?

 

[Will_B]

Does the technology to replace Chris Elliott exist yet?

 

[Scott D S]

In case Van and Co. are still reading this, I thought of a new possible feature for the Blu-Ray release.

Sometime in the late 90s, the Sci-Fi Channel aired the Special Edition version of the film in a 4-hour time slot (I think). James Cameron himself introduced it and also appeared in various short segments throughout the presentation, usually just before or after the commercials. VFX supervisor John Bruno may have appeared as well.

I think these would be a pretty cool addition to whatever we end up getting. And this clip is just kitschy. /img/vbsmilies/htf/smile.gif

 

[Will_B]

Wow, that Entertainment Tonight clip, with the footage of the extended ending, reminded me of how bad the shots of the beach goers are!

I would not mind if someone reshot those reactions (of people looking at the standing wave).

For most of the film, people appear timeless because everyone is in uniform. Could be 2000. Could be 1990. Could be 1980. No way to date the film except perhaps by haircuts (but even then, not really, since most have short hair). It feels like "now"!

But then there's that extended ending, with beachgoers wearing huge bathing suits and bad clothes and hair that looks like early 1980s (with some fashion holdouts from the late 1970s) and it ruins everything! Plus that giant camcorder the "tv reporter" is using to record the wave is antique.

Shoot some new groups of people for those reaction shots in the extended ending, and the film will improve.

Yes, this is revisionist, but, it looks like it was all second unit stuff anyway.

Agree? Disagree?

 

[Brian Borst]

Originally Posted by Will_B
Wow, that Entertainment Tonight clip, with the footage of the extended ending, reminded me of how bad the shots of the beach goers are!

I would not mind if someone reshot those reactions (of people looking at the standing wave).

For most of the film, people appear timeless because everyone is in uniform. Could be 2000. Could be 1990. Could be 1980. No way to date the film except perhaps by haircuts (but even then, not really, since most have short hair). It feels like "now"!

But then there's that extended ending, with beachgoers wearing huge bathing suits and bad clothes and hair that looks like early 1980s (with some fashion holdouts from the late 1970s) and it ruins everything! Plus that giant camcorder the "tv reporter" is using to record the wave is antique.

Shoot some new groups of people for those reaction shots in the extended ending, and the film will improve.

Yes, this is revisionist, but, it looks like it was all second unit stuff anyway.

Agree? Disagree?

I'd always hoped they get Alan Silvestri back do re-score the extended ending, since now there's some synthesizer track that doesn't gel with the rest of the (underrated) score at all. If they would do that, they could re-shoot the beach scene as well, and of course add some believable CG waves.

 

[oscar_merkx]

Always thought that the Abyss is very underrated especially sandwiched between Aliens and T2

 

[Jason Charlton]

Originally Posted by Will_B
Wow, that Entertainment Tonight clip, with the footage of the extended ending, reminded me of how bad the shots of the beach goers are!

I would not mind if someone reshot those reactions (of people looking at the standing wave).

For most of the film, people appear timeless because everyone is in uniform. Could be 2000. Could be 1990. Could be 1980. No way to date the film except perhaps by haircuts (but even then, not really, since most have short hair). It feels like "now"!

But then there's that extended ending, with beachgoers wearing huge bathing suits and bad clothes and hair that looks like early 1980s (with some fashion holdouts from the late 1970s) and it ruins everything! Plus that giant camcorder the "tv reporter" is using to record the wave is antique.

Shoot some new groups of people for those reaction shots in the extended ending, and the film will improve.

Yes, this is revisionist, but, it looks like it was all second unit stuff anyway.

Agree? Disagree?

Disagree. The movie has major thematic elements that are most definitely NOT timeless - in particular the fact that the Cold War was a driving factor behind the building tension of the entire situation. The movie was released in '89 - two years before the Cold War ended.

The movie is what it is. I doubt we'll actually have flying cars in the next 5 years, but you don't hear about people wanting to change the "Back to the Future" movies to reflect an accurate depiction of the year 2015 right?

 

[dpippel]

Originally Posted by Will_B
Wow, that Entertainment Tonight clip, with the footage of the extended ending, reminded me of how bad the shots of the beach goers are!

I would not mind if someone reshot those reactions (of people looking at the standing wave).

For most of the film, people appear timeless because everyone is in uniform. Could be 2000. Could be 1990. Could be 1980. No way to date the film except perhaps by haircuts (but even then, not really, since most have short hair). It feels like "now"!

But then there's that extended ending, with beachgoers wearing huge bathing suits and bad clothes and hair that looks like early 1980s (with some fashion holdouts from the late 1970s) and it ruins everything! Plus that giant camcorder the "tv reporter" is using to record the wave is antique.

Shoot some new groups of people for those reaction shots in the extended ending, and the film will improve.

Yes, this is revisionist, but, it looks like it was all second unit stuff anyway.

Agree? Disagree?

Disagree. As Jason rightly points out, the fact that the plot device driving events in The Abyss are rising nuclear tensions between the US and Russia firmly roots the film in the era of the Cold War. I also feel that it is what it is. There's no need for revisionist tampering here.

 

[Will_B]

We could be adversaries of Russia again. I don't recall if they called the enemy "Russia" or "the USSR", but if "Russia", it doesn't have to be during the Cold War.