Parents' Guide to The Abyss (2024)

This disaster movie differentiates itself from others with its unique setting. The town of Kiruna, located around 100 miles north of the Arctic Circle, is in constant peril of collapsing due to its position above an iron mine; therefore, there's an ongoing effort to relocate the entire city to a nearby area. In The Abyss, director Richard Holm imagines what would happen if the town were to collapse before they're done moving. The results would be disastrous, obviously, and one can't help but imagine what it must be like for people in the region to watch this movie and see their worst nightmare brought to life.

For the rest of us, The Abyss plays very much like a by-the-numbers disaster film in which a select few are chosen to be the characters we care about the most as the world around them is literally swallowed by the ground. Tuva Novotny makes a compelling heroine as the no-nonsense Frigga, who compartmentalizes her feelings and duties as she goes on a mission to save the town, but not before finding her teenage son who goes missing when the movie begins. The story is told efficiently and the action sequences are thrilling and horrific (avoid if you're claustrophobic), but this isn't a movie meant to leave any aftershocks.