Guide Note

The Abyss is a 1989 science fiction film about a group of divers that encounter alien beings during a deep sea dive over the Cayman Trough. The film follows a group of oil platform workers and Navy SEAL divers as they attempt to recover a submarine armed with nuclear weapons that has sunk near the trench. Most of the filming took place in a specially modified building at an unfinished nuclear power plant that was, in the end, the largest underwater set ever used. Though the movie initially received mixed reviews from both critics and audiences, it has since developed a strong cult following. The visual effects are now widely considered to be groundbreaking, and have been credited as the inspiration for such later films as Terminator 2. The Abyss was nominated for four Academy Awards in 1990, winning the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.

Fast Facts

1. Director: James Cameron
2. Producers: Anne Hurd and Van Ling
3. Written by: James Cameron
4. Starring: Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Michael Biehn, and J.C. Quinn
5. Released: August 9, 1989
6. Run Time: 146 min. & 171 min. for Special Edition
7. Budget: $41 million
8. MPAA Rating: PG-13