James Cameron: Ranking His Films From Worst To Best

7. The Abyss (1989)

An idea that the director had initially come up with as a 17 year old high school student, The Abyss finally came to fruition almost 20 years later. The story centers on an oil crew working with a team of Navy SEALs to investigate a sunken US submarine, before encountering 'non-terrestrial intelligence' and while a serviceable enough sci-fi adventure, the movie didn't find a huge audience and is best remembered these days for its groundbreaking visual effects. The director's penchant for overworking his cast and crew whilst also managing to go over-budget and over-schedule were prevalent during the production; the release date was delayed by over a month due to the complex nature of the visual effects, with principal photography lasting 140 days and costing at least $5m more than originally intended. Stars Michael Biehn, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Ed Harris were less than complimentary about the shoot, with the latter refusing to discuss it to this day. Despite featuring the stunning special effects and expertly-staged set pieces you would expect from a James Cameron movie, as well as solid performances from the ensemble cast, The Abyss is bogged down by its 140 minute running time (with the Special Edition clocking in at 170 minutes), convoluted plot and an ending that almost derails the entire movie. The Abyss is almost flawless from a technical standpoint when you consider the time period, but narratively the movie has a lot of problems. Audiences agreed, and it ultimately only grossed $90m against a $70m budget.