The Abyss poster

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The Abyss

1989 · Movie · 140 min
B

MEANRANK

75/100

Averaged across 12 ratings · 643K votes

Every rating

Platform pages last read 29 September 2026. IMDb’s figure comes from IMDb’s own data file, which we re-read about once a month.

Google: Google retired the star ratings it used to show in search results, so this one no longer updates. More on where the numbers come from →

58–86 out of 100

Mostly agreed

Lowest is Criticker on 58, highest is Google on 86.

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Compare Trailer

A civilian team of oil rig workers on an experimental underwater drilling platform is recruited by the US Navy to assist in a search and recovery mission for a lost nuclear submarine. During the operation, they encounter a powerful, non-terrestrial force living at the crushing depths of the ocean trench. As a hurricane rages on the surface and tensions with a paranoid Navy SEAL commander rise, they must communicate with the mysterious intelligence to prevent a global catastrophe.

Details

Director
James Cameron
Released
9 August 1989
Country
United States
Language
English
Runtime
140 min
Rated
PG-13
Budget
$43.0M
Box office
$90.0M
Awards
4 wins, 7 nominations

This title elsewhere

Ed Harris

Ed Harris

Virgil 'Bud' Brigman

Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio

Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio

Lindsey Brigman

Michael Biehn

Michael Biehn

Lieutenant Hiram Coffey

Leo Burmester

Leo Burmester

Catton ‘Catfish’ De Vries

Todd Graff

Todd Graff

Alan 'Hippy' Carnes

John Bedford Lloyd

John Bedford Lloyd

Jammer Willis

Kimberly Scott

Kimberly Scott

Lisa 'One Night' Standing

Chris Elliott

Chris Elliott

Bendix

Awards & nominations

See all 11 →

4 major awards won · 4 wins from 11 nominations across 1 ceremony

62nd Academy Awards 1990 Best Visual Effects Hoyt Yeatman Winner
62nd Academy Awards 1990 Best Visual Effects Dennis Muren Winner
62nd Academy Awards 1990 Best Visual Effects Dennis Skotak Winner
62nd Academy Awards 1990 Best Visual Effects John Bruno Winner
62nd Academy Awards 1990 Best Cinematography Mikael Salomon Nominee
62nd Academy Awards 1990 Best Production Design Leslie Dilley Nominee
62nd Academy Awards 1990 Best Production Design Anne Kuljian Nominee
62nd Academy Awards 1990 Best Sound Don Bassman Nominee
Show all 11 awards across 1 ceremonies

Awards from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.