The Abyss

A US nuclear submarine encounters an unidentified object under water and sinks. As Soviet ships and a hurricane approach, a military rescue operation is launched. James Cameron's powerful underwater thriller received a mixed reception when it was released, but today stands as one of his most beautiful and ambitious films. The compact mixture of genres - Cameron spices up the events with mystical science fiction, Disney fantasy and a great love story - allows him to play to his strengths: concise, intense characterisation, masterful use of effects and an economical production that unleashes itself in virtuoso action and nerve-wracking suspense. Even Cameron's notorious weaknesses - the occasionally outrageous dialogue and his sentimental humanism - fit well into the overall picture of an ecologically underpinned fable in which the truly monstrous is of human origin. A milestone in blockbuster cinema. (Christoph Huber)

Photo: Österreichisches Filmmuseum