THE ABYSS (1989) Breakdown | Ending Explained, Making Of, Special Edition, Analysis & Hidden Details

[@heavyspoilers]

Go to sponsr.is/tld_heavyspoilers and use code HEAVYSPOILERS24 to get $1 off your next desired domain name at Porkbun!

[@skepticalmagos_101]

Hey could you do Virus (1999) or Below (2002 )? 😊

[@elodvezer1790]

do you have some kind of Phishing impersonator PHising here or do you ask for PM for everyone ...LOL cause it doesn't make me wanna keep the sub

[@miloddvoranak8900]

May i ask about that what you said 17:04. Babies do nothing like that in the womb, they do not breath at all while inside the womb.

[@JEMurl]

I see, it’s like poetry, so that they rhyme?

[@WarmFusion]

Wa​@@miloddvoranak8900

[@Skiller131]

I feel like this is Cameron's most underrated movie. Absolutely loved this gem. I'm ecstatic that you're covering it. The scene with Virgil doing the deep dive, the keypad and the alien ship was absolutely mesmerizing. Definitely gonna rewatch it for the 30th time tonight. Good job, New Rockstars!

[@unropednope4644]

It's his best movie

[@IamGroot786]

It is underrated.

[@i.b.640]

When this was in theatres, my father smuggled me in, because he thought it was so good and didn't want me to miss this, just because I was a year too young. (He knew I could take it, especially since he talked about it afterwards with me) I wholeheartedly agree!

[@joshwhite9954]

This is heavy spoilers not new Rockstar lol

[@eins2001]

​@@unropednope4644 lol no

[@antimatterhorn]

25:40 coffee gave the seal with the broken leg that same gun when he was imprisoning the crew and told him to shoot anyone that moved. the broken-legged seal suggested this was insane and that they were acting without orders. this is when he likely took the clip out of the gun because he was never going to shoot anyone. we see him emptying the clip later because coffee, in his nervous state, took the gun back but never looked to see that the clip had been removed. you can actually see the gun has no clip when bud tries to steal it.

[@daddystackde]

Such an incredible movie. Showed someone the 4K version who has never seen or heard of the film before and they couldn’t believe it when i said it was released in 1989. What a master of his craft…

[@jerometruitt2731]

Best sci fi director of all time

[@s1gne]

I used to work for Silicon Graphics back in the day (after the movie was made, right at the time of the filming of Terminator 2 (who used a similare effect)). Those CGI scenes where rendered on computers the size of a refrigerator and a whole serverpark of them where needed. These day you can do that real time.... on your phone... Those effects where groundbreaking and for the time looked convincing. It was at a time normal home computers where still 16bit (windows 3.11), SGI made 64bit computers. The also helped develop the Nintendo 64 at that time.

[@Laarye]

American science fiction author Orson Scott Card was hired to write a novelization of the film based on the screenplay and discussions with Cameron. He wrote back-stories for Bud, Lindsey, and Coffey as a means not only of helping the actors define their roles, but also to justify some of their behavior and mannerisms in the film. Card also wrote the aliens as a colonizing species which preferentially sought high-pressure deep-water worlds to build their ships as they traveled further into the galaxy (their mothership was in orbit on the far side of the Moon). The NTIs' knowledge of neuroanatomy and nanoscale manipulation of biochemistry was responsible for many aspects of the film.

[@mark.J6708]

Love his books!

[@jaysongundlach6193]

I just put up another post about this book. I loved the movie and think it is highly underrated. But I think the book, I know it is cliche, is better. But Card was a great writer.

[@unropednope4644]

Copy and pasted rhe Wikipedia article😂

[@skepticalmagos_101]

Wait... there was a book?..

[@stonewolf1980]

Card WAS a great writer. Then he turned all homophobic and his work slipped into deserved obscurity.

[@ItsNuxFury]

28:29 Gotta hand it to Cameron, as rough as he was with the crew, that scene with Ed Harris trying to resuscitate Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio was f'ing great; the emotion and intensity was through the roof. I think I literally held my breath the whole time the first time I watched it.

[@JohnSaysHi]

Ill never get tired of the Arnold "why?" transitions, lol

[@sebswede9005]

Why?

