Sphere (1998)

This movie might as well be the most misunderstood one of the century.It is a well woven fantastic (the literary term) story. If you know what a fantastic story is, then you will appreciate this movie.(End of movie spoiler alert!) When you arrive at the end of the movie, you continue to ask yourself questions. Have they truly escaped the sphere or are they just caught in it perpetually? Were they really rescued or is that just what they desired and are still caught underwater?Most people do not seem to understand how great fantastic stories are. Half Light is also another good modern one.They do not make much of these because people seems to be just too dumb to understand or they prefer quick stories, with lots of explosions and killing or sex and drama, rather than a well woven story like Sphere or Half Light or literary art like La Venus D'Ylle or Axolotl.The acting in this movie is appropriate, there are rotten tomatoes there. The actors/resses do their job.This movie is an underdog and highly underrated due to people not understanding the story.

A largely disappointing thriller adapted from a book by Michael Crichton, which is both overlong and boring at times, although not totally without merit. The film starts off well with the initial underwater exploration of the alien craft, and the sphere itself, a most impressive creation. Sadly after this set-up, it seems that nobody really knew where to go, so instead it becomes standard run-of-the-mill fare with the members of the undersea station getting bumped off one by one (although the varied deaths, including jellyfish attack, fire, etc. are impressive and well-staged). The confusing storyline involves the alien sphere channelling people's unconscious thoughts and fears and bringing them to life, thus turning everybody on each other and killing themselves. It sounds more exciting than it is.The big budget is impressive, both in the underwater visuals and special effects, which are limited and kept to a minimum rather than over the top as per usual. The photography is interesting, the sets varied, and the action, when it occurs, is accompanied by an old-fashioned music score which adds to the excitement. Sadly, for the most part the film just sort of meanders on with not much occurring and nobody getting any closer to discovering the truth.Dustin Hoffman is good, as expected, as the lead, although his heart doesn't seem to be in it. Sharon Stone is merely adequate as the female crew member, sometimes embarrassing when she supposedly loses it. Samuel L. Jackson is once again excellent as the first crew member to go inside the sphere, who may or may not be a villain; his edgy turn is one of the film's highlights. Liev Schreiber is a pretty ineffectual although likable scientist who doesn't seem to figure much. Peter Coyote has a minor role as an official who gets trapped in a closing door and cut in two (like in DEEP STAR SIX). Rapper Queen Latifah is unnoticeable in a very minor bit part as a technician.There are some effective scares, like the arrival of the giant squid, plus the genuinely scary attacks by water snakes which lunge at the camera. Also some nice touches, like the book that Jackson reads that's blank after page 87 (probably the cleverest bit of the film). Sadly the long-expected ending is rushed and a disappointment, relying on that old, old cliché of a bomb timer ticking down as the participants rush to escape, and culminating in a huge explosion that looks nice but seems to be a weak way of tying up all the loose ends. Although SPHERE has its moments, it's undoubtedly a bad film, a flop that had people staying away from the cinema in droves. I would recommend it only to the most dedicated sci-fi fan who might get a few thrills from it and doesn't mind wasting a couple of hours in the process.

I found this film very tedious and boring. It lacks surprises. It is not a very good horror film, and a rather chaotic and poorly made science fiction film. Where are the good ideas? The can't be found. The story line has no real surprises, and have we not seen this before? Yes, we have. The great horror of Alien. It's very very similar. The settings are different, but where Alien was scary and groundbreaking, this attempt fails miserably.The film score are always very important in these kind of films. But the music sounds tame and outdated too. I guess the special effects are okay. It is strange that Dustin Hoffman wanted to be in this film. He is miscast along Sharon Stone. Don't bother with this one. Rent Alien one more time instead.

Initial Tableau: Dr Goodman is being escorted out to sea to aid distressed survivors of an airplane crash. On the way, he sees many naval vessels, which increases his curiosity. Then he is put into isolation, after which he meets old friends: Dr Halperin (biology), Dr Adams (mathematics), Dr Fielding (astrophysics). Along with Captain Barnes, they are taken to a facility 1000 feet below sea level.Delineation of Conflicts: The site the team is taken to was constructed to study a huge space ship discovered on the seafloor. The people in the team were chosen to match a report that Norman wrote some ten years before. Hence Beth, Harry, and Ted all blame Norman for anything that happens during their current predicament. In his report, Norman had chosen people he knew well for each position in this 'first alien contact' team. As the work progresses, Barnes has choice words for Norman as well. Besides the human interactions stemming from past choices, the team has to face the enigma within the space ship, and do their best to survive its considerable power.Resolution: Working through the puzzle is well worth the time.