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IMDbPro

Sphere

  • 19981998
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 2h 14m
IMDb RATING
6.1/10
108K
YOUR RATING
Dustin Hoffman, Samuel L. Jackson, and Sharon Stone in Sphere (1998)
Home Video Trailer from Warner Home Video
Play trailer0:31
1 Video
62 Photos
ActionMysterySci-Fi
A spaceship is discovered under three hundred years' worth of coral growth at the bottom of the ocean.A spaceship is discovered under three hundred years' worth of coral growth at the bottom of the ocean.A spaceship is discovered under three hundred years' worth of coral growth at the bottom of the ocean.
IMDb RATING
6.1/10
108K
YOUR RATING
    • Barry Levinson
  • Writers
    • Michael Crichton(novel)
    • Kurt Wimmer(adaptation)
    • Stephen Hauser(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Dustin Hoffman
    • Sharon Stone
    • Samuel L. Jackson
    • Barry Levinson
  • Writers
    • Michael Crichton(novel)
    • Kurt Wimmer(adaptation)
    • Stephen Hauser(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Dustin Hoffman
    • Sharon Stone
    • Samuel L. Jackson
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 348User reviews
    • 97Critic reviews
    • 35Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos1

    Sphere
    Trailer 0:31
    Watch Sphere

    Photos62

    Dustin Hoffman, Samuel L. Jackson, and Sharon Stone in Sphere (1998)
    Dustin Hoffman and Sharon Stone in Sphere (1998)
    Samuel L. Jackson in Sphere (1998)
    Dustin Hoffman and Sharon Stone in Sphere (1998)
    Dustin Hoffman in Sphere (1998)
    Dustin Hoffman, Samuel L. Jackson, and Sharon Stone in Sphere (1998)
    Samuel L. Jackson in Sphere (1998)
    Dustin Hoffman in Sphere (1998)
    Dustin Hoffman and Sharon Stone in Sphere (1998)
    Sphere (1998)
    Sphere (1998)
    Joan Collins at an event for Sphere (1998)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Dustin Hoffman
    Dustin Hoffman
    • Norman
    Sharon Stone
    Sharon Stone
    • Beth
    Samuel L. Jackson
    Samuel L. Jackson
    • Harry
    Peter Coyote
    Peter Coyote
    • Barnes
    Liev Schreiber
    Liev Schreiber
    • Ted
    Queen Latifah
    Queen Latifah
    • Fletcher
    Marga Gómez
    • Jane Edmunds
    Huey Lewis
    Huey Lewis
    • Helicopter Pilot
    Bernard Hocke
    Bernard Hocke
    • Seaman
    James Pickens Jr.
    James Pickens Jr.
    • O.S.S.A. Instructor
    Michael Keys Hall
    Michael Keys Hall
    • O.S.S.A. Official
    Ralph Tabakin
    • O.S.S.A. Official
      • Barry Levinson
    • Writers
      • Michael Crichton(novel)
      • Kurt Wimmer(adaptation)
      • Stephen Hauser(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Many scenes, like Harry (Samuel L. Jackson) and Norman's (Dustin Hoffman's) conversation about making up the ULF report and dealing with Ted (Liev Schreiber), were completely improvised.
    • Goofs
      When Jerry first makes contact, he transmits in code : "MY NAME IS JERRY". Later, the code is revealed to have been mistranslated and the message reads: "MY NAME IS HARRY" If the letters H, E, J, and A in the simple letter/number substitution code were wrong, the first message would have read: "MY NEMA IS JERRY". Also, the entire series of conversations they had would have exhibited the same error, yet none did so. (HAPPY would have been JEPPY, ALL = ELL, etc.)
    • Quotes

      Dr. Harry Adams: We're all gonna die down here.

      Norman Goodman: What?

      Dr. Harry Adams: You see? It's curious. Ted did figure it out - time travel. And when we get back, we gonna tell everyone. How it's possible, how it's done, what the dangers are. But then why fifty years in the future when the spacecraft encounters a black hole does the computer call it an 'unknown entry event'? Why don't they know? If they don't know, that means we never told anyone. And if we never told anyone it means we never made it back. Hence we die down here. Just as a matter of deductive logic.

    • Crazy credits
      The opening credits are cast over an invisible sphere.
    • 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.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Blues Brothers 2000/Illtown/The Replacement Killers (1998)
    • Soundtracks
      Horn Concerto No. 3 in E Flat Major, K.447
      Written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

      Performed by Vienna Mozart Ensemble; Herbert Kraus, Conductor

      Courtesy of LaserLight Digital

      By arrangement with Source/Q

    User reviews348

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    Very good!!
    Excellent! I went into the film thinking it would be bad, since that is what I had heard from someone before watching it.

    However, I was pleasantly surprised at what a terrific film this actually was. The only downfall to the film, was Dustin Hoffman. With all due respect to one of the best actors ever, he just wasn't suited for this particular role. He was good in it, but just not the right person for the job.

    The film begins with Dustin Hoffman flying over the Pacific Ocean in a helicopter, going to a Submarine investigating a plane crash. As a psychologist, he is impatiently waiting to speak to the survivors, and after having been on the sub for over 3 hours, is upset with the Capatain. However, the Captain informs him there was no plane crash, but rather an arrival of some sort not quite 300 years ago, under the Ocean.

    Sharon Stone, Leive Shreiber and Samuael L. Jackson join Hoffman as apart of his team, to go beneath the surface to discover and determine what it is exactly that they have found under the Pacific.

    With complete intensity and excitement non-stop throughout the entire film, it will leave you feeling a little disturbed at times, and perhaps a bit paranoid, also.

    I would advice anyone who does not have a liking to intense sci-fi type films...this is not going to be your cup of tea, but for those enjoy good horror, intensity and a great story line, you will definitely enjoy this flick!
    helpful•65
    30
    • Pookyiscute
    • Nov 17, 2005

    FAQ4

    • How many chapters does the film have and what are their names?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 13, 1998 (United States)
      • United States
      • Warner Bros.
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Mare Island, Vallejo, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Warner Bros.
      • Baltimore Pictures
      • Constant c Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 2 hours 14 minutes
      • Color
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS

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