[@Yantryman]

​@@sebswede9005😂😂😂😂

[@FreeFinca]

👏🏻🤣​@@sebswede9005

[@EEEEEEEEEK]

I saw this movie in a theater when I was 21. Your speculation about the sensation of seeing the tentacle forming a face is refreshing. I sigh at a lot of movie reviewers who sniff at special effects from early CGI and say they're so bad. At the time, we didn't have anything to compare it to and it was awe-inspiring. Like, the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park made me cry.

[@MrFunkster]

I was born in '81, and I remember watching this when it came out on home video. Even at that young of an age, I was mesmerized with how good of a movie I thought it was and how realistic all the effects were. Still one of my favorite James Cameron movies.

[@juangalton999]

The way James Cameron treated his cast and crew is unforgivable. Yes, it's a beautiful film. But Cameron's ego almost killed Ed Harris.

[@60weHoodsta]

People sometimes almost dies during a movie. Still happens today. It's forgivable because he is still making movies. This is not RUST

[@juangalton999]

@@60weHoodsta Except when directors ignore the warnings of their safety consultants. James Cameron is a narcissist.

[@60weHoodsta]

@@juangalton999 Maybe. But I wonder why people still work with him...

[@juangalton999]

@@60weHoodsta Because his movies earn a lot of money. Like I said, Abyss is a beautiful film. So he knows what he's doing there. But the ends do not justify the means.

[@clearcutter74]

Michael Biehn's character was a great villain. From his point of view he was saving the world. I'd love to see breakdowns of eXistenZ and Sunshine, two excellent movies that deserve more attention than they get.

[@Szokynyovics]

I was like "Wait, WHAT, same guy?!" Crap, I gotta rewatch this movie, he gave me nightmares as a kid, such a scary villain... probabl

[@Grinnar]

I first saw this movie when I was 7, and it blew my damn mind.

[@P5kr]

Literally 2 days ago I was looking for a Heavy Spoilers video on this film, not knowing you hadn't covered it. This video is almost an answer to my prayers

[@heavyspoilers]

Ey glad we had it for you nice timing

[@russwaddel08]

I met Michael Biehn (sp) on the streets of Auckland, New Zealand in 2010. I asked him what movie he would go back in time and tell himself not to make, and he said, "The Abyss." When I asked why, he told me that they would be under water for 8 hours at a time, and that he would come home feeling clammy and wet all the time. He really put the method acting to work, as his antagonist is one of the best.

[@JC041174]

Utterly love this breakdown. The Abyss is one of my all time fav films

[@kog8952]

I was looking over movies recently on Amazon to watch and this one turned up, I remember watching it a long time ago but this was a special edition so I bought it and really enjoyed watching it again after so many years, after watching it I had the urge to watch many more movies that take place in the ocean, Underwater and Sphere as two examples.

[@heavyspoilers]

Yeah Cameron don’t miss. Underwater is great too. Way way underrated. Film looks incredible and is so atmospheric.

[@furiousapplesack]

@@heavyspoilers Underwater was awesome. Jumped right into the action in like 30 seconds.

[@GuitarLessonsBobbyCrispy]

So much like Titanic! Especially the beginning; both movies start with vocal music, views of underwater, submarines, the insides of submarines, radars and bright lights moving through the ocean.

[@dominicellison4804]

This movie has been one of my favorites ever since I was a small child, and I recently got to see it for the first time in theaters for the 4k re-release and it was one of the most amazing experiences because I got to see it with my dad.

[@keithbieberly6445]

It's been probably 30 years for me, but I recommend the novelization. As i recall, it made a lot of things in the movie much clearer, especially how the "aliens" were manipulating things, and maybe the characters, through control of water

[@KingJojoB]

If you didn’t come from tiktok raise your hand 🤚🏽

[@goldenskeptic6309]

🖖

[@tokyosmash]

Don’t even have one 🤘🏼

[@christchex91]

🤙🏼

[@AbdulAlim-of3tr]

As a 80s kids we dont give a damn to tiktok

[@shiddy.]

👉🤛

[@LikeTheBuffalo]

Saw the 4k restoration at my local indie theater the other week, and it really did make a difference. The detail in the jelly aliens was much clearer, and the effects where people were superimposed onto the cockpits of their underwater vehicles was seamless

[@ThatOtherMikeyGuy]

First two-thirds of this movie: Solid gold. Final act: Oh no.

