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James Cameron has always been at the forefront of technology. And never more so than in 1989’s The Abyss, in which a civilian diving team pursuing a lost nuclear submarine encounter aquatic aliens. The movie’s hit-or-miss, but Cameron scores with his special effects. Of particular note are the moments when the glowing ship reveals itself to Lindsay Brigman (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) and the “pseudopod” sequence when a CGI water-based tentacle morphs into the faces of Linsday and husband Bud (Ed Harris). Audiences had rarely been treated to such movie magic before, and the pioneering director would use the technology to far greater effect in his Terminator sequel two years later.