The Abyss 4K UHD (1989)

[Trekkie313]

The Abyss has AI noise reduction weirdness on pale faces, otherwise it's solid.

[By_His_Strypes]

Originally Posted by Brian81

I thought The Abyss was the better one?


Are all four AI “enhanced”? Hopefully get some comparisons up for Titanic to check for visual oddities ?

There is nothing wrong w/ The Abyss transfer, It looks flat out amazing!

[WBMakeVMarsMovieNOW]

Originally Posted by starmike

It seems like whatever they're using for processing smooths out faces that are farther away from the camera for some reason.

Probably less high contrast detail for it to latch onto when they are far away.

Vaguely like the Paramount DNR, as soon as a shot is a touch OOF it scrubs all grain and then if one is dead on focus and the shot has lots of fine, high-contrast detail and not just low contrast detail, it retains a decent bit of grain. You can see in Grease that in the same sequence as they switch back and forth between different shots it sometimes goes lots of grain, zero grain, lots of grain, zero grain, an awkward effect. Also the OOF shots really need the grain more to not end up looking CGI.

[thebarnman]

Originally Posted by KMFDMvsEnya

There was a shot or two of Lindsey at the end that in my showing seemed as though much of the color in her face had been graded to look like she was still recovering from drowning.

She always has that same look on her face.

[By_His_Strypes]

Originally Posted by RalphoR

Titanic is DNR'd and definitely could be better but I can live with it. Looks like Aliens is in the same boat (no pun intended)...then there's The Abysmal

For all the nitpicking, I think the truth is that they all do far more right than they do wrong and in most cases are going to make most people very happy. You'll have a segment of fans that you'll never be able to please.

[WBMakeVMarsMovieNOW]

Originally Posted by Harryhausen AF

People say T1 T2 and Aliens had teal too but that is wrong. Everybody knows that the teal was added by Cameron for the HD transfers. It is supposed to be BLUE not teal and in this 4k remaster there's teal even when they are above water.

I suspect this one probably did have some teal originally. Too busy now, but I will verify the case next year regarding the original 35mm look.

I know there has been an issue with too much teal and orange in recent times and being revisionist, but in the theater the other day this new transfer for The Abyss didn't scream as being necessarily out of line regarding tealification, I do recall one shot with the sub where the water ws very blue and not teal at all in the new transfer too. Anyway, in time I'll verify.

[KMFDMvsEnya]

Originally Posted by thebarnman

She always has that same look on her face.

During the showing I attended she looked even paler with light blueish lips than what is seen in that screen capture. That is the shot that I felt was off during that showing.

[WBMakeVMarsMovieNOW]

Originally Posted by Harryhausen AF

Just look at how much more teal the 4k transfer is than the 35mm 4K film scan of the trailer.

You do have to be very careful here.
1. most film transfers posted online did not really truly nail the colors on the actual film so well, that site is better than some, but still has colors off
2. trailers often did not use the final color timing and sometimes their colors are wildly different than the release feature (look at the teaser for The Phantom Menace, the colors are wildly different from the main trailer and the feature; look at how the colors for the Attack Of The Clones teaser and noticeably different from the main trailer colors which themselves are very different in many scenes than the feature and actually the theatrical colors of the feature then got changed for the home release and then even more for the blu-ray home release) although sometimes they are just about the same; also trailers were often whipped out quickly and can be even more prone to copy to copy color variation in some instances

[chip75]

Kind of feel bad for Bill Hunt, he's waited nearly twenty years to get these monkeys off his back and like waiting for the proverbial bus to arrive, a handful turn up at once and they slide past the bus stop into a flaming brick wall.

[Scott in UK]

From the fact trailers can sometimes contain scenes that either don't end up being in the film, and also alternate takes, or before the film has even completed shooting, then yeah it makes sence that the colours may not be accurate yet. Doesn't have to matter at that stage.

[Croweyes1121]

Originally Posted by WBMakeVMarsMovieNOW

trailers often did not use the final color timing and sometimes their colors are wildly different than the release feature

As someone who actually has a YouTube channel specifically for HD updates to old trailers, this is 100% accurate. I have to color correct at least a few shots in every trailer I do due the OG trailers so often either containing shots with different color timing or not being originally color timed at all. Going by trailers as some sort of basis on how a film either originally looked or should look is just not a smart practice at all.

