The Abyss tells the story of a team of a deep sea oil rig which is taken over by a group of Navy Seals in order to find a sunken nuclear submarine. Tension mounts when crew members see strange lights in the water.  When the leader of the Seals drops an active nuclear device into a nearby abyss, it is up to the captain of the rig to go down after it, where he discovers the source of the strange lights.

Availability:

    Two versions are out on VHS:  Regular and Widescreen.  The Widescreen version has an extra 28 minutes of footage (see below).

Cast/Crew:
James Cameron                              Director
    Terminator
    Terminator 2
    True Lies
    Titanic

Ed Harris:
    Apollo 13
    The Truman Show

Mary Elizabeth Masterantonio:
    Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves

Michael Biehn:
    Terminator

Miscellaneous:
    There are two VHS versions available for purchase: regular and wide screen.  The regular contains the film as it was released theatrically.  The widescreen has a few extras, though.  Some extras are a result of the Fox widescreen series, which includes a behind-the-scenes featurette and the theatrical trailer.  The third extra is within the film itself.  28 minutes of footage had been removed before the film was released theatrically.  This version includes that lost footage.  The movie makes more sense, and the motivations of the aliens are made more clear.
MPAA Rating:
    PG-13 for partial nudity (CPR given to a woman who has nearly drowned), strong lanuage.

My Rating:
    I really could not get into the regular version.  Of course, I saw that one before the widescreen version.  When I saw the widescreen, the whole thing just opened up for me.
    Regular                    **
    Widescreen              *****
 
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