Thirty-four years after its theatrical release, The Abyss is finally being remastered and will be released on 4K Blu-ray! Scheduled for release at the end of the year, this new edition of James Cameron’s ill-fated film promises to be a treat for the eyes and ears…
James Cameron fans, get ready to dive to the depths of the ocean! You’ll soon be able to enjoy the director’s legendary feature film in Ultra High Definition on your 4K television…The remastered version will be shown in theaters on December 6 in the United States (let’s hope Europe also gets a theatrical release!). The 4K Blu-ray and 4K streaming version should follow shortly afterward.
The Abyss: high-pressure shooting!
Buoyed by the recent success of Terminator and Aliens, James Cameron embarked on a new adventure in 1989 with a film that would soon prove to be quite an ordeal. Shot primarily underwater to achieve realistic images, in difficult, even extreme conditions, The Abyss remains a painful memory for the director and the film crews, as well as for the lead actors, Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Michael Biehn. As if that weren’t enough, the feature film failed to meet expectations, being shunned on its theatrical release in the USA, despite positive reviews. The movie’s more positive international reception, particularly in France, was not enough to save it.
Close encounters of the third kind, 20,000 leagues under the sea!
The film’s plot is promising: following the sinking of an American atomic submarine in the Atlantic Ocean, the crew of an undersea oil platform must welcome and collaborate with a Navy SEAL research team. During this operation, they discover an unknown and mysterious life form at the bottom of the ocean. The isolation of the protagonists at a depth of several hundred meters, the impossibility of returning to the surface, the friction between the military and the oil rig crew, and the appearance of inexplicable and unsettling supernatural phenomena during the rescue mission, all combine to make this oppressive huis-clos a thrilling adventure.
H²O + ILM = the shape of water!
D’autant plus que les moyens techniques mis en œuvre pour les effets spéciaux sont très innovants pour l’époque, contribuant à l’immersion des spectateurs. On pense notamment à la manière très singulière qu’utilisent les créatures pour prendre contact avec l’équipe de la plateforme pétrolière. C’est la première fois que de l’eau est mise en forme en 3D dans un film, et c’est Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), le studio d’effets spéciaux de George Lucas, qui réalise ces effets de modélisations en 3D. The Abyss remporte ainsi l’Oscar des meilleurs effets visuels lors de la cérémonie de 1989, et obtient même trois autres nominations.
The Big Blu(-ray)!
Until now, if you wanted to watch The Abyss again at home, you’d have to make do with VHS, LaserDisc and DVD versions, as the film had never been released on HD Blu-ray! From the end of the year, fans will be able to enjoy the film in a special 4K edition, on streaming and physical media. This will be the 2h50 Director’s Cut version with never-before-seen footage, whose 4K remastering was entirely supervised by the director. For the moment, we don’t know whether this edition will benefit from HDR10+ or Dolby Vision, and its soundtrack from a Dolby Atmos or DTS:X mix. No matter! Fire up your 4K Blu-ray player: The Abyss in 4K will be home for Christmas!
