Ahead of James Cameron mania sweeping the nation again with Avatar 2, here’s everything we know about how you can watch True Lies and The Abyss, and whether it’s on Blu-ray or streaming.
Build it, and they will come: six words that sum up the doubtless success of James Cameron, the self-declared king of the movie world who’s made banger after banger since 1984.
It began with The Terminator, which made Arnold Schwarzenegger a household name and proved his horror chops. Then he was bold enough to make a sequel to Alien, and some even regard it as the superior film. In the following decades, he made the greatest action blockbuster ever made with Terminator 2, and sat at the helm of two of the biggest movies of all time: Titanic and Avatar.
All of this, and we haven’t even got to True Lies and The Abyss: the former is basically Schwarzenegger as James Bond; the latter is the kind of mesmerizing sci-fi that laid the groundwork for Avatar 2’s underwater wonder. So, here’s where you can watch True Lies and The Abyss, from streaming to Blu-ray updates.
Is True Lies on streaming?
In the US, True Lies is available to stream with a Hulu subscription. It isn’t available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video or other on-demand platforms.
In the UK, it’s bad news: True Lies isn’t available to stream on any platform, including Netflix, Prime Video, and other on-demand services.
Is True Lies on Blu-ray?
Unfortunately, True Lies has yet to receive an official wide Blu-ray release.
As fans of the movie will tell you, this is a bit of a sore subject. True Lies is currently available to purchase on DVD – and a Spanish Blu-ray import – but for such a beloved movie and the expansive physical media market, it’s strange that it still hasn’t been released.
In 2018, Cameron told Empire Magazine he wants to do a True Lies Blu-ray. “Man, it’s on my to-do list. It’s a question of time management,” he said.
I know guys, I know – it's on my to-do list, promise. @RianJohnson @VancityReynolds pic.twitter.com/eljqtDiOX5
— James Cameron (@JimCameron) March 25, 2019
“True Lies and The Abyss both have Blu-ray transfers that are complete for my review. The problem is the next 14 hours when I have to go back and trim the color and get each one perfect. That’s 28 hours. I don’t have 28 hours. I’ve put it on my list to try to get it done before the end of the year.”
It’s safe to say, we still don’t have it. In 2019, Cameron replied to tweets from Ryan Reynolds and The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson asking for True Lies and The Abyss on Blu-ray. “I know guys, I know – it’s on my to-do list, promise,” he wrote.
We’ll update this space upon its announcement and release date.
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Is The Abyss on streaming?
In the US, The Abyss is available to stream with a Starz subscription, and can be accessed via Prime Video. However, it’s not available to stream on any other platform, nor can you rent or buy it from other on-demand providers.
In the UK, there’s even worse luck: The Abyss isn’t available to stream on any platform, including Netflix, Prime Video, and other on-demand services.
Is The Abyss on Blu-ray?
You probably guessed it: The Abyss still hasn’t received a Blu-ray release. It’s only available on DVD at the time of writing (or VHS and Laserdisc, if you’ve got the kit).
Considering Cameron’s longstanding work on the Avatar franchise, it’s not surprising he’s struggled to find time to work on the remaster.
However, progress on The Abyss has been more promising than True Lies. Color grading on a high definition version of the film began in 2019, and at the end of the year, HBO streamed the movie in HD and its original aspect ratio. According to Bloody Disgusting, this was pulled from its new 4K transfer.
In December 2021, Cameron gave his biggest update to date: the transfer is finished, so it’s just a matter of time.
He told Space.com: “We finished the transfer and I wanted to do it myself because Mikael [Salomon] did such a beautiful job with the cinematography on that film.
“So I just recently finished the high-def transfer a couple of months ago so presumably there’ll be Blu-rays and it will stream with a proper transfer from now on.
“I appreciate what you said about the film. It didn’t make much money in its day, but it does seem to be well-liked over time.”
We’ll update this article upon further updates and announcements.