[@eloquentsarcasm]

The movie and book versions are a perfect pair, each contributing to a fuller understanding of it all. Those early chapters for Coffee/Lindsey/Bud setup each characters mindset and beliefs that come out during the film.

[@ksea6565]

I had the extended version, and this was one of my most favorite movies. My oldest daughter was 3 when the video came out, and she would tell me every single day 'Mommy, i wanna watch the Buuddd movie, can we please watch the Buuddd movie?' 😅🥰

[@carbine090909]

That Mastroantonio-Harris scene - you know the one - broke me. 😭

[@joshh535]

Every time I hear someone mention James Cameron, the South Park song starts playing in my head. “His name is Jaaaaames Cameron, the bravest pioneer, no budget too steep no sea too deep, who is that it’s him, James Cameron!”

[@NoxAnexayi]

1:25 I had to rewind. "First person to breathe oxygen through his lungs". Don't we all do that?

[@heavyspoilers]

Breathe water fml

[@lu-gr4ug]

@@heavyspoilers just letting you know when you talk about godzilla x kong the letter x is silent the titan ( Shimo ) is pronounced ( shi-mo ) not ( shi-mu ) there is no letter u in the name a simple google search for the movie it explains it all look at the merchandise like the toys it will tell you its shimo

[@jimmicks8185]

@@lu-gr4ug agreed the other guy m.t kept saying the wrong thing and give misinformation to everyone

[@NoxAnexayi]

@@heavyspoilers Hope you know I was just messing about. Not being mean. Love your uploads.

[@featherelfstrom8405]

@@lu-gr4ug Just letting you know that if you Google "sentence punctuation", you might find some hints as to why no one can understand your comment, nor take it seriously. Also, the text on toy packaging is not really something you should be looking at as 'canon' source material for spelling or punctuation - there are PLENTY of mistakes on packaging. Also, also the person who made this video is speaking with a very interesting mixed accent, so please don't mock their pronunciation of anything - I'm sure they would find plenty of things to make fun of in the way >you< speak, given then opportunity to hear your voice ;-)

[@thebrowneyesofmandalore]

One of my favorite aspects of this movie is Ed Hariss’s acting. He’s known for roles that portray toughness and sternness. Movies such as The Rock, Appaloosa, even The Right Stuff, and more. While I love his acting in those roles, here in The Abyss he has a lot more of an a emotional role and I really like that. I would’ve loved to see him in more movies like that. Nowadays he pretty much sticks with the tough roles.

[@docweidner]

I didn't waych the original version, but first saw the Director's cut at The Ohio SciFi Marathon. It is so much better than the theatrical release.

[@tonitoasty3199]

“Hippy” is the real MVP of this movie! Big Geek, Little Geek, his rat 😅 I said what I said. Thanks so much for doing a breakdown of this movie. I grew up watching this on LaserDisc when my dad splurged on his first surround sound set up in the downstairs family room lol. I still say quotes from this movie and NO ONE ever gets my references.

[@heavyspoilers]

Ah nice, glad you liked it, lol I never owned a laserdisc but heard they were massive

[@lukesleven1900]

Not watched this since the 90s. This breakdowns got me wanting to revisit it. Banger of a breakdown, every time!

[@heavyspoilers]

Thank you

[@alexp601]

This was one of the first really epic films I remember watching when I was younger. It felt like a really important, big film, even if I could hardly comprehend why exactly. An all-time classic!

[@KismetBP]

I watched the movie in theaters when it came out and had The Abyss on Laser Disk back in the day. Still love the movie and watch it again from time to time. ❤🤘

[@magnolia1984]

Knocked it out of the park once again, thank you for the detailed analysis

[@chadkent1241]

The cast and crew affectionately call that film "The Abuse" Fantastic Cameron film!

[@EEEEEEEEEK]

Fun fact: I drowned as a kid, but it never really made me afraid of water or anything. But when Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio drowns herself, I started to have a panic attack.

[@cozyburrito686]

I always loved this movie, it was one of my first sci-fi movies I saw when I was a kid. Ed Harris shined in this role to me. Thanks for this! I'm loving your classic movie breakdowns! Could you do a breakdown of the first Poltergeist??

