The Abyss 4K UHD (1989)

[Telemachus]

One speaker is all you need, just like 640kb of memory

[SpacemanDoug]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

It's even more incredible that there are 79 mono mixes on TOS, thank fook for choice

Don't some of those mono mixes have changes too? I heard they did at least

Also it's the first time since VHS the show was ever released in mono, the old DVDs only have the remixes

[DigitalDeluge24]

35mm film projection also a gimmick.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by SpacemanDoug

Don't some of those mono mixes have changes too? I heard they did at least

Also it's the first time since VHS the show was ever released in mono, the old DVDs only have the remixes

Some were downmixes or something? But most were OG and yeah, the DVDs didn't have them which is why it was such a win to get them on Blu.

[SpacemanDoug]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Some were downmixes or something? But most were OG and yeah, the DVDs didn't have them which is why it was such a win to get them on Blu.

Well the info could've been wrong but apparently some of the mono tracks were partial or full downmixes, at least in the first season

But again, it could've been incorrect info

I believe the set also had some issues with the branching with some episodes having to be forced to play the OG versions

[dcx4610]

Just wrapped up as a blind buy. Let's start with the movie itself. This has been one of those movies on my backlog forever and I never got to see it as a kid. I wasn't quite feeling it at first but I eventually got sucked into that world and ended up really enjoying it. It's smart sci-fi and if you've followed UFO news in recent years, there's a lot of stories that are very similar to the Abyss which is pretty fascinating.

I had no idea Michael Biehn was in the movie and thought he did a great job and it was nice to see him play a bit different of a character. Ed Harris was excellent, really relatable and just felt human. This definitely felt like Cameron's answer to Close Encounters and a little bit 2001 and overall, I think he nailed it. It's not going to be for everyone as it's a pretty slow burn and quite frankly, kinda boring but if you appreciate the high concept sci-fi, this is one of the better ones I've seen.

Now for the UHD... I haven't read much consensus on it but I felt for the most part, the Abyss looked and fared better than Aliens. Since this is a true 4K, native scan, the picture felt more detailed and the AI upscaling didn't have as much room to work and mess things up by oversharpening. You do see more grain but unfortunately, it's still minimized. Instead of the AI oversharpening of Aliens, it feels like DNR might be applied a bit more on this one. It's still plenty sharp and detailed but the entire things feels like it was shot on a digital camera and has this smoothed over, clean appearance. Not quite waxy but getting there.

Thankfully, it seems like it has a proper HDR grade unlike Aliens. You get some nice rich color, dark blacks and nice contrast. So while it does lack the grain it should have and it does still look like a digitally-shot movie, the HDR grade and 4K scan puts the presentation above Aliens to my eyes. As for audio, the Atmos track is excellent thankfully. You get tons of creepy creaks. water drops and ambient noise throughout the movie which just adds to the atmosphere. Nice low end and crystal clear dialogue. A very solid track.

Oh well. I don't think it's absolute tragedy. It's frustrating that Cameron felt the need to tamper with the movies with AI /DNR but it's still nice to see them in high definition and while not perfect, I'll take it over the DVD.

Edit: Yeah, that rat scene was disturbing. I don't have much tolerance for that stuff. But I did learn a couple of hard smacks might work to resuscitate someone.

[Ben_UK]

Is there any indication when the stock issues might ease and someone can just order a copy without having to spam hit the F5 button on your browser etc?

[kristoffer]

I finally got a chance to watch this at my local cinema yesterday. It was a great experience overall. However I defiinetly noticed the weird AI tricky at that size. In the opening I saw lots of frozen grain and surfaces would look weird from time to time.
At the same time some camera movements look weird and unnatural as well.
The sound was great, and especially the atmos helped, but I couldn't shake the feeling that it sounded a bit fake and AI helped at times.
But after a while I forgot these distractions and was completely (pun intended!) immersed in this monster of a movie. What a ride.

[wright96d]

Originally Posted by amorphously

I have never supported that crap. It is illegal and anyone who does it should be charged. I don't steal discs from stores either. Shocking.

Do you also think jaywalkers are the scum of the earth?

