Culture news 35 years later, one of the best science fiction films is back in a never-before-seen version supervised by James Cameron
Under the ocean, a sci-fi treasure is about to shine brightly.
The king’s return
At the very end of the 1980s, James Cameron marks the world of cinema with the release of his film The Abyss. The director’s work received a warm welcome, whether from the press or spectators. In this oppressive closed space, we are invited to follow a group of people finding themselves on an underwater platform. Their existence will be turned upside down by the discovery of a new form of life.
Soon, fans will no longer need to hold their breath: The Abyss will return in a completely restored version. James Cameron is no stranger to 4K remasters of his films. After Aliens The Return (1986), Avatar (2009) and Titanic (1997), it is the turn of another emblematic feature film by the Canadian director to return to the forefront, even if it tells a story happening on the seabed. Confirmed at the Beyond Fest held in Los Angeles last year, this new version will arrive on April 24, 2024 in our regions. The good news is that James Cameron personally supervised the frame-by-frame restoration and UHD transfer of The Abyss for a result that we are promised will be spectacular, whether for the eyes (Dolby Vision HDR) or the ears (thanks to its Dolby Atmos mastering).
Pre-order The Abyss (4K) on Amazon
Not a long quiet river
The journey of this remastered version was strewn with pitfalls. We remember the first alarming feedback complaining about DNR (for Digital Noise Reduction) being too present, making the image smooth “like a downloaded YouTube video”. We also remember that the film was singled out because of animals that were actually killed during filming. Enough to arouse the indignation of the NGO American Humane for the treatment inflicted on 5 rats for the purposes of the film. British censors then requested that the scene be removed from the film when the remastered version was released. Initially, Disney had agreed to remove the famous scene for this new 4K release. However, Lightstorm Entertainment, Cameron’s production company, refused to allow the film to be edited and extracts to be removed. This led to the film’s 4K release in the UK being cancelled.
This page contains affiliate links to certain products that JV has selected for you. Each purchase you make by clicking on one of these links will not cost you more, but the e-merchant will pay us a commission. The prices indicated in the article are those offered by the merchant sites at the time of publication of the article and these prices are likely to vary at the sole discretion of the merchant site without JV being informed.
Learn more.