[@R3troZone]

I think one factor that people forget that may have contributed to Abyss's dismal box office is that it was the third deep sea thriller that year. Deep Star Six and Leviathan had already come out just a few months before, both films also about a crew trapped on the sea floor in a mining base. Audiences were kinda getting sick of it by the time Abyss came out.

[@svenllr]

I was in high school when this movie came out and listened to all my friends who said it wasn't worth watching in the theater. I rented it when it came to VHS and I was blown away. To this day, I still think it's one of his best films ever only being outdone by T2.

[@jerometruitt2731]

I saw this in theaters as a kid....I was 5. Your friends were idiots. Lol

[@DJT-2024]

He emptied the magazine. 25:56. Not the clip. There's a big difference between magazines and clips. Love your channel. Keep up the good work!

[@heavyspoilers]

My bad, I genuinely thought it was the same thing

[@skepticalmagos_101]

​@@heavyspoilersClips are the ones used in guns like the M1 Garand and older guns. Mags are the ones seen on somerhing like ARs or Aks.

[@warpdriveby]

It sucks to hear this was so troubled, it is a fantastic movie and an amazing cast.

[@tuttt99]

I love all of those "Hey James, tell is how you *really* feel about your wife" moments. 🤣🤣🤣

[@orangejjay]

I remember I was always fascinated with the box art of the two disc DVD of this. Had I not been, I'm not sure I ever would've picked it up. I miss having special features in an easily accessible package like a DVD. I wish streaming services did a better job of this. Imagine how cool it would be to switch from the Netflix description of The Abuse and then switching to a menu to pick chapters, language, commentary, special features, different endings, deleted scenes, trailers, teasers, making of, etc. 😢😢❤

[@jamesmorton9389]

This movie was and still is amazing

[@goheen1701]

There's a scene, plain as day, where Monk is holding the magazine to Coffee's pistol and emptying the rounds onto the deck of the rig.. Maybe it's 'regional deletion' like Lindsey's 'death scene'. I've got the theatrical and director's cut versions of this movie and each has this scene in it.

[@jekw23]

I adored this movie as a 15 year old and watched it almost constantly. I read up on it voraciously. I am going to be super impressed if there’s something in this video I didn’t know.

[@jekw23]

Update: I’m less than 90 seconds in and I’ve learned something.

[@heavyspoilers]

Haha thank you

[@CosmicCrimes]

I think Ed Harris’s blue dyed could be a reference to Hunter S. Thompson’s Curse Of Lono. In the first chapter, a lawyer was aboard an airplane en-route to Hawaii. While in the bathroom, he accidentally dropped his drugs in the toilet. After leaving the bathroom, his arm was covered with blue dye.

[@heavyspoilers]

Great catch, had no idea about that

[@strangerthanfiction4014]

Its such a strangely unique film, love it

[@PaulLoh]

My family is friends with the Biehn family because I've worked with Jennifer on a film. That's Michael's wife. They live in Arizona like we do. First time I met him, I asked if he'd sign a copy of the novelization of this film. That book is proudly displayed on my shelf. This is one of my favorite movies ever.

[@dr.jonathanlangleydc7411]

I'm smashing the like button just because you have the funniest and wittiest ways of incorporating that request into your scripts

[@Torment92121]

I saw this in theaters in the original release and thought that water alien/probe affect was amazing. All my friends felt like we were seeing something that would change film forever. I'm bummed that the actors had a bad experience because I have a very fond memories of it.

[@guardiane]

No idea how this could've flopped upon release, the movie is simply amazing and I make it a point to re-watch it every year. What's not to like about it? I was blown away when I first saw it as a kid...still am today.

[@randellosburn5105]

In Orson Scott Card's novelization of his screenplay written as the movie was shot goes into much more detail of many of the issues and themes of the movie.

[@stayawayunited3744]

Is it a coincidence I just watched the abyss this morning, for the first time in 5 years !?❤

[@histguy101]

The algorithm knows your algorithms. Or perhaps the algorithm is already controlling us

[@jerometruitt2731]

No its not actually. Your phone heard you watching the movie and put this in your algorithm as a result.

[@jollypeeno]

Where can we watch it?

[@danmang923]

Greatest underwater movie ever made.

[@kalrandom7387]

You should have used the special edition for this. I fell in love with it the first time I watched it. It was ground breaking and gorgeous when it came out.

