Classic 80s sci-fi thriller removed from Disney Plus over 'unacceptable' scene
A 1980s sci-fi movie nominated for four Oscars has been taken down from Disney Plus due to a controversial scene.
Released in 1989, The Abyss was written and directed by James Cameron, who went on to direct blockbusters like Titanic and the Avatar franchise.
The movie followed a US search and recovery team working with an oil platform crew to save people onboard a submarine after it sinks in the Caribbean.
At the same time, they are racing against Soviet vessels to recover the boat, but, deep in the ocean they face an unexpected encounter.
The Abyss starred Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Michael Biehn. It was met with mixed reviews, but grossed $90million (£66million) and was nominated for four Oscars, winning Best Visual Effects.
In 2023 Cameron announced that a 4K remastered version would return to cinemas for a one-night-only event.
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
A DVD version was then rolled out in March last year, however a UK release for the 4K restoration was cancelled due to production company Lightstorm Entertainment's refusal to cut a scene involving a rat.
The scene in question showed the character, Navy SEAL Ensign Monk (Adam Nelson) submerge a rat in a small tub of breathing fluorocarbon liquid, trying to demonstrate how a human might be able to breathe underwater.
The film used five real rats for the scene, with the animal shown in the scene struggling and panicking when it thinks its drowning.
However it eventually calms down and starts breathing the liquid, which contains oxygen.
This scene was banned in the UK by the British Board of Film Classification on animal cruelty grounds. That ruling meant the scene needed to be cut from any theatrical, home video or terrestrial cuts of the film.
However, when the remastered movie version was rolled out on Disney Plus in April, it showed the scene, as streaming services were not bound by the ruling.
A few months on, the movie has now completely disappeared and can't be found on the platform.
Although Disney Plus is yet to comment on why the film has been pulled entirely, the RSPCA has weighed in on what it believes is a wider issue.
In a statement, the RSPCA's head of public affairs David Bowles said: 'The RSPCA is really concerned that a loophole currently exists allowing animal abuse scenes deemed unacceptable elsewhere to be streamed freely and legally into our homes. More Trending
'The Abyss' controversial rat scene has long concerned the RSPCA and has always been deemed unacceptable by BBFC – so it's hard to fathom why Disney Plus decided to broadcast it.
'We need to ensure people are not being exposed to content which promotes or showcases cruelty to animals. As the way millions of households consume entertainment changes, it's vital the legal framework is responsive to that.'
Despite the backlash, The Abyss has been called a 'totally gripping, claustrophobic thriller, complete with an interesting crew of characters' on review site Rotten Tomatoes, where it holds a score of 89%.
Metro has contacted Disney Plus for comment.
Got a story?
If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you.
MORE: Controversial Snow White remake finally hits Disney+ and fans are split
MORE: How to get 4 months of Disney+ for £1.99 a month in time for The Bear's new series
MORE: Doctor Who is in peril – but I'm not worried
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
3 hours ago
- Metro
Surfing on the north coast of Ireland, I learned an important life lesson
Ricky Martin told me to trust him as he shoved me onto a surfboard and told me I wasn't going to drown. I can't swim. I'm pushing 30 and I don't even know how to float, something not helped by watching Titanic when I was four. But as Ricky, my 45-year-old surf instructor for the day reminded me, the ocean we are standing in on the coast of Northern Ireland was barely above my knees. He spotted a promising wave and told me to get ready to pop up, moving from a push-up into a crouched stance, on my foam board. I paddled and up I went, fighting every instinct to look down at the sea below. My first ride lasted only a few seconds, but for a moment, I didn't have time to second-guess myself or overthink. You do it, or you don't. And I did it. Fuel your wanderlust with our curated newsletter of travel deals, guides and inspiration. Sign up here. Unlike me, Ricky always pictured himself as a surfer. 'When I was younger, there was no such thing as surf schools, let alone lifeguards on the beach,' he tells me at his school on the West Strand. 