Though the restoration process may irritate some, the fact that we have The Abyss in 4k is fantastic. If you're a fan of the film, I would wait for the 4k physical release to have both versions of the film in UHD.
“After a nuclear submarine mysteriously sinks in a remote part of the ocean floor, a team of divers on a prototype underwater oil rig are pressed into service by the U.S. Navy in a rescue attempt. When a hurricane cuts off contact between the surface and the underwater depths, the crew begin to see evidence of a strange, possibly alien intelligence at work. While Chief Bud Brigman (Ed Harris) bickers with his ex wife and boss (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), the Navy commander begins to grow increasingly paranoid about the mysterious alien life and threatens to use a recovered nuclear weapon to destroy everything.”
For the first time on high definition, The Abyss was one of my most anticipated films from the Cameron releases on UHD. I have vivid memories of seeing this film when I was a kid and being mesmerized by all aspects of it: the underwater landscape, the marvels in technology used to traverse said landscape, and of course the idea of life on the ocean floor unlike anything we could even imagine.
As groundbreaking the film is from a technological standpoint, which James Cameron is accustomed to nothing less, looking back on it all these years later invokes some mixed emotions. Nothing much has changed with the callous attitude toward climate change and the destruction of marine life and eco-systems in terms of the theme of the film, but another thing that I looked at much differently now that I’m older is the ending. I haven’t seen the Theatrical Edition probably since I was a kid. Once I got my hands on the DVD that contained the version with the extended scenes and alternate ending, that’s all that existed for me. Seeing the original (which with the digital version is the only one on UHD), simply leaves an incomplete feeling, because that’s basically what that ending was. Cameron has a knack for delivering tons of exposition, including vital ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ moments that are integral to the plot. He also leaves quite a bit up to a certain kind of biased speculation that doesn’t translate well to the general public, for example: all these years I thought these creatures evolved in the depths of our ocean floors, not that they’re simply aliens. That has a huge impact on how I view the film, as I always thought of that a little deeper, relating to the hubris of humans believing they’re the masters of the Earth when there is a presumably more powerful, peaceful species that evolved below us, hidden from sight until now. This type of information just isn’t given in the film, a film that has plenty of time for the exposition, and it suffers because of that.
Despite my issues with the ending of the original, The Abyss still manages to provide a very entertaining journey that, at the time of its release anyway, was unlike anything we’d seen before. There are some exceptional performances in this. The relationship between Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio is probably more life-like that any fictional relationship I’ve seen on-screen, with the back and forth and combative nature that ends with a beautiful resolution. Michael Biehn is cast again by Cameron, this time as the antagonist, who is effective at delivering some tense sequences.
The Abyss is out now on Digital for purchase in the new UHD format, featuring Dolby Vision, HDR10, and Dolby Atmos sound. It’s hard to go into detail on the picture quality for me personally, as I had issues with buffering several times despite a 1GB internet connection. Reports indicate the same type of method was used for the transfer of True Lies, with new 4k scans of the original negative, then using algorithms to digitally reduce film grain and enhance details. I for one will be holding my reservations until I get my hands on the physical disc to see if the lack of detail in sections that I noticed were the fault of the transfer, or fault of the streaming. However, if you can’t wait for the March 4k UHD and Blu-ray release, The Abyss has also been released in selective theaters. Another thing to note for those considering purchasing the digital copy: only the Theatrical edition is presented in UHD. The Special Edition is listed as a bonus feature and on my streaming service listed as only HDX. The physical releasing coming March 12th has been reported to have both versions available in 4k UHD.