[@mortem-tyrannis]

The white flash is used in mad max when they headbutt someone.

[@OldTime--Gamer]

so glad you chose the extended version ! :)

[@scoopydaniels8908]

Amazing that Michael Biehn took that look onto Tombstone.. Johnny Ringo..

[@getdrippy4416]

I just watched this for the first time as an adult. I watched this as a kid, very young. And because it wasn't scary like Aliens or spectacle like T2, I didn't get it. Now though, I am so glad I watched this. I haven't ever seen a movie quite like this. Hands down the best underwater movie. The end of this one really takes you on a journey. I love how the villain is resolved and the movie has so much more to put you through. An absolute 10/10 master class.

[@spinmoto180]

Saw This At The Movies When it Came Out, And it Was Absolutely Breathtaking & Epic! One Of The Best Of The Era, And Still One Of The Best Of All-Time!

[@ericb8888]

HPNS gives “ helium tremors “ when HELIOX gas mix is breathed between 200-300m generally. To combat it Helium is pulled and Hydrogen, the lightest of all gases , is introduced. The resulting mix , HYDRELIOX , has only one small drawback …. hallucinations……. it affects the lipids in the brain . Great vid ;)

[@BAGGStheAugmented]

Directors who end up marrying their cast and crew members, especially on multiple occasions, makes me feel kinda ill. It seems extremely greasy and weird.

[@jollypeeno]

Why? Because he's lovable or charismatic and women like him? Chill bruh

[@BAGGStheAugmented]

@@jollypeeno Yeah it never has anything to do with the director being insanely famous, rich, knows everyone in Hollywood and can get probably any actor any job. It's never that........

[@joeyfridays]

Cameron is a creep, everyone knows it

[@TimJohniLL88]

Agreed

[@S1L3NTG4M3R]

I always liked the movie, never knew it didn't do well... Great job as always!

[@hitchville1]

Been waiting patiently for this one mate Cheers 💪🏼🏆

[@jimmyolsenblues]

part of me breaks when i find out how much Ed Harris suffered on this movie. Like the Twilight Zone movie. People can die filming a movie, it is dangerous. Alec Baldwin stuff. Mistakes happen.

[@Carver94]

FANTASTIC breakdown. I remember seeing it as a kid and not really liking it, but after watching your breakdown I rewatched the movie and found it extremely poignant on a number of levels.

[@jasonotoole1822]

I always enjoyed this movie and I am so glad it has finally gotten a 4K release after having the DVD as the only option for so many years. Cannot wait to see it in Hi Def finally after all this time.

[@sporkwitch]

I agree that it was emptied. Modern firearms and cartridges will fire just fine completely submerged, you just need to clean them really well after to prevent corrosion. The handgun in use here is an M9 (civilian version is the Beretta 92FS). It will absolutely fire wet.

[@newcastleman86]

Michael Rosenbaum interviews are great! That’s awesome you mentioned that interview.

[@miller-joel]

If only he let the guests TALK without interrupting them every 0.5 seconds.

[@newcastleman86]

@@miller-joel that’s a little bit of exaggeration. You ok?

[@miller-joel]

@@newcastleman86 Have you seen any of them?

[@newcastleman86]

Yes. Can you answer my question first? Are you ok? Second question, how old are you? Third question, Are you last of us guy or girl?

[@kevthepoet]

Massively underrated but still a classic mobvie if only for starting Cameron's obsession for water.

[@Quazi_Motto]

It's just so fascinating how there are some pretty wild coincidences with what's starting to come to the forefront now.

[@HerveGuerrier-nu2ss]

For some reason Schwarzenegger is saying “why” was way too 😂

[@curtd2741]

One of my favorite movies! So glad the cast worked through it, all for my enjoyment.

[@NutmegRose]

Great book adaptation by Orson Scott Card!

[@FigmentForever]

Also a huge fan of the Inside of You Podcast. Growing up on Smallville & being a huge fan of Michael Rosenbaum, it’s such a great podcast & never missed an episode on KZbin

[@heavyspoilers]

Yeah inside of you is awesome, Michael is a don

[@lycanthrope9760]

I love rosey. Talkville is great too

[@FigmentForever]

@@lycanthrope9760 love TalkVille so much!

