James Cameron Explains THE ABYSS Was Heavily Influenced by THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL

After a recent screening of the new 4K version of the 1989 sci-fi classic The Abyss, director James Cameron participated in a Q&A to talk about the film. We already reported the story he recounted of how he almost drowned and died making the film, but in this post, we cover his inspiration behind the film.

While speaking with moderator Jim Hemphill, Cameron talked about how The Abyss was a mix of romance, alien encounters, and Cold War politics. He explained:

“I think anybody that was a movie fan at that time — we’re talking 34 years ago — could see the DNA from other movies, from ‘Close Encounters’ to the Cold War sub movies, so obviously I was being pulled in different directions.”

He then went on to reveal that his biggest inspiration for The Abyss was the classic 1951 sci-fi film The Day the Earth Stood Still. He explained he wanted to retell that story in his own way and underwater. He said:

“But the one that stands above the others is ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still,’ which is a philosophical sci-fi film that asked the question ‘are we worthy if we were to be judged by a higher intelligence?’ That had a big impact on me as a kid and I wanted to do my own version of that but set it underwater because I was fascinated by the underwater world.”

When asked about why it was necessary to kitchen-sink its plot instead of focusing on just one or two of these ideas. “It all made sense to me at the time, that’s all I can say.”

Now, that he mentions it, I can totally see the influence of The Day the Earth Stood Still in The Abyss. I’m a big fan of both of these films and while The Abyss wasn’t a huge commercial success when it was first released, it certainly found its audience. I’m pretty excited about the opportunity to watch this film in 4K.

Via: Variety