Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

The Abyss 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

The Shape of Water.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman March 10, 2024

There are a lot of "wish lists" for various home media aficionados circulating online (including right here at this very site), and a trifecta of James Cameron films is often mentioned for those wanting either decent 1080 or hopefully "new, improved" 4K UHD versions, and that call has been heeded with the simultaneous releases of True Lies 4K, Aliens 4K and this particular film. Of the three, my hunch is The Abyss has been the most widely anticipated, and there are already literally thousands of posts about this release on our forum, something that indicates just how anticipated this release is. Now someone with the initials "JC" might evoke images of a veritable second coming, and in that regard, Cameron has not been especially shy about "revising" his material, in at least somewhat the same way that invited serious umbrage when George Lucas attempted the same with the Star Wars: Original Trilogy. As a subcategory of that particular tendency, Cameron's "revisionism" isn't necessarily relegated to things like (to cite just one broad example not necessarily pertaining to this release) appearance changes in things like special effects or even color timing for home media releases, but actual content , as evidenced by the two versions of The Abyss included on both 1080 and 4K UHD discs in this package.

While The Abyss has understandably been mentioned in the same (underwater?) breath as James Cameron's Titanic due to their shared "all wet" settings, it might be more salient in a way to compare The Abyss to 2001: A Space Odyssey, as odd as that might sound. Nonetheless, both films feature intrepid explorers in isolated settings discovering "higher intelligence", all within a context that at least alludes subliminally to human "evolution" (or at least ability to adapt to new surrounds and/or learn from smarter beings). In this case of course it's not outer space that's being explored, but the vast reaches of oceanic depths. The "McGuffin" of The Abyss is something at least a little akin to apes and then humans finding a resonating monolith, though in this case it's a submerged "mystery object" that leads to the sinking of a United States submarine.

A quasi-recovery mission is undertaken which reunites estranged couple Dr. Lindsey Brigman (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) and Bud Brigman (Ed Harris), with several other crew members in attendance, many with various quirks and individual "character arcs", which may bring to mind another franchise that Cameron helped to further with the film he made directly before this one, Aliens. While the Special Edition spends more time developing things in this regard, there's an apocalyptic fervor underlying events, not just with regard to potential "lost" nuclear warheads, but also due to the overall situation "topside", as tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union have escalated. It's obviously a fraught environment in either version of the film, with the claustrophobic and ultimately suffocating environment of underwater submersibles adding viscerally to the film's angst factor.

Cameron would visit a doomed love affair in a watery setting in Titanic, and if there is a dramatic hiccup in The Abyss, it may be in the overly melodramatic chain of events it takes to get Bud and Lindsey to what is obviously going to be a happily ever after. By the time each of them has more or less been pronounced dead, only to almost instantly resurrect, you may be thinking of "JC" and second comings in a whole new way.

The Abyss 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080 disc in this package.

The Abyss is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Disney / Buena Vista with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 2.39:1. There is a boatload and/or submersible of information available online (including here in our Forums) about all three of the 4K upgrades of James Cameron films, and some of that information has included "technologies" utilized, but I'm going to completely ignore any of those supposed controversies to simply concentrate on how this transfer looks. While my official reviews won't all be posted for a few more days, of the three Cameron offerings, I'd rate this 4K UHD presentation as the strongest, though it has some of the same anomalies, which my hunch is some videophiles will perceive as deficits, as the other two. The most obvious potential shortcoming I think some will have with this presentation is the relative absence of grain. It's pretty much shorn completely from the 20th Century Fox masthead, but it commendably does appear once the film actually gets underway, though it can be relatively minimal, even against the glut of blues that predominate throughout the story. Grain is definitely more visible against some of the lighter backgrounds, as in some of the topside material in the ships as the story wends its way to its conclusion, but is still rather contained and less observable than I bet many folks will expect and/or desire. The increased resolution of the 4K version probably only makes this somewhat "video- esque" digitally processed appearance more apparent than the 1080 version. Despite whatever restoration gauntlets were undertaken, there is still some recurrent if very minor speckling and the like which the most eagle eyed may notice (try freeze framing at circa 18:13 in the Special Edition to see some of the tiny white flecks that can show up). All of this said, this presentation offers some nicely precise looking fine detail levels in at least the practical sets and costumes, and throughout on the many close-ups of faces. Even some of the underwater material with people can offer surprisingly detailed facial features, including clear visibility of "little" things like eyelashes through visors. This is maybe the only Disney / Buena Vista 4K release I've personally reviewed with Dolby Vision, and HDR definitely adds some luster to the underwater material in particular when compared to an already excellent 1080 presentation. HDR also increases the variability in the huge gamut of blue tones that are a constant throughout the story, and offers some really nice highlights in the more pastel fluorescence material which serves as this film's version of 2001's light show. Some of the then nascent CGI and old school composited effects I would say don't fare perfectly under the "harsh glare" of 2160 resolution, and some of the climactic material involving Bud's fate may actually look just slightly comical as a result. This presentation may indeed strike some as a potent example of Cameron's "revisionism", but divorced from that context, I found it rather beautifully detailed throughout for the most part, and the 4K UHD presentation improves both fine detail levels and especially palette nuance when compared to the already excellent 1080 presentation included in this package.