[@eliwooden2162]

Been hoping you would cover this one

[@johnimusprime1979]

Benthic Petroleum also features in Twister. The gas tanker that gets picked up in the finale has that logo on it - James Cameron was a producer on that movie.

[@histguy101]

I love this channel. I should really sub

[@TheFantasticFox822]

I so loved this movie when it was released. Pretty sure I saw it 3 or 4 times at the cinema. Such a great flick, thank you for covering it ❤❤❤

[@TheFuzzypuddle]

It's good to see movies re-released in 4k on physical media and becoming more common online. Now if we could unite as a species for the common goal of removing the "HD" descriptor from 720p, the world would be a better place. Many video sites list 1440, 1080, and 720 as "HD". Clicking on an HD video only to find out it is 720p which was dug up from some long-forgotten archive buried beneath the proverbial sands of the internet for years is truly disappointing.

[@gutspraygore]

The SEAL emptying the magazine was definitely to indicate that he had disarmed Coffey's weapon. How Coffey would not have checked it could probably be attributed to his psychosis. Movie logic. The white flash you see when you get hit really hard is a real thing, though. I can only speak for myself, but I experienced it twice when I was a fullback in high school. I played American football and when I got hit hard enough, there was a white flash. Great video as always!

[@aqdrobert]

I saw a white flash when our car hit a pothole at high speed. Ow....

[@willwetherington]

Bud is wearing a Seiko "Captain Willard" watch. It's the same watch that Martin Sheen wore on the movie "Apocalypse Now" as Captain Willard.

[@jeffreycarman2185]

Thanks for the video. I need to see this movie again.

[@jasonpalmer6613]

Bud was based on Hurd, who was a well liked leader, a facilitator. Cameron based Lindsey on himself, a brilliant visionary who ruffled feathers achieving perfection.

[@JonReynoldsESQ]

Michael Beach was the voice actor for "Devil Ray" in the animated series Justice League Unlimited. Devil Ray was Justice League Unlimited's analogous character to Black Manta...that's probably related to why he was in Aquaman movie.

[@cheekster777]

Thank you Paul.

[@christineweaver3090]

I've always liked Michael biehn.he should have had more appearances in popular movies &/or tv.i read the book where michael biehns character growing up what he experienced,what he was thinking up until his death

[@benscott9367]

The Abyss is one of my 2 favorite sci-fi movies of all time. The other one being Arrival. If you haven't covered it, you should!

[@lucisferre6361]

My eyes! The goggles do nothing!

[@teamrenadastudios9868]

Quite possibly my favorite movie of all time. Love it. It still holds up to this day ❤. Great work thank you for bringing this movie out of the "Abyss" 😊

[@13thravenpurple94]

Excellent video 👍 Thank you 💜

[@sophiaisabelle027]

We appreciate your dedication and consistency. Keep up the good work.

[@randybentley2633]

My ex-wife's brother worked as one of the rescue divers. He said that just about every day, or every other, was intense in some sort of way.

[@heavyspoilers]

lol that’s crazy, whole set sounds mental

[@chadcognac5626]

Saw this for the first time a few months ago in theaters. Lots of fun

[@S_047]

My english teacher back in my Jr year would always joke about "and then the aliens showed up" during our reading assignments (scarlett letter, 1984, ect) . Finally halfway through the year he brought up The Abyss and did the "aliens showed up at the end" . i was the only one who understood the joke and laughed .

[@ThatOtherMikeyGuy]

I've definitely seen the 'rat drowning' scene in the UK. I saw the Abyss when it came out in cinemas, and caught it again on VHS. Yes, I'm that old.

[@slytheringingerwitch]

I'm sure I saw that too.

[@chadrob8384]

Go back and watch when coffee starts losing it. And he grabs the injured navy seal. He hams him the sig 226 and says that we need to take control of the situation basically. The injured seal removes the magazineand when he hands the gun back to coffee. You can clearly see the magazine is not in the gun. The injured seal remove the magazine and took the round out of the chamber before handing coffee. The empty gun back because he knew that coffee was out of control. Also , when coffee tries to shoot bud , the injured seal yells to get everybody attention and then proceeds to unload the magazine. This is him literally saying that hey , I took that from him so he wouldn't kill you guys.

[@gregoryrome2751]

Finally …. One of my favorites getting some love. So hard to find this one anywhere. Not on streaming services can’t even buy a DVD.