The Abyss (1989)
When you get there, you will understand.
Keywords
The Abyss rating: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic
IMDb7.5/10· 206K votes
Rotten Tomatoes75%
Metacritic62%
TMDb7.352/10· 3K votesWith 75% on Rotten Tomatoes, backed by 7.5/10 on IMDb and 62/100 on Metacritic, critical reception of this film has been positive.
About The Abyss
A civilian oil rig crew is recruited to conduct a search and rescue effort when a nuclear submarine mysteriously sinks. One diver soon finds himself on a spectacular odyssey 25,000 feet below the ocean's surface where he confronts a mysterious force that has the power to change the world or destroy it.
Cast of The Abyss
Ed Harris
as Virgil 'Bud' Brigman
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
as Lindsey Brigman
Michael Biehn
as Lieutenant Hiram Coffey
Leo Burmester
as Catton ‘Catfish’ De Vries
Todd Graff
as Alan 'Hippy' Carnes
John Bedford Lloyd
as Jammer Willis
Kimberly Scott
as Lisa 'One Night' Standing
Chris Elliott
as Bendix
J.C. Quinn
as Arliss 'Sonny' Dawson
- P
Pierce Oliver Brewer, Jr.
as Lew Finler
- G
George Robert Klek
as Wilhite
- C
Christopher Murphy
as Schoenick
The Abyss facts
- Budget
- $43M
- Box office
- $90M
Ranked by the iRankMovies editorial teamUpdated August 2026MethodologyData sources
Audience opinions
What the audience liked
- •Groundbreaking practical effects create immersive underwater spectacle
- •Alien encounter mythology builds fascinating speculative wonder
- •James Cameron orchestrates ambitious action set pieces flawlessly
What the audience disliked
- •Runtime stretches thin despite compelling core premise
- •Character development takes backseat to technical showmanship
Trailer
Where to watch The Abyss(US)
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Spectrum On DemandAvailability may change. Data by JustWatch.
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