The Abyss 4K UHD (1989)

[Croweyes1121]

Originally Posted by PeterTHX

Of all of James Cameron's films, The Abyss SE is the only extended version I prefer over the original theatrical cut.

I could see an argument for the theatrical cut of Aliens over the SE, but there's no way I could ever lose the context of Ripley's daughter. It's far too vital to her dynamic with Newt. Honestly, I'd be fine with a version of the film that only had that one thing added.

[captainjoe]

Originally Posted by Croweyes1121

I could see an argument for the theatrical cut of Aliens over the SE, but there's no way I could ever lose the context of Ripley's daughter. It's far too vital to her dynamic with Newt. Honestly, I'd be fine with a version of the film that only had that one thing added.

Agreed. That's such a tragic moment for Ripley when she sees the print out of her old aged daughter that only just recently passed. I remember seeing that when I was 10 the concept alone leaving a lasting impression on me

[PeterTHX]

Originally Posted by Croweyes1121

I could see an argument for the theatrical cut of Aliens over the SE, but there's no way I could ever lose the context of Ripley's daughter. It's far too vital to her dynamic with Newt. Honestly, I'd be fine with a version of the film that only had that one thing added.

Yes, you could have that one sequence where she gets the news and not have any of the added Hadley's Hope sequence. Though the auto-guns are pretty cool.

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by Bolty

Weird that folks are thinking that the longer version might not actually be on 4K disc and only the TC will be.

Wouldn't be the first time. It's about to happen again, with the physical 4K disc release of Oliver Stone's JFK, except I think the dopey Director's Cut is in 4K while the superior theatrical cut is HD only. I don't seriously think the SE of The Abyss would be HD only on physical, but someone explain why the SE is HD-only on Vudu. Why? To get people to double-dip for the SE 4K disc and digital code? I can't think of another explanation.

Does the 4K of Aliens also present the SE in HD only on Vudu?

[Darrin88]

Originally Posted by Ernest Rister

Does the 4K of Aliens also present the SE in HD only on Vudu?

Unfortunately yes.

[Croweyes1121]

Originally Posted by PeterTHX

Yes, you could have that one sequence where she gets the news and not have any of the added Hadley's Hope sequence. Though the auto-guns are pretty cool.

I did do a minor edit to the SE recently that just changed WHERE in the film the Hadley's Hope sequence took place. It was more of a flashback / dream sequence when Ripley lies down with Newt to sleep. Newt screams and Ripley jars awake...and it works for two reasons: 1. it keeps the story on Ripley in the whole first act / maintains the mystery of what happened to the colony, and 2. Newt screaming while looking at the face-hugger segues beautifully into Ripley waking up to the face-hugger containers being on the floor. Anyway...

You can look this up on YT under "Aliens: (Xeno)Morphed Special Edition (Preview)". I can't link to it since it's my channel.

[motorheadache95]

Originally Posted by Ernest Rister

Wouldn't be the first time. It's about to happen again, with the physical 4K disc release of Oliver Stone's JFK, except I think the dopey Director's Cut is in 4K while the superior theatrical cut is HD only. I don't seriously think the SE of The Abyss would be HD only on physical, but someone explain why the SE is HD-only on Vudu. Why? To get people to double-dip for the SE 4K disc and digital code? I can't think of another explanation.

Does the 4K of Aliens also present the SE in HD only on Vudu?

It's actually pretty typical for a digital movie to have one cut in UHD and the other version in the bonus menu in standard HD.
Off the top of my head in my digital collection that does this: The Addams Family, Almost Famous, Independence Day, Stripes: Extended Cut, and X-Men Days of Future Past: The Rogue Cut.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by PeterTHX

Yes, you could have that one sequence where she gets the news and not have any of the added Hadley's Hope sequence. Though the auto-guns are pretty cool.

CBS cut FTW, easily the best cut of the film for me and corresponds to Jimbo's early comments that he wanted to add another 12 minutes back in, with the 17 minutes that we ultimately ended up with making it rather more self-indulgent. The daughter subplot, the sentry gun subplot, "don't be gone long Ellen", that's it, there are none of the other additions in the CBS cut.

[blaga]

Looks like on prime video (and the high seas) there's a 4k release that just came out. Is it from the same source as the upcoming bluray? Not sure if the SE is also available.

[Dr. T]

Originally Posted by motorheadache95

It's actually pretty typical for a digital movie to have one cut in UHD and the other version in the bonus menu in standard HD.

Here's an incomplete list of movies on iTunes that offer an alternate cut in 4K with HDR (sometimes Dolby Vision).

Alien (2003 cut is a bonus with HDR10)
Star Trek: The Motion Picture: The Director's Edition (1979 cut included in Dolby Vision)
Apocalypse Now: Final Cut (original 1979 cut included in Dolby Vision with Atmos)
The Godfather Coda (two earlier cuts included in HDR10)
Enter The Dragon (two cuts available, both in Dolby Vision)
2001: A Space Odyssey (two different mixes available, both in Dolby Vision)

So it's not out of the ordinary.

[motorheadache95]

Originally Posted by Dr. T

Here's an incomplete list of movies on iTunes that offer an alternate cut in 4K with HDR (sometimes Dolby Vision).

.

Yeah sometimes you get the bonus cut in 4k. You can also add Gladiator to that list, as well as Doctor Sleep (which is especially significant because the actual disc only had the directors cut on a Blu-ray).