The Abyss 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Abyss features a nicely immersive (no underwater pun intended) Dolby Atmos track, which clearly engages the Atmos speakers throughout, though kind of ironically in "submerging" sound effects, as in the rush of waters early in the story when the Montana meets it fate. There is excellent surround activity throughout this presentation, including everything from the haunting opening a cappella voices suddenly being joined by brass entering from the rear channels, and with many other moments of scoring clearly wafting through both the side and rear channels. Water effects are of course a near constant, especially in the second half of the film, and swirling sonic activity is a regular presence in the surround channels. Some of the supposed "high tech" gizmos in the backgrounds of several scenes also emit a variety of effects which dot the surround channels, creating a lively soundstage. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout.

The Abyss 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc One (4K UHD)

• Theatrical Version (2:20:16) and Special Edition Version (2:51:01) are accessible under the Play Menu. Toggling between the versions is accessible under the Setup Menu.

Disc Two (1080)

• Theatrical Version (2:20:16) and Special Edition Version (2:51:01) are accessible under the Play Menu. Toggling between the versions is accessible under the Setup Menu.

Disc Three (1080)

• Deep Dive: A Conversation with James Cameron (HD; 32:23) is a fun sit down with Cameron, who reminiscences about as far back as his high school days as a self confessed "science nerd", and how an early field trip provided the spark for the film. He gives some interesting information about both the concept as well as the challenges of the shoot.


• The Legacy of The Abyss (HD; 24:39) has more of the same Cameron interview, along with other interview subjects like Jon Landau, as it focuses on how the film found its audience and how it has continued to resonate.


• Under Pressure: Making The Abyss (SD; 59:37) is an archival documentary that has some great behind the scenes footage and interesting interviews with the principal cast and crew.


• Archives (SD) offers all of the text and image gallery extras from the Special Edition DVD release of The Abyss as they appeared on that disc's "Drill Room" supplement. This comes with a warning about varying resolution and clarity due to the source material. These extras are divided into "Chapters", as follows:

  Chapter 1: Table of Contents

  Chapter 2: Introduction

  Chapter 3: The Writer/Director and Screenplay

  Chapter 4: Development and the Production Team

  Chapter 5: The Design Team

  Chapter 6: The Storyboarding Process

  Chapter 7: Character Development and Casting

  Chapter 8: Costume Design

  Chapter 9: Training for the Production

  Chapter 10: Filming Underwater

  Chapter 11: ROVs and Video in The Abyss

  Chapter 12: Production Chronology

  Chapter 13: The Montana

  Chapter 14: The Benthic Explorer

  Chapter 15: Deepcore 2

  Chapter 16: Flatbed

  Chapter 17: Cab One and Cab Three

  Chapter 18: NTI Scout and Manta

  Chapter 19: Pseudopod

  Chapter 20: Fluid Breathing and the Deep Suit

  Chapter 21: The NTIs

  Chapter 22: The Wave

  Chapter 23: The NTI Ark

  Chapter 24: Editing, Sound, and Music

  Chapter 25: Publicity/Advertising/Marketing

  Chapter 26: The Restoration

  Chapter 27: Closing Commentary

  Chapter 28: Acknowledgments and Credits

Additionally, a digital copy is included and packaging features a slipcover.

The Abyss 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

James Cameron evidently likes long movies. The interesting thing about the two versions of The Abyss is that the Special Edition adds considerable length to an already lengthy viewing experience, but I'd argue actually does what it sets out to do, by providing more context and a more visually polished final product. That said, having both versions in both 1080 and 4K UHD will no doubt excite many fans, as will the huge array of supplements included on the bonus 1080 disc. I have no doubt the look of this presentation is going to be contentious, and it frankly took me a little adjusting to get used to, and my advice is if you're loathe to accept "revisionism" of any kind, this may not be the release for you. I found the technical merits to be generally solid, especially audio, and the supplements nicely inclusive and interesting. Recommended.