Lian Dale Ballena

12 - Holistic Achiever

The Abyss is a 1989 Sci-Fi classic film that did a spectacular job on making it
unceasingly fascinating to the audience, and keeping them hooked throughout the movie
regardless of the longsome 3-hour length. The movie begins with a quote from a known
Philosopher, Nietzsche: “If you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.” The
idea behind it is that, what one sees as they look into the abyss, is a representation of what they
are inside.

The Abyss is a fantastic action-adventure fare for the first two hours or so, capitalizing on
everyone's fear of the deep and dark. It's filmed in an environment that’s damp and
claustrophobic, made under impossible conditions, with frail people straining against thick iron
bulkheads; all the exertion has somehow paid off. From its intriguing and complex underlying
plot to its engaging cinematography and amazing acting, it stands out from the other 90s films
and continues to be talked about up to this time despite being dated.

This is a movie about relationships in a cold dark environment that are strained by
current happenings. Drama builds into a fight for their lives wherein it has strengthened their
bond with each other (except with Coffey or the Navy SEAL), but were saved by other worldly
beings. The strong acting gives a very clear narrative of humanity in its best and worst elements
- which is scary.

In the end, it’s a whole nother topic to be expanded on as it portrayed the pessimistic
side of humanity. The non-terrestrial beings showed what humans are capable of - spreading
violence to the extent of killing one another due to ideologies, resources, and pride. It also tells
a cynical tale of humanity's disregard for nature's dangers. The aliens stopped the attack on the
surface not only because of Bud’s stoutheartedness for disarming the nuclear bomb, but
because they saw the hope in humans, owing to the love shared by the two reconciling lovers.