abyss

Where the first version seemed sluggish and overlong at two and a bit hours, the extended director's cut seems shorter, more exciting.

The Abyss is slick yet real, fanciful yet gripping, and truly an eye-popping adventure.

The first 40-odd minutes of Special Edition remain about as gripping as anyone could reasonably wish, but seeing Cameron compounding the errors of his original Abyss... is like watching a captain willfully scuppering his own ship.

The film is long but compelling and fast-paced and the acting, under difficult conditions, is good. However, it is the spectacular cinematography and Oscar-winning visual effects that make it special.