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The Abyss

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 12, age appropriate for kids over 15; suggested age 13.
  • Is it any good?

    3.0
  • Common Sense says

    Undersea UFO adventure is breathtaking but intense.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 13–15

The good stuff

  • Messages:

    The U.S. military (in particular, an all-white group of overconfident Navy SEALS) are more or less the villains here, arrogant and paranoid and fixated on weaponry and Cold-War destruction. The filmmakers' sympathies are with the (ethnically and sexually mixed) working-class oil-rig crew, shown as more sensible and concerned for each other's safety and well-being. The main characters are a feuding couple in the process of divorce, with lots of marital sniping woven into the adventure; the wife in particular is accused of being more interested in career advancement.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Blood shed in hand-to-hand combat and near-strangulation. Freshly-drowned bodies shown. A knife and a gun brandished. A montage of real-life atrocity footage from Vietnam, the Holocaust, and other infamies.
  • Sex:

    Quick glimpse of bare breasts as a female character in cardiac arrest is defibrillated.
  • Language:

    "Damn," "hell," "dick," "SOB," and "s--t," all several time; "goddamn"/"oh my God"; the heroine referred to as a "bitch" more than once.
  • Consumerism:

    Somehow a Coca-Cola machine found its way on board the base.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Not an issue.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About The Abyss

Parents need to know that there's a fair amount of salty language in this ocean thriller. The camera exposes bare breasts in a medical-emergency context. Violent acts include death by drowning, hand-to-hand combat, and a threat of nuclear annihilation. Young viewers with fears of the water and/or claustrophobia might be uncomfortable with vivid portrayals of drowning and submersible environments. A scene -- not faked -- in which a domesticated rat is immersed in breathable liquid is a real don't-try-this-with-the-family-pet-at-home moment. The US military doesn't come off looking particularly good.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about ocean exploration and living underwater, and how much of the astounding aquatic technology shown here is the real deal, shot by James Cameron in one of the largest underwater tank-sets ever built -- not sci-fi CGI. Dwelling for long periods beneath the surface of the sea poses many of the same challenges as setting up space colonies. Ask kids what they would prefer -- manning a space station or a submarine platform? How would they have dealt with the unstable Navy SEALS here in a more constructive manner?

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Kid Reviewer Age 11
    I rate this title on for age 9 and give it 4.0
    My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate language

    I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!! Kind of like Titanic but with aliens!! Great movie. Few swears but nothing terrible. Older kids and tween movie. Not very violent...

  2. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it 3.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence

    good movie

    not mentioned by common sense there is a scene were a man cuts himsself due to stress

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