I went to the Cineplex Odeon in Century City to see the re-release of James Cameron’s 1989 film, The Abyss. This version contains never before seen footage that was removed shortly before its initial theatrical release.
The parking garage at the Cineplex was really cool. I descended into what seemed like miles beneath the city, although I doubt that it was really that far. I was practically the only person in the garage so I started to pretend that I was on some post-apocalyptic world, like Charlton Heston in The Omega Man. I drove around the garage squealing my tires, imagining myself being chased by anemic zombies with firebombs. It was really cool.
The theater is located in the Century City plaza, which, during the week, is packed with suits going about their business. But it was so deserted now that I really felt like the last man on earth. As I made my way to the theater, I could really begin to understand how lonely Charlton Heston’s character must have been. When I finally got into the theater itself, it was reminiscent of the scene where Heston goes into a movie theater and watches a reel from Woodstock. I took my giant Coke and big bag of popcorn and grabbed a seat.
I guess the added footage in The Abyss was really cool, but I didn’t get to see it 'cause about 2.5 hours into it, that giant jumbo Coke hit my bladder with a vengeance. I tried to ignore it but, like, the whole movie’s under water, and there’s always water dripping and flowing and spraying, and the guy next to me kept sloshing his ice around. And when Ed Harris started breathing liquid, I know I had to go. By the time I got back to my seat, the credits were rolling. I heard the guy sitting next to me tell his girlfriend that he liked the new footage, so I guess it was pretty good.
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