Cheap The Abyss (Full-Screen Edition) (DVD) (Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) (James Cameron) Price

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Customer Reviews of The Abyss (Full-Screen Edition)

The ultimate DVD masterpiece
If ever there was a movie deserving of all that DVD has to offer, this is it. The Abyss was neglected upon it's original theatrical release and it was only the later released special edition, restoring (and completing) the finale that gave this sci-fi/romance masterpiece the attention it deserves. If you have only seen he theatrical version and dismissed it as "ET underwater" or "Close Encounters of the Wet Kind" then you owe it to yourself to enjoy this movie the way it was meant to be seen. Beg, buy, borrow, or steal this DVD to see the Special Edition in crisp clean digital picture and mind blowing sound. The bonus material will keep you busy for hours including the one hour making of documentary as well as nearly 30 chapters of information on every aspect of filming from casting to the restoration. Each vehichle/submercible gets it's own chapter as well as the famous wave sequence and a truly amazing (and sometimes humorous) look at the creation of the pseudopod sequence making use of DVD's multiple angle feature to allow you to switch between storyboards, raw footage, in process effects shots and the final footage.

Aside from marveling at the amount of care and detail that went into making the film, the special edition also brings even greater resinance to the love story- the true heart and soul of The Abyss. Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio have never been better. Watch the special edition movie on disc 1 then dig in to the ultimate DVD treat on disc 2.

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DVD is packed!
James Cameron crafted such an incredible movie with THE ABYSS. The new 2-disc DVD is an incredible release and is sure to please Cameron fans and fans of this film.

My favorite is the 60-minute documentary. When you see how this film was made, you realize the incredible amount of time and effort that was spent on it. I've always read about negative rumblings from the actors. This makes sense -- imagine going to work EVERY day for several months UNDERWATER ! .

Complaints about the discs: I found the menus hard to navigate! I got led down several wrong roads trying to get to the documentary feature. Also, when watching the "special" edition, one of the chapter changes (going from an old scene to one of the "special edition" scenes...) was awful! The end of the old scene jittered and got cut off in mid-sentence. Then the new scene started. I don't know if this is a function of my player or the actual disc, but I found it annoying.

The film, itself, is great for about 3/4 of the way. I don't really like the end. I find the first hour and 1/2 exciting and visionary. The most exciting scene is when the underwater lab gets tugged to the edge of the abyss by the umbilical cord.

All-in-all, the set is really great, with LOTS of extras. Just a couple of technical complaints spoil it. It's great to see The Abyss where it belongs on DVD!

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What is this digipak version?
This digipak edition DVD does NOT have a 5.1 soundtrack. The picture remains letterboxed, not anamorphic, and it still carries the THX certification, though it is not marked so on the box. If you can, obtain the original Special Edition release in plastic case with black cover, it has the 5.1 soundtrack. If, like me, you are still waiting for the proper anamorphic release of The Abyss, this is NOT IT, it is simply an inferior repackaging.