Sphere (1998)

12% of critics liked it
(50 reviews)
38% of users liked it
(56,488 ratings)

Barry Levinson directed this $100+ million adaptation of Michael Crichton's science fiction novel about the investigation of a half-mile-long spacecraft sitting on the South Pacific ocean floor. Government functionary Barnes (Peter Coyote) assembles a crack scientific team -- psychologist Dr. Norman… More Barry Levinson directed this $100+ million adaptation of Michael Crichton's science fiction novel about the investigation of a half-mile-long spacecraft sitting on the South Pacific ocean floor. Government functionary Barnes (Peter Coyote) assembles a crack scientific team -- psychologist Dr. Norman Goodman (Dustin Hoffman), who wrote a presidential report on alien contact; biochemist Beth Halperin (Sharon Stone), once involved romantically with Goodman; mathematician Harry Adams (Samuel L. Jackson); and astrophysicist Ted Fielding (Liev Schreiber). After descending a thousand feet, they set up housekeeping at their underwater Habitat base, suit up, and enter the craft, finding evidence that it's a U.S. ship from the future. However, the craft's cargo of a shimmering, golden sphere is definitely alien. After Harry contrives to enter the sphere, Norman notes his odd behavior. When the Habitat computer system receives an email message from the sphere ("I am happy"), it's not long before the messages from this entity take a threatening turn ("I will kill you all"), triggering fears to surface along with violent attacks to the Habitat. The film is divided into chapters, such as "The Ride Down," "The First Exchange," and "The Monster." Shot on soundstages at the abandoned Mare Island Naval Shipyard (Vallejo, California), the effects combine animation, miniatures, prosthetics, animatronics, and digital images. Ed Asner reads the Sphere audiobook. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 2 hr. 32 min.
Directed By: Barry Levinson
Written By: Kurt Wimmer, Stephen Hauser, Paul Attanasio
Genres: Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy

In Theaters: Feb 13, 1998 Wide
On DVD: Jul 14, 1998
Studio: Warner Home Video

Critic Reviews

Todd McCarthy, Variety
An empty shell.
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
The ending, though emotionally satisfying, collapses under scrutiny. This lack of payoff is a real flaw in a film pitched to a discriminating sci-fi mentality.
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail
Given its situational premise -- outer space goes underwater -- Sphere is filled with visual potential, yet Levinson can't tap it. He's just a whole lot more comfortable trying to tame the human software than the technical hardware.
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
As the umpteenth entrant in the We-Are-Not-Alone sweepstakes, Sphere feels awfully familiar because it is.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
The only excellence is in the acting, and even then the screenplay puts the characters through so many U-turns that dramatic momentum is impossible.
David Denby, New York Magazine
There are some things that humankind is just better off not knowing about.
Derek Adams, Time Out
Three major stars being involved, it all wraps up happily but implausibly.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
The central idea for Sphere is an intriguing one, but similar concepts have been much better executed on episodes of Star Trek, which makes one wonder why movie writing is allowed to be so bad.
Dragan Antulov, rec.arts.movies.reviews
Word 'pointless' is the one that should be attributed to this whole film, one of the worst to come from Hollywood in past decade and one that would test patience and temper of the audience like few others.
Carlo Cavagna, AboutFilm.com
Let's face facts: Michael Crichton is a hack. He comes up with innovative concepts, but his characters are cardboard cutouts. Given the psychological foundations of the story, that's an egregious flaw, and the ending is absurdly dissatisfying.
Eugene Novikov, Film Blather
If you want a better sci-fi film go see Dark City. A better Levinson movie? Try Wag the Dog.
Jeanne Aufmuth, Palo Alto Weekly
Packaged as a smart psychological drama, it gradually dissolves into a badly edited action thriller, albeit one obscured by a cast of top notch talent.
John R. McEwen, Film Quips Online
For a movie of a novel written by Michael Crichton with such a capable cast, Sphere is quite a disappointment.
Brandon Judell, Critics Inc./America Online
Sphere yearns to be a philosophical epic but it's final and only edict is so rudimentary as to barely exist: man is not yet 'ready' either intellectually or emotionally for the gifts E.T.'s are willing to share with us.
Margaret A. McGurk, Cincinnati Enquirer
You can't accuse the makers of Sphere of skimping on talent. If only they knew what to do with it.
Cathy Thompson-Georges, Boxoffice Magazine
Sphere is not trashy, or silly, or exploitative; a lot of talent has been used to good effect here. But in the final analysis, fine filmmaking cannot overcome mediocre material.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
A sci-fi thriller that presents a riveting and rounded anatomy of fear.
Karina Montgomery, Cinerina
We snuck guiltily into the almost-empty theatre, already prepared to hate it. But we were ill prepared, all the same...We have nothing to sphere but Sphere itself.

