In the series, I could feel the pain Reg went through when he was crying in despair in the fourth layer, helplessly watching Riko (seemingly) bleeding to death. It was truly heart-warming to see how moved Nanachi was when she tasted Riko's delicious food for the first time. Reg's inner conflict when it came to Nanachi's request to kill Mitty was very relatable.
However, I didn't feel like I got a lot of this in the third movie. More often than not, the sad scenes felt more like they were supposed to be sad, rather than being actually sad. This was partly due to the fact that the whole movie didn't really present any noteworthy instances where tough choices had to be made, or to put it in other words, there was a lack of moral dilemmas. At the end of the movie, I didn't get the impression that the bond between the Riko, Reg and Nanachi had become any stronger, neither did I get the impression that anyone of them grew as a character or gained some sort of valuable insight.
The actions of the characters were sometimes questionable. I was slightly bugged by the fact that the group didn't really seem to mind it when they were told that they were already expected by Bondrewd. Knowing this, it would have made sense for them to reconsider if it would be worth heading for the base in the first place and to come up with an elaborate plan.
I was also somewhat disappointed by the flora and fauna of the Abyss in this particular movie, because unlike in the first four layers, there was pretty much none in the fifth layer (at least it didn't get much screen-time) where most of the movie takes place.
There was a bit too much action for my taste; what makes the Abyss exciting for me is, above all, the exploration aspect that involves things such as unknown wildlife and artifacts, uncovering secrets etc. I think the movie was lacking in that respect.
This movie introduced one completely new character (Prushka) and another one that didn't get that much screen-time before (Bondrewd). I didn't really find either of them interesting, which brings me back to my initially stated main reason for being somewhat disappointed with this movie. Bondrewd's character was too one-dimensional for my liking, simply being the "very bad guy", and I had a hard time caring for Prushka, who didn't do or say anything of significance, though this is, to a certain extent, understandable given her circumstances.
The music felt a bit lackluster and at times melodramatic. I enjoyed the quiet parts a lot more because that was where I felt most of the suspense and excitement.
Overall still a good movie and a must-watch for all fans of the series or first two movies.
