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

Paul Attanasio

Michael Crichton

Andrew Wald

Elliot Goldenthal

Adam Greenberg

Stu Linder

Jim Magdaleno

Ellen Chenoweth

Gloria Gresham

Norman Reynolds

Mark W. Mansbridge

Jonathan McKinstry

Anne Kuljian

James W. Tyson

Tim Rigby

Lisa McCullough

Kurt Wimmer

Allen D. Easton

Gary Capo

P. Scott Sakamoto

Brian Hamill

Ian Fox

Brad Emmons

Ronald A. Miller

Charles John Bukey

Steven C. McGee

Adrienne Manhan

Heather Harris

Julie Pitkanen

Nicole Herr

Walter F. Hyneman

Robert Bardy

Fernando Benítez

Michael Kory

Jeff Lin

Jason Wardle

Tim Gibbons

Karen Klein

Richard O. Helmer

Rod Basham

Aaron Dem

Lydia Bottegoni

Jeffrey A. Okun

Carlos Arguello

Mark Boley

John Quaglia

Michael White

Catherine Childers

Allan A. Apone

Marietta Carter-Narcisse

Robert Ryan

Tricia Sawyer

June Westmore

Mark Daily

Mo Henry

Lindakay Brown

Claire Sanfilippo

Gary Thomas

Jana Vance

Richard Beggs

J.R. Grubbs

Mary Helen Leasman

Marian Wilde

Tom Johnson

Michael Silvers

Tim Holland

Ronnie Rondell Jr.

Daryl Tucker

Patricia Churchill

Peter Giuliano

W. Steven Graham

Marvin Salsberg

David Gabrielli

Brett C. Smith

Sean Mannion

Nori Honda

William Beck

Edward J. Protiva

Bill 'Kauhane' Hoyt

Joseph D. Urbanczyk

Kurt E. Soderling

Alan Cohen

James Conroy

Andrew Nelson

Kurtis Bedford

John Charles Kohn

Mary Ellen Leonard

Rodney Hope

Kent Sparling

Blair Daily

Billy R. Brashier

John Giuliano

Aaron Hakeem

Louis Farah

Christine Dye

Peter Albiez

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.

Overview

Top Billed Cast

Social

A review by JPV852

Written by JPV852 on Mon Jul 20 2020

Media

Recommendations

Facts

Status

Original Language

Budget

Revenue

Keywords