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expired Posted by Discombobulated | Staff • Feb 18, 2025
expired Posted by Discombobulated | Staff • Feb 18, 2025

The Abyss: Special Edition (1989) (4K UHD Digital Film)

$5.00

$20

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Amazon
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Amazon has The Abyss: Special Edition (1989) (4K UHD Digital Film) on sale for $4.99.
  • Note: Eligible Prime members may apply earned No-Rush Shipping credits to this purchase (check balance).
Apple iTunes has The Abyss: Special Edition (1989) (4K UHD Digital Film) on sale for $4.99.

Thanks to Deal Editor Discombobulated for finding this deal
  • Note, must purchase on iOS device using Apple TV app or on PC using iTunes for Windows software; search for title within Apple TV/iTunes if link(s) are not redirecting correctly.
About the Film
  • When an American submarine sinks in the Caribbean, a US search and recovery team works with an oil platform crew, racing against Soviet vessels to recover the boat. Deep in the ocean, they encounter something unexpected.

Editor's Notes

Written by SlickDealio | Staff
  • About the deal:
    • Directed/written by James Cameron and starring Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and Michael Biehn released in 1989; classic sci-fi/mystery film
    • This film is Movies Anywhere (MA) compatible, connect to your preferred platform to view it
    • This matches a previous Frontpage deal from August 2024.
  • About the store:

Original Post

Community Notes
About the Poster
Deal Details
Community Notes
About the Poster
Amazon has The Abyss: Special Edition (1989) (4K UHD Digital Film) on sale for $4.99.
  • Note: Eligible Prime members may apply earned No-Rush Shipping credits to this purchase (check balance).
Apple iTunes has The Abyss: Special Edition (1989) (4K UHD Digital Film) on sale for $4.99.

Thanks to Deal Editor Discombobulated for finding this deal
  • Note, must purchase on iOS device using Apple TV app or on PC using iTunes for Windows software; search for title within Apple TV/iTunes if link(s) are not redirecting correctly.
About the Film
  • When an American submarine sinks in the Caribbean, a US search and recovery team works with an oil platform crew, racing against Soviet vessels to recover the boat. Deep in the ocean, they encounter something unexpected.

Editor's Notes

Written by SlickDealio | Staff
  • About the deal:
    • Directed/written by James Cameron and starring Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and Michael Biehn released in 1989; classic sci-fi/mystery film
    • This film is Movies Anywhere (MA) compatible, connect to your preferred platform to view it
    • This matches a previous Frontpage deal from August 2024.
  • About the store:

Original Post

Community Voting

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+81
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Top Comments

I picked this up through Amazon on an equal deal some time back. I've watched it all the way through twice. If you are a film purist you will likely not enjoy this version. It's been completely scrubbed of film grain. It looks as though it was filmed on digital cameras. I personally have no issue with it, but I did want to make sure people know what they're getting into. If you prefer movies to look as they did originally this isn't the version to get. Cameron's 4k transfers of his older movies have caused a lot of division because of how he's opted to do it.

If you just want an enjoyable movie and you couldn't care less about film grain or any of that jazz, you can do a lot worse for $5.00. I love this movie as it played in a regular rotation on HBO when I was a kid, so I'm sure that skews my perception a little bit, but I think it's a fun watch and like I said, I personally like the treatment done on this version.
Great movie. Great actors. Classic sci-fi with the added twist of science, brains and reason vs the unreasonable and masculine braun.
When I searched for it on the Apple TV app, I couldn't find the special edition (2hr 51 m); only the theatrical one (2hr 20m) was found. Any help is appreciated.

Edit: I went ahead and purchased it. The movie's special edition shows up under iTunes Extras on the movie page through my Library.

