THE ABYSS
A film review by Jon Drukman
Copyright 1989 Jon Drukman
Director James Cameron has a big reputation to live up to, having helmed action classics like THE TERMINATOR and ALIENS and fans of his early works will certainly go to see THE ABYSS expecting something special. Fortunately, they'll get something close to a masterpiece, certainly not the "instant classic" that the newspaper headlines blare at us, but a good entertaining movie, nonetheless.
The plot isn't super-relevant, as Cameron's eye is tilted more towards creating a sombre atmosphere, and characterizations. One unusual thing about the film is the way it opens: you see the logo THE ABYSS with the tail on the "y" hanging down, the camera zooms into the "y" and WHAM! the film starts -- no credits, no nothing. This was a very effective technique, because you find yourself plunged into Cameron's vision instantly and totally.
The underwater scenes are beautifully shot, and they practically steal the film away, much the way the gorgeous sets and camerawork stole the show from the lame script of BATMAN. The characters, which Cameron has confessed to making his number one priority in the film, seem a bit flat when confronted with the billions of dollars of technology surrounding them, although Ed Harris delivers a highly competent performance. Michael Biehn did a commendable job at portraying a psycho military officer without any of the usual Hollywood "over the edge" cliches. His performance was a masterwork of restraint, if anything. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, on the other hand, was annoying from frame one, although this might be considered a success as her character was supposed to be a "cast-iron bitch." Her softening at the end was predictable and not very well executed.
In fact, the ending of the film in general was not very well executed. Certainly, the effects and camera work were up to par, but the plot took a standard Hollywood nosedive. Why is it that so few films are willing to take risks and show us a world where everyone doesn't live happily ever after? Presumably, the idealistic worldview is justified by studio management as being "escapist" entertainment, with the rationale being that people go see movies to feel better about the world, but implausibly saccharine endings such as the one in THE ABYSS leave this reviewer feeling much worse about the world.
Cameron may see THE ABYSS as a love story first, but it seems as if he is more in love with the machinery of the film than the characters. Still, some viewers will find that desirable, and the mastery of the film craft that Cameron shows will pay off for them. Just ignore the hopelessly hokey ending, and you'll have a good time.
+------------------------------------+ | | |\ | jsd@gaffa.mit.edu | | \|on |/rukman | jsd@umass.bitnet | +------------------------------------+
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