Sphere (1998)

A spaceship is discovered under three hundred years' worth of coral growth at the bottom of the ocean.

Director:

Barry Levinson

Writers:

Michael Crichton (novel), Kurt Wimmer (adaptation)

Stars:

Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone, Samuel L. Jackson

3 nominations.

Cast

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

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

imagination | bottom of the ocean | hallucination | biologist | marine biologist | 

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Taglines:

A Barry Levinson film

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Genres:

Action | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action including some startling images

Did You Know?

Trivia

Barry Levinson's previous Michael Crichton adaptation was Disclosure (1994), which starred Michael Douglas. Douglas and Sharon Stone appeared together in Basic Instinct (1992). That film's interrogation scene helped Wayne Knight land the role of Nedry in Jurassic Park (1993).

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Goofs

(at around 31 mins) When Beth is accessing the Spacecraft's computer "Unknown Entry Event" is readable when reflected off her helmet, it should be mirrored.

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Quotes

Interviewer: I see you have a scar on your neck.
Beth: Car accident.
Interviewer: Were you drinking?
Beth: Yeah - but I wasn't driving.

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Crazy Credits

The opening credits are cast over an invisible sphere.

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Alternate Versions

SPOILER ALERT: An alternate television edit has been shown with a simplified and more ambiguous ending that follows the shooting script; Harry warns them that the authorities are on their way to debrief them, and they will demand answers. The three survivors ready themselves to forget about their mission and the power they possess. Outside, a helicopter sets down. Subsequently, we see the three survivors being interviewed in a debriefing room after decompression, each shot individually against the same background. They react as if they're oblivious to anything going wrong in the Habitat, unaware of anything that happened to Ted, Barnes or the Sphere. The helicopter leaves, and the camera pans down to the ocean, where the Sphere supposedly still remains.

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Connections

Referenced in At the Movies: Palmetto/Senseless/Dangerous Beauty/Mrs. Dalloway/Nil by Mouth/Live Flesh (1998)

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Soundtracks

Don't Get Around Much Anymore
Written by Duke Ellington and Bob Russell
Performed by The Ink Spots
Courtesy of MCA Records
Under license from Universal Music Special Markets

User Reviews

First half is really good – but quickly becomes a load of `spheres'!

When the military discover what they believe to be a spaceship at the bottom of the ocean they bring in Dr Norman Goodman who had once written a report on the protocol for an alien encounter. His report had named a team of experts – this team is also assembled. The team descend to the craft and begin to find some astonishing things about the craft. However when they find a huge golden sphere they begin to experience problems. Problems that become worse when a storm traps them at the bottom of the ocean.

With a cast like this – you gotta have high hopes. With a director and a writer to match you deserve something fantastic! And for the most part this delivers. The build up is dark, mysterious and exciting. However once the sphere is found it goes downhill. It still has some really good moments – the jellyfish bit is scary and other actions bits are cool. But it gets all muddled up in what the sphere is and who is doing what on the base. It almost manages to hold together until the final half hour then it all just collapses like a flan in a cupboard! It's a shame because for the most part it felt like it was building to something much better, but no.

The cast promised much but didn't deliver. Jackson was great, but I don't think he can be bad – even in a bad movie. Hoffman stutters around like he doesn't know what he's doing. I know he's meant to be playing a character that isn't used to heroics, but he doesn't bring anything. Stone is OK but at times looks like she reading her lines off a board. Coyote is OK and Schreiber is understated by his own hammy standards. It's also cool to see Queen Latifah in a role.

Overall this is worth watching as for the majority it's real good. However you notice that the film has got 30 minutes left to go – make your excuses and leave, by then you've seen the best it has to offer.

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros.

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 February 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sphere

Filming Locations:

San Francisco, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$80,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$14,433,957, 15 February 1998

Gross USA:

$37,020,277

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$37,020,277

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Baltimore Pictures, Constant c Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

134 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1