Bernard Hocke, Dustin Hoffman, Huey Lewis

From yet another derivative science fiction novel by Michael Crichton comes this equally derivative and flaccid movie, in which three top Hollywood stars struggle to squeeze tension and excitement out...( read more  read more... ) of material that doesn't match their talents. You're supposed to find awe and mystery in Crichton's story about a team of scientists and scholars who discover a 300-year-old alien spacecraft deep on the ocean floor, but mostly you feel that this is all much ado about nothing. The exploration team consists of a psychologist (Dustin Hoffman), mathematician (Samuel L. Jackson), biochemist (Sharon Stone), and an astrophysicist (Liev Schreiber), and when they enter the alien ship they discover a mysterious sphere inside. What they don't know is that the sphere has the power to manipulate their thoughts and perceptions, and before long the scientists' undersea habitat is a veritable haunted house of frightening visions and creeping paranoia. Who can be trusted? What is the sphere's purpose, and why is it on the ocean floor? Sphere makes some attempt to answer these questions, but the film is a mess, and it leads to one of the most anticlimactic endings of any science fiction film ever made. There are moments of high intensity and psychological suspense, and the stellar cast works hard to boost the talky screenplay. But it's clear that this was a hurried production (Hoffman and director Barry Levinson made Wag the Dog during an extended production delay), and as a result Sphere looks and feels like a film that wasn't quite ready for the cameras. Though it's by no means a waste of time, it's undeniably disappointing. The special edition DVD includes audio commentary by Hoffman and Jackson and a behind-the-scenes featurette, Shaping the Sphere: The Art of the Special Effects Supervisor, exploring the alien ship's design and creation by special effects technicians. --Jeff Shannon

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40% liked it

51,411 ratings

PG-13, 152 min.

Directed by: Barry Levinson

Release Date: February 13, 1998

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DVD Release Date: July 14, 1998

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Flixster Reviews (2,047)


  • September 21, 2009
    An enjoyable sci-fi adventure that has its faults but is generally entertaining.
  • October 13, 2008
    Is it possible for something to be so derivative and lifeless that it actually becomes interesting by sheer force of "how the fuck did they manage this?"
  • July 31, 2008
    took me a couple viewings as a kid to understand wtf was going on
  • July 27, 2008
    I barely remember watching this snooze-fest. At least Sharon Stone still looked good in those days.
  • August 4, 2007
    Sci-fi movie with poor storyline. Good cast but wasted in this movie.
  • November 22, 2009
    psychological thriller starring Dustin Hoffman, Samuel L. Jackson, Sharon Stone, Liev Schreiber and Queen Latifah. based on the 1987 novel of the same name by Michael Crichton. directed by Barry Levinson.

    a psychologist (Hoffman), a biochemist (Stone), a mathematician (Jackson),...( read more) an astrophysicist (Schreiber) and others investigate a large golden sphere deep in the ocean.

    not exactly scary, but creepy in certain parts. pretty good sc-fi thriller.
  • November 16, 2009
    Awesome, excellent, intense... all of the above. Great story which in my opinion follows the plot of The Forbidden Planet ( a 1956, Leslie Neilsen sci-fi flic). Universally well done by cast and director
  • November 4, 2009
    Disappointing, considering the talent involved.
  • October 7, 2009
    The story was really good and very interesting with many twists and turns. The special effects were very good and mostly unrecognisable except for the jellyfish scene. A great cast who gave great performances. I especially loved the set which looked very realistic and believable.
  • October 3, 2009
    A psychological thriller that isn't gripping. It is, however, the sort of movie one might ponder as it goes along, and esp. towards the end when a final decision is made that has huge ramifications for the entire world.

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  • Donegal
    February 3, 2007
    If you like the story, you should read the book too!

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Sphere Trivia


  • Samuel L. Jackson is terrified of squids in this sci-fi thriller...  Answer »
  • He's the author whose books have been adapted into films such as "Jurassic Park", "Sphere", "Congo" and "Rising Sun". He also cowrote the screenplay for "Twister" and directed Sean Connery in "The Great Train Robbery".  Answer »
  • What's the link between Jurassic Park, Sphere, Congo,Disclosure, and Rising Sun?  Answer »
  • Which film is not based on a book/idea from Philip K. Dick  Answer »

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