53 Comments

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Pro
Feb 18, 2025
1,925 Posts
Joined Nov 2010
Feb 18, 2025
MasterRigger
Pro
Feb 18, 2025
1,925 Posts
Great movie. Great actors. Classic sci-fi with the added twist of science, brains and reason vs the unreasonable and masculine braun.
2
Feb 18, 2025
6,654 Posts
Joined Sep 2005
Feb 18, 2025
procope
Feb 18, 2025
6,654 Posts
The director's cut, which the Special Edition essentially is, adds some very timely for the current reality scenes and, especially, the ending. This is a no-brainer, ftw.
Feb 18, 2025
71 Posts
Joined Sep 2015
Feb 18, 2025
ranganath567
Feb 18, 2025
71 Posts

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank ranganath567

When I searched for it on the Apple TV app, I couldn't find the special edition (2hr 51 m); only the theatrical one (2hr 20m) was found. Any help is appreciated.

Edit: I went ahead and purchased it. The movie's special edition shows up under iTunes Extras on the movie page through my Library.
Last edited by ranganath567 February 18, 2025 at 07:54 AM.
2
Feb 18, 2025
1 Posts
Joined Nov 2014
Feb 18, 2025
dlindley57
Feb 18, 2025
1 Posts
Quote from ranganath567 :
When I searched for it on the Apple TV app, I couldn't find the special edition (2hr 51 m); only the theatrical one (2hr 20m) was found. Any help is appreciated.
I noticed the same, but when I went to purchase the film through Apple Pay it showed up as the Special Edition version.
Feb 18, 2025
682 Posts
Joined May 2015
Feb 18, 2025
Dr_Derogatory
Feb 18, 2025
682 Posts

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank Dr_Derogatory

I picked this up through Amazon on an equal deal some time back. I've watched it all the way through twice. If you are a film purist you will likely not enjoy this version. It's been completely scrubbed of film grain. It looks as though it was filmed on digital cameras. I personally have no issue with it, but I did want to make sure people know what they're getting into. If you prefer movies to look as they did originally this isn't the version to get. Cameron's 4k transfers of his older movies have caused a lot of division because of how he's opted to do it.

If you just want an enjoyable movie and you couldn't care less about film grain or any of that jazz, you can do a lot worse for $5.00. I love this movie as it played in a regular rotation on HBO when I was a kid, so I'm sure that skews my perception a little bit, but I think it's a fun watch and like I said, I personally like the treatment done on this version.
3
Feb 18, 2025
173 Posts
Joined Aug 2023
Feb 18, 2025
FabulousCrow2645
Feb 18, 2025
173 Posts
Quote from Dr_Derogatory :
I picked this up through Amazon on an equal deal some time back. I've watched it all the way through twice. If you are a film purist you will likely not enjoy this version. It's been completely scrubbed of film grain. It looks as though it was filmed on digital cameras. I personally have no issue with it, but I did want to make sure people know what they're getting into. If you prefer movies to look as they did originally this isn't the version to get. Cameron's 4k transfers of his older movies have caused a lot of division because of how he's opted to do it. If you just want an enjoyable movie and you couldn't care less about film grain or any of that jazz, you can do a lot worse for $5.00. I love this movie as it played in a regular rotation on HBO when I was a kid, so I'm sure that skews my perception a little bit, but I think it's a fun watch and like I said, I personally like the treatment done on this version.
I noticed the same thing with Aliens. I appreciate the effort, but the Cameron 4K transfer is a bit off to me.
Feb 18, 2025
644 Posts
Joined Jun 2016
Feb 18, 2025
Gammon
Feb 18, 2025
644 Posts
Why does Slickdeals always link to the iTunes Store instead of the Apple TV app?

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Feb 18, 2025
71 Posts
Joined Sep 2015
Feb 18, 2025
ranganath567
Feb 18, 2025
71 Posts
Quote from dlindley57 :
I noticed the same, but when I went to purchase the film through Apple Pay it showed up as the Special Edition version.