'My parents said I had to be a good swimmer and I could start when I was 14.' 'I got a surfboard for Christmas. I turned 14 in January, it was the most stoked I've ever been, and that was it. I've lived in the sea ever since.' That's why he created the surf school Alive Adventures, to help people experience the freeing thrill of riding a wave. As an urban beach, the Portrush waves are smaller and more manageable to learn on. 'Getting in the water is good for your mental and physical health,' Martin says. 'I think everyone should do it.' There are many people like Ricky in Northern Ireland, keen to show that the country isn't just Game of Thrones shoot locations, pints and rain. Rather, it's a place away from mounting emails and procrastination where you can finally say, you know what, why not? This was my mantra when I boarded a flight to Belfast from London Gatwick on a Wednesday in May: give it a shot, no matter how anxious I was, something my therapist has long begged me to do. That, and tell every Irish person I meet that I'm a 'quarter Irish'. After delivering said line to a taxi driver, I stepped out in front of Room2 Belfast, my home for the night ahead of my tour of the country's northeast coast. The next morning, I checked out to hike around Glenariff Forest Park, in the North Antrim Hills, about an hour's drive from the capital. Woods, rivers and walking trails fringed with garlic and strawberries make up the 1,200-hectare area, seven times the size of Hyde Park. 'It looks like something out of a movie,' Victoria Canavan, our guide from Tourism NI, tells us in front of Ess-Na-Crub Waterfall. 'You're just waiting for a mermaid to pop out.' Victoria says leaving the office behind to feel the grass beneath her feet is common in Northern Ireland, easy to do in a country where greenery is as common as existential crises are these days. Horses are another way to get around. But my steed, Ranger, wasn't going anywhere. Not when there was food next to him. Ranger, one of 150 horses at Shean's Horse Farm in Ballymoney, was holding back our group by constantly nibbling on the grass. To be fair, if food were around me all the time, I'd do the same. Melissa McCollan, 43, who's worked at Shean's for six years, says people come from all over the world to see Northern Ireland on horseback. 'You won't get any experience in the world, like look at it,' she says, gesturing at the hillside as Ranger, of course, was eating. 'Even in the rain, it looks beautiful. 'Some people come for their background and heritage because everyone's got a bit of Irish in them. We're all so amazing that yous' are all descended from us.' It turns out that horse riding, which famously consists of sitting, is one hell of a workout. Exhausted, we drove 20 minutes to the Marine Hotel in Ballycastle to rest. Many tourists flock to the port town to see the most mythical of actual creatures: puffins. Seven miles off the shore is Rathlin Island, where puffins, seals and dolphins dive in sun-silvered waters while lighthouses keep watch. Charles Stewart, 55, and Dawn Hines, 'under 40', are taking me for a boat tour of the island on Friday. The Kinatra Boat Tours founders are joined by patient bird-watchers hoping to spot the island's predatory birds. 'The basking sharks always bring a smile to people's faces,' says Charles. 'We once saw a minke whale, it was amazing.' Dawn, a marine biologist, adds: 'Nature is vital to us and we love it, Rathlin is ever-changing.' The day then became a lot more Irish. It started bucketing down as we drove to the setting of this year's Open, Royal Portrush Golf Club. Pro Gary McNeil taught me how to swing a golf club without sending the ball into the car park. The sea was steel-grey the next morning as I left the hotel for the Giant's Causeway, said to have been formed by the trampling of the mythical, 54-foot-tall giant Benandonner. Stories are everywhere in Northern Ireland, explains James Neil, 38, a visitor experience officer with the National Trust. 'Generations of people have told these stories for a very long time and it gives us a sense of place,' he says, adding that his favourite legend is one of a nagging grandmother turned to stone by Benandonner. 