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Title: Sphere (1998)
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| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Dustin Hoffman | ... | Norman | |
| Sharon Stone | ... | Beth | |
| Samuel L. Jackson | ... | Harry | |
| Peter Coyote | ... | Barnes | |
| Liev Schreiber | ... | Ted | |
| Queen Latifah | ... | Fletcher | |
 |
Marga Gómez | ... | Jane Edmunds |
| Huey Lewis | ... | Helicopter Pilot | |
| Bernard Hocke | ... | Seaman | |
| James Pickens Jr. | ... | O.S.S.A. Instructor | |
| Michael Keys Hall | ... | O.S.S.A. Official | |
|
|
Ralph Tabakin | ... | O.S.S.A. Official |
1000 feet below the ocean, navy divers discover an object half-a-mile long. A crack team of scientists are deployed to the site in Deepsea Habitats. What they find boggles the mind as they discover a perfect metal sphere. What is the secret behind the sphere? Will they survive the mysterious 'manifestations'? Who or what is creating these? They may never live to find out. Written by Michael Hofer <fbci4@escape.ca>
"Sphere" (1998) is about the discovery of a huge spacecraft at the bottom of the ocean and the humming, maybe living, 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 novel, "Sphere" intermixes elements of other scif-fi flicks, like "Forbidden Planet" (1956), "Solaris" (1972), "Alien" (1979) and "The Abyss" (1989). 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. The sea snake scene, for instance, is really weak, particularly the way Stone's character responds to the situation. It seemed more like a dream than reality and maybe that's what the director (Barry Levinson) was shooting for, a cross between reality and nightmare, but it comes across wrong. Lame parts like this destroy the illusion of the movie. As far as the ending goes, it features tricky material that's not easy to pull off and the movie's only half-successful with it. The fact that it's somewhat successful is largely due to having great actors. They pulled it off.
Despite the rushed vibe of parts of the second half, the theme is great. This isn't a slasher-film-in-space, like "Alien," but is more thought-provoking, which isn't to say it's as good. However, there are some harrowing and creative 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 1999 dollars) in the USA alone, which is hardly a clunker. The problem was that it cost twice that to make.
The film runs 132 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)?