Got it, thanks!
Feb 18, 2025
891 Posts
Joined Aug 2007
Feb 18, 2025
Princeman
Feb 18, 2025
891 Posts
Feb 18, 2025
1,186 Posts
Joined Nov 2007
Feb 18, 2025
eric_cartman
Feb 18, 2025
1,186 Posts
I purchased this last year and although it's MA it doesn't show in my Google Play or YouTube for whatever reason. Not that I care as I would never watch anything from that platform but for those who care about such things.
Pro
Feb 18, 2025
10,847 Posts
Joined Jul 2010
Feb 18, 2025
supermanrob
Pro
Feb 18, 2025
10,847 Posts
Quote from Dr_Derogatory :
I picked this up through Amazon on an equal deal some time back. I've watched it all the way through twice. If you are a film purist you will likely not enjoy this version. It's been completely scrubbed of film grain. It looks as though it was filmed on digital cameras. I personally have no issue with it, but I did want to make sure people know what they're getting into. If you prefer movies to look as they did originally this isn't the version to get. Cameron's 4k transfers of his older movies have caused a lot of division because of how he's opted to do it.

If you just want an enjoyable movie and you couldn't care less about film grain or any of that jazz, you can do a lot worse for $5.00. I love this movie as it played in a regular rotation on HBO when I was a kid, so I'm sure that skews my perception a little bit, but I think it's a fun watch and like I said, I personally like the treatment done on this version.

The irony is you wouldn't really get the benefit with this even if it did.
You need the disc version for it to actually matter.

This is a topic example on how the transfer determines the quality and not the resolution a movie was shot in.

Big difference between this and Titanic in transfers, with the same "native/real 4k" resolution.
Titanic is one of the few movies that received a reference transfer in both PQ & AQ!
That's saying a lot since the BR version was also.

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Th...ay/191855/

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Ti...ay/346844/
1
Feb 18, 2025
682 Posts
Joined May 2015
Feb 18, 2025
Dr_Derogatory
Feb 18, 2025
682 Posts
Quote from FabulousCrow2645 :
I noticed the same thing with Aliens. I appreciate the effort, but the Cameron 4K transfer is a bit off to me.

Yep! That's the whole reason I even brought it up. I admit that seeing the movie without film grain is a tiny bit jarring at first, but I acclimated pretty quickly and found it enjoyable overall. Some people really don't care for it, though, and it hampers their experience. It does suck that it feels off for you, though. I've seen a number of opinions that it makes the movie feel like it was remastered with AI, which I can kind of understand that sentiment. It's also probably true to a degree, but I'd have to go research how Cameron did the transfer. It's probably likely that there was some level of AI involvement.
Feb 18, 2025
1,866 Posts
Joined Nov 2009
Feb 18, 2025
MajorMayhem
Feb 18, 2025
1,866 Posts
Quote from supermanrob :
The irony is you wouldn't really get the benefit with this even if it did.
You need the disc version for it to actually matter.

This is a topic example on how the transfer determines the quality and not the resolution a movie was shot in.

Big difference between this and Titanic in transfers, with the same "native/real 4k" resolution.
Titanic is one of the few movies that received a reference transfer in both PQ & AQ!
That's saying a lot since the BR version was also.

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Th...ay/191855/

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Ti...ay/346844/
IME, not only is there no benefit- but streaming,
with its added compression, seems to exacerbate the negative effect of the artificially enhanced images, worse than upscaling 1080p with grain. It's not quite "uncanny valley" but it's certainly unpleasant to watch.

I say all this, and bought it anyway.
Feb 18, 2025
101 Posts
Joined Dec 2011
Feb 18, 2025
kevine04
Feb 18, 2025
101 Posts
Quote from supermanrob :
The irony is you wouldn't really get the benefit with this even if it did.
You need the disc version for it to actually matter.

This is a topic example on how the transfer determines the quality and not the resolution a movie was shot in.

Big difference between this and Titanic in transfers, with the same "native/real 4k" resolution.
Titanic is one of the few movies that received a reference transfer in both PQ & AQ!
That's saying a lot since the BR version was also.

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Th...ay/191855/

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Ti...ay/346844/
Exactly why I'm looking for the 4k disc of this film.

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Feb 18, 2025
7,112 Posts
Joined Dec 2006
Feb 18, 2025
Gavica
Feb 18, 2025
7,112 Posts
is this MA?

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