As to why some do and others don’t, I have no idea.

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by motorheadache95

It's actually pretty typical for a digital movie to have one cut in UHD and the other version in the bonus menu in standard HD.
Off the top of my head in my digital collection that does this: The Addams Family, Almost Famous, Independence Day, Stripes: Extended Cut, and X-Men Days of Future Past: The Rogue Cut.

I chiefly use Vudu...Almost Famous: The Bootleg Cut is a stand-alone in 4K, ditto the Rogue Cut in 4K. I had no idea there was an alternate cut of The Addams Family.

[motorheadache95]

Originally Posted by Ernest Rister

I chiefly use Vudu...Almost Famous: The Bootleg Cut is a stand-alone in 4K, ditto the Rogue Cut. I had no idea there was an alternate cut of The Addams Family.

I think you can get either, and the whatever version you buy in 4K you get the other in HD. It’s weird. The Rogue Cut for me has the option to watch the theatrical version on ITunes (I think you need an Apple TV go get the bonus features) in HD.
The Addams Family was released in 4K with a “More Mashuka” cut, but the digital copy has the theatrical in 4k and the Mamushka version in HD.

[breadordecide]

Originally Posted by PeterTHX

Of all of James Cameron's films, The Abyss SE is the only extended version I prefer over the original theatrical cut.

Same.

[PeterTHX]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

CBS cut FTW, easily the best cut of the film for me and corresponds to Jimbo's early comments that he wanted to add another 12 minutes back in, with the 17 minutes that we ultimately ended up with making it rather more self-indulgent. The daughter subplot, the sentry gun subplot, "don't be gone long Ellen", that's it, there are none of the other additions in the CBS cut.

Yes! I thought that was the CBS cut - but it was so bloody long ago I didn't remember if it was that or not. Thanks for the confirmation. Yes, that cut has the daughter news and the cool guns and what we know/see of LV-426 is what Ripley knows/sees.

[spiderfan1985]

Still hoping that in the next few days Apple will get the bonuses and the SE cut onboard. I mean it took them a couple of hours to get the bonuses for True Lies on it. Don’t know what the hang up is. If I have to watch the SE on MA or Vudu in HD I will still be glad for it.

[Geoff D]

Watching the 4K HDR stream (theatrical) right now and yeah...this been Titanic'd alright. The level of clarity/detail in some shots, expecially big fat close ups, is astonishing. Then other shots come along that look incredibly smudgy and plasticky and wholly ersatz. Others are somewhere in between. At its best I don't hate the effect, it really does make the fine detail zing, but at its worst I just wanna gouge my eyes out. As a great philosopher once said: nobody ever ruined anything by leaving it alone.

Something that I think is absolutely fookin hilarious though is the amount of negative dirt and scratches on display. It ain't some Grindhouse flick covered in crap, I ain't saying that, but there's a regular smattering of little white specks and occasional scratches which, for all of the AI technobollox and Jim "every last pixel" Cameron signing off on it, is a surprising development. You go to all that trouble of degraining and "enhancing" your film, using all sorts of fancy computery shit, for the purpose of not making it look like crusty old timey film any more, right, but you somehow leave in the crustiest old timey film artefact of them all? Absolutely bonkers. I'm beginning to think that T2's slapdash 4K remaster wasn't a fluke after all...

[Kris Deering]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Watching the 4K HDR stream (theatrical) right now and yeah...this been Titanic'd alright. The level of clarity/detail in some shots, expecially big fat close ups, is astonishing. Then other shots come along that look incredibly smudgy and plasticky and wholly ersatz. Others are somewhere in between. At its best I don't hate the effect, it really does make the fine detail zing, but at its worst I just wanna gouge my eyes out. As a great philosopher once said: nobody ever ruined anything by leaving it alone.

Something that I think is absolutely fookin hilarious though is the amount of negative dirt and scratches on display. It ain't some Grindhouse flick covered in crap, I ain't saying that, but there's a regular smattering of little white specks and occasional scratches which, for all of the AI technobollox and Jim "every last pixel" Cameron signing off on it, is a surprising development. You go to all that trouble of degraining and "enhancing" your film, using all sorts of fancy computery shit, for the purpose of not making it look like crusty old timey film any more, right, but you somehow leave in the crustiest old timey film artefact of them all? Absolutely bonkers. I'm beginning to think that T2's slapdash 4K remaster wasn't a fluke after all...

Yeah, I was noticing that in some shots as well. Again, I can see why people really like Titanic and stuff like this, the close ups just have so much detail. Sometimes it looks great, sometimes it looks a bit odd (usually around the eyes, especially on Titanic). Aliens is the same way. You spend some time in closer shots and think, wow this looks great, I can see why people like it so much, then you get to a mid to long shot and things start looking questionable with skin and other details that look scrubbed and then sharpened. It makes it polarizing for sure.

[Geoff D]

Exactly, yep, it's those wider shots where it drops off dramatically but even some of the closeups shit the bed, like Bud and Lindsey talking after she first sees the NTIs. Her face is so smooth it's ridiculous.

[Kris Deering]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Exactly, yep, it's those wider shots where it drops off dramatically but even some of the closeups shit the bed, like Bud and Lindsey talking after she first sees the NTIs. Her face is so smooth it's ridiculous.

yeah, I see it the most in her and Hippy's face, but they are both really fair skinned. I also wonder if her makeup hurts the process as well (women use concealer, so it may make it look worse).