There's some light grain and occasional artifacting, but it's very minor and only enhances the look of the film. The audio here is also great. The English Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound mix is terrifically atmospheric. This is a film jam-packed with subtle little sound cues, audio transitions and distant wild sounds. You'll hear every one, but not just from 5 isolated locations in your soundfield.
Dialogue is nicely clear and the soundstage is very deep and wide, with rich and substantial bass.
The mix goes from blissfully subtle to aggressively attacking with ease, without ever sounding forced or imbalanced. And the Dust Brothers never sound so good. The 5.1 track DOES have flags for EX 6.1-ready systems. 2.0 surround sound is also available in English and French flavors, if you've just gotta have it. Fight Club 's two discs make The Abyss on DVD look like a production that Mike Brady and Ward Cleaver hooked up to do.