Originally Posted by Croweyes1121

Also, this isn’t a simple remux job, either. The SE is branched. Putting all the pieces back together without mucking up the DV and everything else would be a nightmare. I might be able to do it, but I’m not sure. But more likely, I’m now stuck with watching the film on BD with the correct audio or on 4K with the errors (or in 2.0).

What do you mean? It's as simple as loading the disc up in Makemkv and choosing your preferred flavor of feature.

Originally Posted by James Luckard

Does that mean it's the original theatrical mix?

Originally Posted by motorheadache95

Is the 2.0 the original theatrical mix, or is it possibly a downmix of the 5.1 mix that’s on the Blu-ray?

[Show spoiler]The 2.0 mix for both cuts is derived from the 2.0 mix completed for the initial release of the Special Edition. The (assumedly) theatrical mix from the original laserdisc, the mix from the SE LD, and the mix found on the new 4K all seem to be the same underlying mix with differences in EQ, noise reduction, and brickwall limiting. With the SE LD being the best sounding overall.

https://slow.pics/c/KmNs1vnP

Edit: https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.p...postcount=4259

[Croweyes1121]

Originally Posted by wright96d

What do you mean? It's as simple as loading the disc up in Makemkv and choosing your preferred flavor of feature.

Aaaaaaaand my disc is faulty. Won’t rip. FML

[starmike]

Originally Posted by feedmebeans

Yet 35mm film will still age better 10 years from now than these Cameron atrocities.

LOL have you seen what a 10 year old 35mm print look like? It's not pretty.

[Geoff D]

Hey Mike

[Member-222782]

Originally Posted by starmike

LOL have you seen what a 10 year old 35mm print look like? It's not pretty.

An atrocity?

Potential USPS clusterf*ck with my shipment. Tracking says it was delivered last night at 8:35. I have everything shipped to my job so that's unlikely since there's no access after 7 PM. I'm hoping they just scanned it to cover their butts and *PLAN* on delivering it today but I have a bad feeling about this. Any other package BUT THIS ONE!!! It contains all three Camerons

[dallywhitty]

Originally Posted by feedmebeans

Yes and there is no AI or Cameron's digital tinkering in them. Looked after 35mm looks way better than these abominations.

I had beans, toast, and grated cheese for breakfast. I hope you're proud of me.

[Member-222782]

Originally Posted by dallywhitty

I had beans, toast, and grated cheese for breakfast. I hope you're proud of me.

Yes, but were they fed to you? And did you shart afterwards?

[dallywhitty]

Originally Posted by Cinema84

Yes, but were they fed to you? And did you shart afterwards?

I like to imagine newbies and non-regulars reading some of the in-jokes here like:

[Vriess]

Jesus that whole sequence where Lindsay died and is brought back is some of the most emotional filmmaking ever.

Wish we got the old JC back the difference between this and his Avatar/Alita phase is just so stark

[bigboldbear]

Originally Posted by Vriess

Jesus that whole sequence where Lindsay died and is brought back is some of the most emotional filmmaking ever.

Wish we got the old JC back the difference between this and his Avatar/Alita phase is just so stark

With the absolute hell everyone involved with this movie went through during the making I'm surprised he didn't ask her to drown for real to get an authentic performance.

[ghostof82]

Having watched this 4K last night, I have to say it's the best I've seen it at home, with the reservation that it does now look rather weirdly like it was shot digitally. It's fine, very good even but there is just this weirdness to it. It's gotten me even more concerned about True Lies as I've begun to appreciate this strange uncanny valley this AI processing seems to be creating.

The Abyss is a genuinely great film though and I really did enjoy it. After about ten minutes I was so caught up in it that I stopped noticing the strangeness of the image. I doubt viewers new to the film would notice or care, it's just those of us who saw it in 1989 in cinemas who are uneasy or think there's something odd going on. It's rather bizarre- not terrible but... well, it's like my OLEDs picture settings have gone amok, like motion smoothing is on and edge enhancement set to high. I'd swear this disc took over my TV and reset everything.

[lvri]

Originally Posted by feedmebeans

Yet 35mm film will still age better 10 years from now than these Cameron atrocities.

Seems that you really never saw any movies on 35mm... You won't have only grain after 10 years .. (even after few weeks....).