Dustin Hoffman

Sharon Stone

Samuel L. Jackson

Peter Coyote

Liev Schreiber

Queen Latifah

Marga Gómez

Huey Lewis

Bernard Hocke

James Pickens Jr.

Michael Keys Hall

Ralph Tabakin

Barry Levinson

Stephen Hauser

Stu Linder

Michael Crichton

Paul Attanasio

Elliot Goldenthal

Adam Greenberg

Andrew Wald

Jim Magdaleno

Gloria Gresham

Ellen Chenoweth

Mark W. Mansbridge

Jonathan McKinstry

Norman Reynolds

James W. Tyson

Anne Kuljian

Tim Rigby

Lisa McCullough

Kurt Wimmer

Heather Harris

Catherine Childers

Lindakay Brown

Jana Vance

Robert Bardy

Aaron Dem

Lydia Bottegoni

Allen D. Easton

Gary Capo

P. Scott Sakamoto

Charles John Bukey

Mark Boley

Richard Beggs

Tricia Sawyer

Ian Fox

Fernando Benítez

Julie Pitkanen

Walter F. Hyneman

Robert Ryan

Michael Kory

Jason Wardle

Claire Sanfilippo

J.R. Grubbs

Tim Gibbons

Marian Wilde

Tim Holland

Jeff Lin

Karen Klein

Rod Basham

Jeffrey A. Okun

John Quaglia

Mark Daily

Steven C. McGee

Carlos Arguello

Michael White

June Westmore

Mo Henry

Brian Hamill

Adrienne Manhan

Nicole Herr

Allan A. Apone

Gary Thomas

Brad Emmons

Ronald A. Miller

Richard O. Helmer

Mary Helen Leasman

Tom Johnson

Marietta Carter-Narcisse

Michael Silvers

Ronnie Rondell Jr.

Daryl Tucker

Peter Giuliano

Patricia Churchill

Edward J. Protiva

David Gabrielli

Alan Cohen

W. Steven Graham

Kurt E. Soderling

Mary Ellen Leonard

Tommy Tancharoen

Kent Sparling

Bill 'Kauhane' Hoyt

James Conroy

John Charles Kohn

Michael Greggans

Rodney Hope

Christine Dye

Alex Daniels

R. Gern Trowbridge

William Beck

Blair Daily

Joseph D. Urbanczyk

Kurtis Bedford

Katterli Frauenfelder

Andrew Nelson

Billy R. Brashier

Paul Borne

Tom Fox

Sean Mannion

Science Fiction

Mystery

Thriller

Horror

Sphere

Warner Bros. Pictures

Punch Productions

Baltimore Pictures

Constant c Productions

United States of America

English

space marine

ocean

extraterrestrial technology

paranoia

alien

psychologist

ocean floor

deepsea

spaceship crash

Interesting idea but poorly executed and overly long. Acting was okay but nobody really stood out. At least some of the effects weren't too bad for 1998. I actually back in the day read the novel but don't remember anything from it, just know this adaptation was pretty different. **2.5/5**

Kamurai

Great watch, would watch again, and do recommend.

I feel like I have a thing for the isolationism of deep sea bases.  "Bioshock", "Deep Blue Sea", "The Meg", "Underwater", "The Abyss": just the idea of being far away from any help in the most dangerous living conditions possible on the planet.

Add in a mysteriously time traveling alien sphere and let bake in the survival situation where people are losing their minds and things keep manifesting into existence.

It's a little insane, but it has a quality cast, plot, and some great action for all the characters being a bunch of nerds.

**_The power to actualize your thoughts and fears_**

A huge spacecraft at the bottom of the Pacific ocean with a strange, humming sphere found inside. A team of scientists are sent down to investigate – a psychologist (Dustin Hoffman), a mathematician (Samuel L. Jackson), a biochemist (Sharon Stone) and an astrophysicist (Liev Schreiber). Two notable characters at the station on the ocean floor are played by Peter Coyote and Queen Latifah. Mystery and (some) horror ensue.

Based on Michael Crichton's 1987 novel, "Sphere" (1998) intermixes elements of other scif-fi flicks, like "Forbidden Planet," "Solaris," "Alien," "Galaxy of Terror" and "The Abyss." Like those movies, the plot involves a small group of people who are isolated from society and encounter the unknown. The theme is the actualization of one's thoughts and fears and the potential for good or, more likely, bad that comes with it. Are we mature enough as a species to handle such power?

Of course, we already have this power, just not to the degree depicted in the story (seemingly). Anything important that we do, whether productive or destructive, is formulated within first and then manifests without, like a song or a book or a loving relationship. If we truly knew the power at our disposal we'd hardly be able to sleep at night we'd be so excited!

The first hour or so is quite good because the film definitely makes you feel like you're at the bottom of the ocean. The mystery is engaging and the actors formidable. Unfortunately, some parts of the second half don't work so well, which destroys the illusion of the movie. As far as the ending goes, it features tricky material that's not easy to pull off. The fact that it's somewhat successful is largely due to having great actors.

Despite the murkiness of parts of the second half, the theme is great. This isn't a slasher film in space, like "Alien," and refuses exploitive thrills, like "Galaxy of Terror." Rather, it shoots for well-acted drama and thought-provoking ideas. However, there are some harrowing aspects, like the jelly fish sequence.

While many lambaste "Sphere," it wasn't the box office dog you might think in light of the bad press. It made $37 million (in 1998 dollars) in the USA alone, which is hardly a clunker. The problem was that it cost over twice that to make.

It runs 2 hours, 14 minutes.

GRADE: B-

QUESTIONS ON THE THEME (***Don't read further unless you've seen the film***)

Why is it that the dark side of the human subconscious is empowered by the alien technology/entity? Why not the positive side? The four scientists (and the others) strike me as quality souls who pretty much have it together. While not perfect human specimens, they're strong people who have their phobias and destructive emotions under control. So why aren't their GOOD, PRODUCTIVE thoughts/desires manifested rather than the bad? I could see if the story took place in a prison and the characters were pieces of sheet, but that's not the case.

Also, who or what does the sphere represent? The Fountain of Life (Psalm 36:9)?

Sphere (1998) - Trailer HD 1080p

Sphere (2/10) Movie CLIP - A Perfect Sphere (1998) HD

Sphere( 1998)

Terror can fill any space.

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A review by JPV852

Written by JPV852 on Mon Jul 20 2020

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