When people hear the name James Cameron, they usually think of science fiction action movies, like the hugely successful blockbusters Terminator (1984), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1990) or the second entry into the Alien series called 'Aliens' (1986). Or, when you're a little younger, you might think of Titanic or even Avatar. There's nothing wrong with that, all of these movies are worth remembering and watching, for different reasons.*
Today, though, inspired by the rain of the last couple of days, I wrote not only a tiny poem
Rain, rain, rain
am I in Holland
or in Spain?
but I also thought, you know what, let's recommend a 'water' movie. So here goes...
Let me start out by telling you that films that take place in the water - and especially under water - have always intrigued me. Possibly, because I often feel dehydrated, I'm always thirsty and I love the sea, lakes, rivers, streams (in that order) and so on. Watery places always energize me and I'm not talking about cities and countries where it's always raining, I need my sunshine too.
Besides the aforementioned, it has always fascinated me, that 70 percent of the human body is water/ liquid and 70 percent of our planet is filled with water. There are so many creatures and places that we have never explored, hidden away in the deep. So why don't we make more movies about that?
The first title that came to mind, when thinking of the (under)water theme and my favorite films, was the 1989 The Abyss. A film, whose name alone, triggered me to watch it. This is a somewhat lesser known James Cameron production, even though it was quite a success in itself.
It won an academy award for best special effects and was nominated in three other categories: cinematography, art direction/ set design and sound. Financially it wasn't as big a success as the earlier mentioned James Cameron films surrounding it, but it eventually broke even and made some profit.
No matter what, I think it's spectacular and would recommend it to anyone.
It's a mix of science fiction, action, romance, suspense, adventure and drama. It is amazingly well made, considering the circumstances. It must have been a huge challenge to make. Then again, James Cameron seems to like these kind of challenges. Most of the actors seem to reach the maximum of their potential here.
I also remember to have had kind of a crush on the lead actress, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. When I googled her, just now, I found out that she played Marian in the 1991 Robin Hood (Prince of Thieves). I remember having an even bigger crush on her, back then. I was about ten years old and adored these kind of old-fashioned heroes; the likes of Wilhelm Tell, Ivanhoe and Robin Hood. I haven't really been into superheroes, ever, but I admired these heroes of flesh and blood. I hadn't realized that, when I watched the Abyss, I was looking at the same woman from Robin Hood, two years younger. Funny enough, I am pretty sure that I was older when I first got to see The Abyss. I honestly don't remember it though, haha!
Alright, as seems to be my trademark by now, I am gonna leave you here in the dark, in the deep, without even a trailer or teaser to guide you. I won't give you any further info.
Instead, I challenge you to descend into the abyss yourself. Just make sure that you're wearing proper diving gear, a flashlight and please, be careful! I don't want you to never return and miss my future posts...
Have you seen this film? Any stories about it? How do you like (under) water movies? What are your favorites?
*I'm not gonna lie to you. When I watched Avatar, on one of the biggest screens available in The Netherlands, I merely thought:
I wish I was 12 years old. I'm sure I would have loved this then.
I was 27 though and I merely felt disappointed. I fell for the hype. Then again, it was kind of a breakthrough, I guess. It still surprised me though that it became the biggest boxoffice success ever.
I was 15, when I watched Titanic for the first time and I kind of felt like I had to see it, as everyone was talking about it. Which makes me think, was this the most promoted film ever (up to that point)? It's a good movie though, no doubt about that. It has no place on my favorite movies' list though.
Looking at the above, James Cameron must have had one of the best marketing teams behind him ever.
Earlier movie recommendations:
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
The Virgin Spring (1960)
Short film Table Tennis inspired by David Lynch
Spanish:
Todo Sobre mi Madre (1999)
REC (2007)
La Caza (1966)
The Spirit of the Beehive (1973)
Other:
Le Samourai (1967)
Three Billboard outside of Ebbing, Missouri (2017)
Castlevania - series (2017 - )
House by the Cemetery (1981)
The Beyond (1981)
City of the Living Dead (1980)
Sorcerer (1977)
The Birds (1963)
Suspiria (1977)
Battle Beyond the Stars (1980)
Nightcrawler (2014)
Ghost Story (1953)
Alice in the Cities (1974)
Altered States (1980)
Wake in Fright (1973)
Image sources 1,2, 3
You made me want to see it. If it rains this weekend, it is on my watching list.
And? Did it rain?
Love this one! All time favorites list.
The theatrical cut and the director's cut are both good. My favorite Cameron film.
Ed Harris crushed it.
I totally agree with you! I also had the DVD with two versions. Enjoyed both of them!
I'm not sure if this is a joke, as in:
but I guess, you mean you actually heard lots of good stuff about this film, but you didn't enjoy it.
I had a long conversation on the phone with my twin sister, just now, who reads all my posts. She told me she doesn't know this (movie freak) part of me, as we hardly ever watch(ed) movies together.
I guess we can't all like the same stuff ;>)
Great movie, great cast (including Ed Harris and Michael Biehn who was played in 4 James Cameron movies). James Cameron was also reached the bottom of Mariana Trench, the deepest part of our planet's oceans (more than two decades later from "The Abyss") - I also certainly agree with your point on "Titanic" and "favorite movies list", and I would even add "Avatar" to that. It was just the same "Pocahontas" story we've seen thousands of times. When it comes to that, I would definitely prefer Terrence Malick's "The New World" :) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0402399/
I agree. Michael Biehn is this kind of great actor that I tend to forget about. Definitely a legend in Cameron films. I saw Ghosts of the Abyss. I believe I read somewhere, once, that JC had the luck to have connections and finances to do all this great stuff, have all this expensive (diving) equipment (made). It's always a mix of being at the right place at the right time. It's so much easier if you grow up under the right circumstances. Which doesn't mean that he isn't a great filmmaker too. Although films are never the work of one (wo)man, even when we're talking about so called 'auteurs' ;>)
Talking about Avatar, I tend to believe that many filmmakers - especially when they grow older and 3D and CGI take over - kind of lose their vision. This happened to James Cameron but - in my opinion - also to Ridley Scott. I found it hard to sit through Prometheus. I tend to forgive these guys easily though, as they made so many classics that I can revisit again and again.
P.S. Yeah, The New World is a good movie, although I didn't find it as spectacular as many seem to find it.
One of my favorites of all time. After that James Cameron dropped off for me, but we'll always have the ABYSS
I guess he descended into the abyss himself ;>)
In my opinion for SURE lol good one
I know I watched this movie a few times as a kid, but I can barely remember anything about it.
It was funny how, for a year or so after Avatar came out, there were forums that were obsessed with it, like it was a sort of cult. They were hopeful about creating a world or culture similar to that of the movie. That was weird.
That cult story sounds kind of creepy, haha.
In my memory, that already took place before the film came out, but that was probably a hype, marketing stunt and it eventually lead to Avatar becoming the highest grossing film ever at the box office, worldwide.
Yes, a lot. But my Internet connection was terrible. I couldn't watch anything at all:( I'll let you know when I see it.
I see. You do that ;>)
Hi again. I finally watched it. On a sunny day! Avatar was my one and only favorite James Cameron film until this one. İt still is my favorite, but now it has a companion - in the second place. The narrative backbones are actually no different. And the technical setup of The Abyss is surprisingly good for its time. So i like it a lot. And as a Westworld fan, watching Ed Harris is always a treat for me. So thank you for the suggestion.