Read all 18 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Joe M

They seriously screwed up a great book.
Steven C

I am really confused as to why "Sphere" has the reputation it has. Sure, it's narrative can get clunky but the film has some intriguing ideas. Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone, Samuel L. Jackson, Liev Schreiber and Peter Coyote are all good here and the visuals and… More
I am really confused as to why "Sphere" has the reputation it has. Sure, it's narrative can get clunky but the film has some intriguing ideas. Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone, Samuel L. Jackson, Liev Schreiber and Peter Coyote are all good here and the visuals and atmosphere are essentially claustrophobic and creepy. "Sphere" is no where near grade-A filmmaking but it's consistently interesting and gripping. If you are looking for science-fiction pulp of higher caliber you really can't go wrong with "Sphere"... or maybe you can judging from the critics...
Mike S

Why does everyone bash this movie so much? Granted that I'm an incurable sci-fi addict, and therefore more forgiving, but this film hardly deserves the bad reputation it has. Yes, it has its flaws (especially in its last 30 min) and it can be a little slow sometimes, but the… More
Why does everyone bash this movie so much? Granted that I'm an incurable sci-fi addict, and therefore more forgiving, but this film hardly deserves the bad reputation it has. Yes, it has its flaws (especially in its last 30 min) and it can be a little slow sometimes, but the plotline is very intriguing and I love the cast. It's a bit like the movie <i>The Abyss</i>, except more dark and horror-toned. An overall decent sci-fi flick, that altough far from excellent, held my interest all the way through.
Cassandra M

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… More
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 good 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.
Sophie B

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.
Anthony L

An enjoyable sci-fi adventure that has its faults but is generally entertaining.
Drew S

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?"
Tsubaki S

I barely remember watching this snooze-fest. At least Sharon Stone still looked good in those days.
Candy R

Sci-fi movie with poor storyline. Good cast but wasted in this movie.
Dean !

A strange film but still highly enjoyable.
xGary X

Ponderous, verbose sci-fi that entertained me (or rather, I entertained myself) for as long as I was trying to figure out what was going on. There are some nice images and interestingly spooky ideas (such as the unfinished copies of Moby Dick) but the "explanation" is… More
Ponderous, verbose sci-fi that entertained me (or rather, I entertained myself) for as long as I was trying to figure out what was going on. There are some nice images and interestingly spooky ideas (such as the unfinished copies of Moby Dick) but the "explanation" is pathetic, and the ending a total anti-climax.
Emily A

This was a really interesting premise for a movie: how a wonderful gift can turn into a weapon in the hands of the unready. I just wish they had gotten to that point sooner, instead of wading through unnecesary backstory between Dustin Hoffman and Sharon Stone. Other than that, this… More
This was a really interesting premise for a movie: how a wonderful gift can turn into a weapon in the hands of the unready. I just wish they had gotten to that point sooner, instead of wading through unnecesary backstory between Dustin Hoffman and Sharon Stone. Other than that, this was a really good movie. Great cast and good effects. I liked the dialogue too.
Curtis L

This also only made three star because I like Sam Jackson's character, and hoffmans, and stone is hot.
Alec B

It does a terrible job establishing the 'rules' of the situation everyone is trapped in, so it never really feels like anyone is in actual danger until jellyfish suddenly kill Queen Latifah. On top of the bland script is an equally bland visual environment, it just feels… More
It does a terrible job establishing the 'rules' of the situation everyone is trapped in, so it never really feels like anyone is in actual danger until jellyfish suddenly kill Queen Latifah. On top of the bland script is an equally bland visual environment, it just feels like a missed opportunity on all fronts.
Curt C

Great cast. Attrocious everything else.
Chad R

Fairly average movie, as usual with most books turned into movies, so many plot points are left out and generally screw up the movie. May have thought it better if I hadn't read the book first.
shane h

The government brings together 4 people are with professional backgrounds to a location in the middle of the ocean heavily guarded by the armed forces. Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone, Samuel L Jackson and Liev Schreiber (Sabbertooth). Turns out that an alien craft was discovered on the… More
The government brings together 4 people are with professional backgrounds to a location in the middle of the ocean heavily guarded by the armed forces. Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone, Samuel L Jackson and Liev Schreiber (Sabbertooth). Turns out that an alien craft was discovered on the sea floor and the team is assembled to be the first recon crew because they are picking up activity from the ship. They find that they are not on an alien ship at all but a American space craft from the future. When their thoughts become reality they are forced to confront their own worst fears.
alan j

A great concept muddled by script..will leave you scratching your head by ending credits...definitely worth viewing but a missed opportunity to be a whole lot better!