Megamind To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

Derry Herrera Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

hellholehorror This was a really good underwater thriller. The special edition version is definitely too long though. The ending is brilliant and the middle good but a few bits really did drag on too long. This is definitely worth watching but probably only the theatrical version. That is assuming that the ending remains intact. Ignoring occasional slow pacing the bottom of the sea was never so exciting.

tieroc "The Abyss" is absolutely wonderful to watch. The SFX are beautiful, both practical and computer. But I think it is the characters, their relationships to each other that provide the heart of the movie. And the heart of that heart are the Brigmans. "The Abyss" is science fiction with romance at it's core. Cameron is a hardcore romantic. His movies are about love. In "The Abyss" Ed Harris has an occasion to kiss his wedding ring. The scene is powerful, explodes with joy. Every time I see it I feel it.

Jawbox5 The Abyss certainly feels like James Cameron's most personal and low-key directorial effort. The big action set-pieces and ahead of their time special effects are still here, yet the story he's trying to tell feels much more human and conscious of its time period. It's his first film to mainly concentrate on humans and have the science fiction elements play more of a side role. On a technical and atmospheric level there is nothing to hold the film back, only Cameron himself does that with some inconsistent plotting and writing which leads to a frequently spectacular but unbalanced film. We follow the workers of an underwater oil rig as they are joined by navy seals and asked to investigate the crash site of a navy submarine and find out what caused it. The rigs designer Lindsey insists on going along despite her estranged husband Bud being the foreman. You can see that this will lead to their personalities clashing and it does which creates an interesting dynamic to the films credit. It's no surprise when we learn that something alien caused the crash, after Lindsey comes face to face with a life form that can manipulate water. This alien story works best when it's shrouded in mystery, yet I really don't like the eventual resolution to it. After a lot of interesting build-up we end on a note that feels straight out of E.T and doesn't fit the films tone at all. The real meat of the story comes when navy seal Coffey steals a warhead from the wreckage. Struck with paranoia he believes that the life form is a Russian spy and turns on the crew when they don't cooperate with his plan to attack it. The tension during these scenes is wonderful. Coffey is the most interesting character and seeing him slowly snap is disturbing in all the right ways. The clashes between him and the crew are always brimming with intensity too. The film is at its best when it lets the claustrophobia of these situations wash over it. The sense of isolation and unease does get appropriately strong, as scenes like the crew trapped as water floods in or racing to stop the warhead being launched are what really suck you in. I actually think that if the film discarded the Sci-Fi elements then it could probably work even better as a straight-up thriller.An area of weakness is in regards to the characters. Most of the crew just don't have much personality because of a lack of development and bland writing. Having characters like Hippy whose trait is being a conspiracy theorist and carrying a rat or Standing whose nickname is One Night (which is the worst excuse for a nickname you'll see) stinks of laziness. Ed Harris is solid as usual and Mastrantonio does a serviceable job, yet its relying on their acting talents to carry bland characters. The only real standout is Michael Biehn who provides a genuinely chilling performance as the paranoid Coffey.With that said Cameron's direction and staging is as impressive as ever. The set itself is simply incredible. Not only does it look gigantic, but it is lit perfectly and gives a real sense of being deep in the ocean. The special effects are impressive and still hold up well, while the in-camera effects still amaze too. I didn't think it was possible to make a fight scene between two mini-subs gripping but they managed to pull it off. There are also a number of sequences that are really deliver the tension necessary. Notably the resuscitation scene which, though a little ludicrous, is almost overwhelmingly intense and superbly acted by Harris. The same goes for Harris attempting to retrieve the warhead, it's heart-pounding in every way you could wish.When The Abyss reaches its conclusion I was relatively satisfied. It is an intelligent and frequently thrilling film based around an interesting idea. The issues arise from when that idea isn't fully realised and the writing gets in its way. When the film concentrates on offering thrills and intensity in a unique environment then it really does engage. Yet all the talk of alien life forms feels out of place in such an oppressive setting and the majority of characters aren't strong enough to really involve the audience for such a long film. In saying that I was never bored or confused by the film, and with a little fine-tuning it could have been something special.

widsith-58602 I saw the extended version with the 'real' ending. It is just as rubbish as the shorter version. This is an astonishingly poor movie.It is sort of Close Encounters underwater, but with awful dialogue, one-dimensional characters and zero imagination. It's the kind of film that one keeps watching, presuming that some development or impressive finale will make up for all the dross that one has to sit through. It doesn't. I watched the longer version, thinking the 'directors' cut might have some qualities that the theatrical release did not. Big mistake.Unless you're a student of bad film-making, avoid this.