Sphere

Summary

“Anybody else wondering who the hell opened that door?”’ 

Directed by Barry Levinson, Sphere is a 1998 science fiction film based on a 1987 novel by Michael Crichton. The screenplay was written by Stephen Hauser and Paul Annatasio from an adaptation by Kurt Wimmer. The picture was made for $73 million, and was a critical and commercial failure with roughly $73 million at the worldwide box office. I remember seeing it theatrically at age thirteen, because I loved Michael Crichton and all the elements were seemingly there for a successful picture. Like the critics, I was disappointed with the picture at that time. With more than a quarter century having passed, and considering my continued affection for the works of Michael Crichton, I was willing to revisit the film to see if it would appeal to me as an adult. Warner has given the VC-1 encoded 2009 Blu-ray a re-release for those who originally missed it.

Psychologist Norman (Dustin Hoffman) has been brought to the middle of the Pacific Ocean for what he believes is work revolving around a plane crash. Arriving onsite via helicopter, he is shocked to see a number of large aircraft carriers gathered. Onboard a carrier, Norman bumps into astrophysicist Ted (Liev Schriber) and his former lover and biochemist Beth (Sharon Stone.) Barnes (Peter Coyote) informs Norman that there is no plane crash and that there is a spaceship that they have found under about eight yards of coral. Based on the slow growth of coral, that means that this spacecraft crashed in 1788. They have also brought mathematician Harry (Samuel L Johnson) onboard. There is a low level hum coming from the ship. This is a chance for humans to make contact with extraterrestrial life. The reason they have assembled this exact crew was a paper that Norman had written for the government a few years earlier in case a situation like this arose. That paper had become the official protocol. A submarine will take them to the ship. They will use diving suits to maintain their pressure. After arriving at the base that has been set up outside the ship, they enter the alien spacecraft through an airlock and begin their exploration. They are surprised when the door to the spaceship opens as they approach. Inside, they see shoe marks as if someone had been there before. Things become even stranger. The ship seems to be American in origin. And possibly from the future. There is also a mathematically perfect sphere in the middle of the craft that holds an allure for all those who look at it.

When I was younger I watched the movie Sphere, and I remember being disappointed. As an adult, that sense of disappointment still remains. I can admire the picture for attempting to create something totally original and different, but the film simply lacks something. The plot starts out promising, delivering an interesting premise and a good amount of mystery, but after the picture reaches the middle point and delivers a jellyfish attack sequence (yes…. you read that correctly,) it feels like the film quickly loses steam. The ending of the picture in particular is laughably bad. I think Samuel L. Jackson and Peter Coyote are both pretty great in their roles, but Sharon Stone is stilted and off kilter, and Dustin Hoffman is not only miscast, it feels like he is sleepwalking through his performance. Barry Levinson is a talented director and had directed Hoffman capably in both Rain Man (for which Hoffman won an Oscar) and Wag the Dog (for which Hoffman was nominated for an Oscar,) but this film does not show off Levinson’s capabilities with actors. It is almost like the cast gradually realized that despite the large budget and solid production design, this film wasn’t going to work. 

To avoid being overly critical, here are the elements that worked in the film for me. I feel like the cinematography by Adam Greenberg was pretty good and highlighted the production design well. The film also delivered a few decent jump scares that felt well orchestrated. The score by Elliot Goldenthal was also well composed if not overly memorable. The first half of the film is much more interesting and thought provoking than the weaker second half.

Overall – Sphere feels like a tremendous amount of work to create something underwhelming. Despite some interesting concepts and all the talent needed to make something special, Sphere fails to deliver on the promising first half of the picture. The finale truly strikes a final nail into the coffin for me.

Video

Presented in 2.40:1 aspect ratio in 1080p with a dated VC-1 encode, Sphere definitely shows its age. This is simply a reprint of the disc from 2009, and even at that time this transfer was somewhat disappointing. That said, I would be shocked to see this film get much more attention in the future, so this might be the best physical release that it will receive. The cinematography by Elliot Goldenthal does well at highlighting the production design, but this encode doesn’t quite let the film pop.

Audio

While somewhat dated compared to DTS-HD MA or Atmos tracks, the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track is totally serviceable. I did not have any big issues with this presentation, even if it could be improved upon.

Supplements:

Commentary by Dustin Hoffman and Samuel L. Jackson

Shaping the Sphere: Art of the Special Effects Supervisor

Theatrical Trailer

Three TV Spots

Overall Scores:

Video – 3/5

Audio – 3.75/5

Supplements – 3/5

Overall – 3/5

Sphere was released when I was thirteen years old. I was extremely excited to see. Psychological sci-fi thriller by Michael Crichton. I left the theater completely bewildered and disappointed. I had hoped that time would have changed those sentiments and revisited the picture. Sphere has not become better with age. Despite marquee names, an interesting premise, and great production design, Sphere completely falls apart by the time the final reel rolls. The finale is actually worse than I remembered. Warner has reissued their 2009 Blu-ray Disc that has a serviceable but somewhat disappointing VC-1 transfer. Fans of the film will be glad to be able to buy the Blu-ray at an affordable price, but I would not recommend checking out this picture.

The film can be purchased at www.moviezyng.com.