'Myths are important – they connect us to our past.' Portrush was the final leg of my coastal tour, where we had a booking that day at the four-star Elephant Rock Hotel. One surf lesson later, we spent the evening eating fish and chips and arancini at the restaurant, Shanty Portrush, looking out at the dragon-back rocks and rain-whipped seas. A pub rammed with neon Guinness signs – where Victoria had her first date with her partner – was our final spot of the tour. A true Irish send-off. Come Sunday morning, I got ready for my flight. Killing time at the airport, I rummage in my suitcase: A puffin hat, a golf ball and swim trunks still smelling of seawater. That's when something Ricky had said came back to me. One of my goals in therapy is, pretty simply, to do karaoke. The thought of being up on a stage, screeching Love Shack by the B-52s, is terrifying. Ricky knows everyone has fears that stop them from doing small things, which is why he set up an activity provider in a town of only 6,000. More Trending So, if I can surf or go horse riding, why can't I do other things like sing in front of people? 'We bring people from around the world and help them with their mental health,' Ricky said, 'and when I see them blossom, I just love it.' If they can blossom, I think to myself as I board, then I can, too. Josh Milton was a guest of Tourism Ireland. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: I fell head over heels for Europe's last hidden gem — it just got easier to explore MORE: Map reveals UK cheating hotspot where the most people have been unfaithful MORE: I went to the world's wettest Pride parade where everyone gets soaked
Daily Record
a day ago
- Daily Record
'All time favourite' war film with 'greatest actor' now streaming for free on ITV
Henry V was written and directed by Kenneth Branagh in his feature directorial debut Henry V, the historical drama that continues to captivate audiences years after its release, boasts an impressive 98 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Kenneth Branagh made his directorial debut with this film, also penning the script and starring as the eponymous King Henry V of England, bringing Shakespeare's 16th-century play to the silver screen. The film is often hailed as one of the finest Shakespeare adaptations ever produced, a sentiment echoed by its numerous accolades and critical acclaim. At the Oscars, Henry V was nominated for three major awards, with Branagh winning two for his direction and lead performance. One review praised the film, saying: "This is one of my all-time favourites. Branagh's interpretation of Henry V brings Shakespeare's play to life in a raw, gritty way. Branagh's interpretation of Henry is in line with Shakespeare's writing, hailing the king as a pious and well-intentioned sovereign." Another highlighted the portrayal of the monarch: "Historians can argue Henry V's true intentions and nature all they want; Shakespeare certainly saw him as one of the greatest heroes of English history, and Branagh bears this out.", reports the Express. The iconic St Crispin's Day speech from the original play is given a powerful cinematic treatment in the film, further cementing its status as a beloved classic. On the eve of the monumental Battle of Agincourt, Henry V rouses his men, who are significantly outnumbered, to envision the glory and immortality they will achieve if they emerge victorious. This speech is renowned for coining the phrase 'band of brothers' and is a pivotal moment in the film that captivated audiences. One critic stated: "The acting is brilliant and high energy. It's a great film adaptation of Shakespeare's play. If you're into Shakespeare, then you'll probably love itI really enjoyed the acting in this one. It's worth watching just to see the Crispin's Day speech." Another reviewer praised it as "the greatest speech by the most outstanding actor of the last 50 years." A further viewer said: "A classic war drama of a Shakespeare play. Everything is really well done, with the standout being Kenneth, who commands every scene he is in. Sometimes the flashbacks can be a little abrupt, and this seems very faithful to the source material." Also gracing the screen in this "masterpiece" film is a star-studded cast, featuring none other than Christian Bale as Robbing the luggage boy and a young Emma Thompson as Princess Catherine of Valois. Joining them on screen are Derek Jacobi, Judi Dench, James Larkin and Harry Potter actor Robbie Coltrane. "Incredibly moving. A masterpiece", were the words one fan used to describe the film. "Other reviews have naturally compared Henry V to the Laurence Olivier 1944 play, which was hugely successful in its own ownright, but stylistically was far less gritty and accessible for audiences than the 1989 film." Henry V is now available for streaming on ITVX.
Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Scottish Sun
Inside dystopian town blitzed by 450 nukes plagued by suicides & cancer-riddled families issued ‘radiation passports'
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) GROWING up in the most nuked place on Earth, Maira Abenova has helplessly watched as cancer spread through her family. After years of living near the Semipalatinsk Test Site, she told The Sun how the devastating impact of the radiation "did not spare any family". Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 14 The Semipalatinsk Test Site is the most nuked place on earth Credit: Getty - Contributor 14 The Semipalatinsk region in eastern Kazakhstan was a nuclear test site for the Soviet Union Credit: AFP - Getty 14 The Cold War relic sits near the border with modern day Russia Credit: Corbis Historical - Getty 14 Lake Shagan, also called the 'Atomic Lake', highlighted, is an offshoot of the Shagan River Credit: Wikipedia 14 Known as the Polygon, the 7,000 square mile nuclear testing site in north east Kazakhstan was nuked by hellish bombs from 1949 to 1989. Having been hit by a quarter of all nuclear explosions in history, Semipalatinsk Test Site was an atomic playground for Soviet scientists which was kept secret for decades. Its infamous 'Atomic Lake' was blasted into existence 60 years ago by a bomb ten times more powerful than the one dropped on Hiroshima. And one of the site's most destructive detonations reportedly caused four times as many instances of severe radiation poisoning as the Chernobyl disaster. Following 40 years of nuclear explosions which wreaked havoc on nearby communities, the consequences are still felt today. Kazakh authorities dished out eerie "radiation passports" to help and identify victims of the fallout - but these have failed to fully cover the tragic repercussions. Local resident Maira Abenova told The Sun: "After more than 30 years have passed, we can now say that for 40 years, an atomic war was waged on our beautiful land." Now a mum and grandma, Maira was raised in the neighbouring high-risk town of Semipalatinsk, which is by the Russian border and is today known as Semey. She is also the founder an advocacy group for victims of the tests called Committee Polygon 21. Maira detailed the tragic consequences of Semipalatinsk Test Site which have scarred her own life. Inside 'world's most dangerous town' Wittenoom where just breathing could kill you "In 1971, before turning 60, my mother died of esophageal cancer," she said. "At that time, we could not know the cause of this disease." After losing her mum, her sister passed away in 2013, nearly 25 years after the last recorded nuclear test. "In 2013, literally a month after surgery, my older sister passed away from breast cancer," Maira explained. Her husband was the next loved one to die as a result of the radioactive fallout. She said: "My husband was diagnosed with stomach cancer - he lived in agony for only a year and a half before he passed away." Maira continued: "Just a few months after my husband's funeral, my brother was diagnosed with lung cancer. "He survived only three months." The devastating consequences of Semipalatinsk Test Site then caught up with Maira herself. "Last autumn, I was diagnosed with the same disease," she said. "I had an operation, but I don't know how much time I have left. "Our medical system offers little hope - not because we lack good doctors, but because the healthcare system, especially in our region, is in a deeply deplorable state." 14 Maira Abenova told The Sun what it was like growing up in Semipalatinsk 14 Image of the Chagan nuclear test, which created the 'Atomic Lake' on January 15, 1965 Credit: Wikipedia 14 It features a notorious 'Atomic Lake' Credit: WIKIMEDIA 14 She added: "The worst thing is when doctors diagnose cancer. It's like a death sentence. "A sentence of a painful death. Without proper help and treatment." Maira also noted that her local cancer clinic was "always overcrowded". Kazakhstan authorities estimate 1.5 million people have been exposed to the test site's residual fallout. Nearby populations suffered elevated rates of cancer, heart disease and infertility which were all linked to the tests. More babies were born with defects, missing limbs, Down syndrome and other disabilities - while the number of suicide rates among young people also rose. A local city hall official even made the shocking claim that "people in the villages got used to suicides", according to a UN report. And grandma-of-two Maira confirmed this epidemic, saying that after the closure of the site, the higher rates of suicide were known as "Kainarsky syndrome". Despite the first ever bomb going off on August 29, 1949, four years after the end of World War II, radiation levels are still elevated, and children continue to be born with genetic mutations. Maira said: "This evil did not spare any family." Reflecting on these haunting health impacts, she described the aspect that continues to trouble her most. "As for the photos showing the aftermath of the tests, I'd say the most frightening consequences aren't the physical deformities or developmental anomalies," she said. "But rather the lingering fear — the fear of dying from an illness that might not be visible on the outside. "The fear of a young woman giving birth to a child with disabilities, and so on." 14 A total of 456 nuclear tests were conducted at the site Credit: AFP - Getty 14 Maira's very own 'radiation passport' 14 Statue of Igor Kurchatov, the 'father' of the Soviet nuclear program, in the city he was named after Credit: Getty The campaigner also detailed a closed-off town called Kurchatov which was built as the headquarters for the testing site and was only accessible with an official pass. Codenamed Semipalatinsk 21, the base was full of nuclear scientists and military officers, and located on the picturesque bank of the Irtysh River. The top-secret town had 50,000 or so inhabitants who were all supplied with high quality produce sent straight from the capital. Meanwhile, locals outside the town lived in relative squalor with "empty store shelves", Maira explained. "It was built in a short time," she said of the city, which has been dubbed the Soviet version of Los Alamos. "Since the city was built by the military, it resembles a military town - strict lines and no frills." The activist added that scientists timed each blast to match the wind direction - making sure the deadly fallout always blew away from their own HQ. And typical Soviet cover-ups meant that even the locals were unaware of the nearby tests for years. "We didn't know about it until the late 1980s, when information about the terrible tests conducted near us began to leak out to the public," she recalled. Semipalatinsk's role in the Cold War by Harvey Geh Semipalatinsk Test Site, also known as the Polygon, played a central role in the Soviet Union's push to win the nuclear arms race during the Cold War. On August 29, 1949, the USSR detonated its first-ever atomic bomb at Semipalatinsk, just four years after the U.S. bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki. That explosion - codenamed RDS-1 or "First Lightning" - ended America's nuclear monopoly and officially launched the Cold War arms race. It was a near-copy of the US-made 'Fat Man' plutonium bomb, which America dropped on Nagasaki, Japan in August 1945. Following the landmark explosion, Semipalatinsk became the main site for testing each nuclear development the Soviet Union made, including hydrogen bombs and experimental warheads. This allowed the USSR to gain data on blast yields and radiation fallout. From its inception in 1949 to its closure in 1989 with the fall of the Berlin Wall, 116 bombs were detonated in the atmosphere, while 240 exploded underground. A law created in 1992 meant victims could apply for a "radiation passport", which confirmed their exposure to the fallout and qualified them for certain benefits. Each person who had their application approved was given a little beige book with a big blue mushroom cloud on its front cover. Those holding their own document could then receive things like monthly compensation cash and longer holidays. This system was said to have worked in its initial phases. But these days, the scheme is ineffective, according to Maira. She is now part of a renewed push to improve compensation and bring real justice to the lives of many who have been impacted. Maira said: "The law that was passed in 1992 is effectively defunct today, and its current provisions are discriminatory." 14 Observation tower ruins at the former Semipalatinsk nuclear test site in Kazakhstan Credit: Getty 14 The nuclear scientists were based in Kurchatov, named after renowned Soviet nuclear physicist Igor Kurchatov Credit: Getty The passport grants holders £30 per month in benefits - barely enough to cover current medical costs - and those who move to live in a different region are disqualified from getting the money. Many locals have reportedly found it challenging to get official recognition for their children to also obtain the document. Emphasising the importance of petitioning for better support, Maira explained: "The hardest thing for us is that we feel doomed and unprotected." Maira also heads the human rights organisation DOM, which has also played an important role forming initiatives aimed at protecting the rights of victims of nuclear tests. She says on social media that for the last three years, the organisation has been working "to shape new ways of addressing victims, to achieve significant change, and to expand dialogue with the state and the international community." Maira has won awards for her work supporting victims of the tests and participated in UN meetings calling for the ban of nuclear weapons. She left Committee Polygon 21 earlier this month but continues to work with victims of nuclear fallout through her leading role at DOM. It is believed that more than one million people resided in and around Semipalatinsk - but today, only a few thousand people remain. The International Day against Nuclear Tests occurs every year on August 29, the day the first bomb went off in Semipalatinsk Test Site. Despite neighbouring locals living through the nuclear fallout of the site, it remains unclear exactly how dangerous living in the region is today. Scavengers have excavated the site in hopes of selling off scrap metal, while locals are known to use the "Atomic Lake" as a fishing spot. Maira said she was aware locals like to go fishing there as they "have come to believe that it is safe". But since the landscape has been marred by nearly half a century of nuclear bombing, she said the area had partly lost its beauty. "It is more reminiscent of the surface of the moon," she said. "A steppe and granite hills that have crumbled over time... scattered across by the atomic explosions."