[Scott in UK]

And the reason why I also specifically mentioned alternate takes in trailers in my above comment, (and some people may not of noticed this example) is I remember when I watched the Age of Ultron trailer, and the delivery of the line from Hawkeye, "if you walk out that door, you're an Avenger" that the delivery of the word 'you're' is different in the trailer compared to what they actually used in the film. In the trailer he says it in one go as "you're," but in the film it's broken up and said as "you are". (or vice versa) They obviously wanted him to say it in different ways to then decide which way they preferred.

Abit like that clip iv seen recently where they have Harrison Ford in Crystal Skull say "Part time" in a few different ways.

[bilbofett]

Originally Posted by jeff BD

Watched this for the 1st time ever last night and 2 things:

1. The filmed looked beautiful for todays digital standards but it doesnt look like film. Since I never saw it before i got used to it and just enjoyed how good it looked and how good the movie was.

2. Holy sh*t that cpr scene was one of the most intense scenes and a Tour de force acting bit by Ed Harris. It doesnt get talked about enough.

Harris should've been oscar nominated for that. Its what made me want to become an actor

[bilbofett]

Originally Posted by Daredevil666

I saw the Abyss on opening night.
When the CPR scene happened, the audience was as one.
First, we thought "OK, he's going to save her, that's Hollywood cinema".
Then he doesn't.
So we all think "S**t, so the director is bold, he doesn't save her. He can't anyway, she drowned. We remember Kyle Reese died. Bold move, Jim. Good. Consistency".
Then the actors around Ed go "it's over man!" and we all sink it in agreement. She's dead. She won't be back. He did a Kyle Reese on us.
Then Harris goes "Noooo!!!" and keep going and everyone in the audience is like "Come on man, it's over!". But he won't stop. Why is the scene keep going? He keeps at it and at her, zapping her, scream at her and she's still dead. We all think OK, nice acting, poor guy lost his lover. So Jim makes us feel his loss. But she won't be back. Right?
Then he keeps going, curse at her, slaps her, and she comes back.
And we were all like WTF?
That bloody JC, the same one who now kills his films with DNR and AI enhancement, took us on an emotional rollercoaster.
The whole audience erupted in applause.
This is something no Marvel or DC crap will ever reach.
This is headmaster filmmaking.

I saw this randomly on a fluke as a free audience test screening. It was very long and most def. a workprint. The scout approached me and my friend in the quad at school and said "you guys wanna see a free movie? Its a love story". We weren't really that interested. I knew I like Terminator and Aliens but didn't know it was the same director. Boy were we in for a ride. I feel the lead-in to the "good stuff" in the SE is a little long, but its also justified as it gives you time to ingratiate w/ the crew and see that they are family (like them all singing the country song together). The Ed Harris reviving Lindsey scene rocked my world. I think my audience clapped too. I can't be certain but I *think Cameron was there with us in the screening.
Thanks for this take, well written and enjoyable!

[RalphoR]

Originally Posted by By_His_Strypes

For all the nitpicking, I think the truth is that they all do far more right than they do wrong and in most cases are going to make most people very happy. You'll have a segment of fans that you'll never be able to please.

I really hope so. I've been very critical of these movies because I love them so much. After all the waiting I just can't help but be somewhat disappointed with what we're getting. Yes, there's a lot of good but they should have been great.

[jeff BD]

After having seen all 4 films now in terms of Pic quality it goes:
1. The Abyss - most enjoyable looking
2. Titanic - looked too good(if that makes sense) and certain faces were too clean
3. Aliens - just looks too clean too often. Wish there was more grain
4. True Lies - Faces look too defined like sharpness was turned up at tad too much

[BdoUK]

Originally Posted by jeff BD

After having seen all 4 films now in terms of Pic quality it goes:
1. The Abyss
2. Titanic
3. Aliens
4. True Lies

My ranking is similar, but I think there is a pretty big gap between Titanic and Aliens. Though I agree True Lies is the worst of the bunch I think Aliens is most disappointing for me.

[jeff BD]

Originally Posted by BdoUK

My ranking is similar, but I think there is a pretty big gap between Titanic and Aliens. Though I agree True Lies is the worst of the bunch I think Aliens is most disappointing for me.

I added more reason for my choices. But yea, i do thinking Aliens is most disappointing because its the oldest film and it for damn sure shouldnt be grain free for the majority of it.

[frogmort]

Originally Posted by Grey2Grey

It's a disgrace that Ed Harris wasn't nominated for Best Actor for his performance.

He should've won an Oscar for this:

[mjvmovieman]

Ed Harris is awesome. One of the great underrated actors of all time. I wish his character had more screen time in last year's Top Gun: Maverick.