Fans have been waiting many years for a good HD release of the James Cameron-directed The Abyss, the only legal previous releases were on VHS, Laserdisc and a non-anamorphic DVD.
Recently Disney announced it will be released in a remastered UHD and Blu-ray with the approval of the director and new extras. The bad news is that because of UK censorship laws the BBFC would not grant a certificate unless a scene in which a rat is forced to drink liquid, a key point of the plot, was cut out.
Disney agreed but James Cameron and his company said no, they would not cut the film and even gave proof that the rat came to no harm during the making of the film, but the BBFC stood by their decision, so the UK release has now been cancelled.
When asked for a comment regarding the snafu with The Abyss, the BBFC voraciously defended their censorship rules, explaining that the content shown in the film is the depiction of a criminal offence, which is ridiculous. (The previous UK releases were also cut).
But fans need not despair as it will be released elsewhere, in the USA and no doubt Europe and as 4K UHD discs are not region-coded they can still play the discs (Although the included Blu-ray disc will probably be locked to its country of origin).
