Search - The Abyss [Fullscreen Special Edition] on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG-13 Content Advisory: Violence, Questionable for Children, Adult Language Movie Release: 1989 DVD Release: 02/11/2003 Format: DVD - Closed Captioned Audio Tracks: English, French, Spanish Subtitles: English, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 2 hrs 51 mins Studio: 20th Century Fox Members Wishing: 0 Genres: Science Fiction, Romantic Drama, Psychological Sci-Fi, Sci-Fi Adventure See Also: The Abyss [Widescreen Special Edition], The Abyss, The Abyss [Widescreen Special Edition], The Abyss [Fullscreen], The Abyss [Widescreen], The Abyss [Director's Cut] [Lenticular Cover], The Abyss [Spanish], The Abyss

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. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide

Ed Harris - Bud Brigman
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio - Lindsey Brigman
Michael Biehn - Lt. Coffey
Leo Burmeister - Catfish De Vries
Todd Graff - Alan "Hippy" Carnes

James Cameron's science fiction film The Abyss comes to DVD with a standard full-frame transfer that fails to preserve the original theatrical aspect ratio. Closed-captioned English soundtracks are rendered in Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Digital Surround, while French and Spanish soundtracks have also been recorded in Dolby Digital Surround. English and Spanish subtitles are accessible. Aside from this being a cut of the film that contains close to 30 minutes of additional footage, there are no supplemental materials of any consequence. This is a decent disc for what it is, but the film is available in a widescreen edition that is far preferable. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide