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Amazon.co.uk Review
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 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. --Jeff Shannon
Product Description
Warner, Bros., Region 2 PAL 1998 134 mins
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Clever film,
By
This review is from: Sphere [DVD] [1998] (DVD)
Although their have been mixed reviews, I can honestly say that this is a really enjoyable film. People seem to forget that this is hollywood, and the film isn't supposed to be broken down into little chunks and analysed.
If your looking for a well acted, and entertaining horror, then this is perfect. But lets get one thing straight - this film is a 12, and therefore there are no 'gorey' scenes. This more of a phycological horror, as you will find out when you watch the film. In brief, the small crew of an underwater base are left without contact to the water surface due to bad weather. Upon discovering what appears to be an old spacecraft on the ocean floor, they look inside to find an odd sphere. The rest? Well that would be telling! The plot is great and the film keeps getting better as it goes an, and really proves you don't need lots of violence and gore to create a good horror film - such parts in this film being when a crew member gets killed by deadly jelly fish. I know, it sounds stupid, but when you watch it, it really does set your heart racing. As for the script, I can't see any problems, although some reviewers felt the need to, again, analyze it and rip it apart as soon as something doesnt sound right. But its just right - not too many jokes, and taken seriously. Sharon Stone puts on a strong performance, and Dustin Hoffman follows. I've given this 8/10, as its all round a good film. The star performer is Samuel L Jackson, who is brilliant. The special effects are nice as well, and if you DON'T take the ending too seriously, you'll see what a good film it is.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best Micheal Crichton adaptations I've seen,
By
This review is from: Sphere [DVD] [1998] (DVD)
As an author who's penned a number of childrens' books around submarines, and a great fan of Micheal Crichton, I rushed to see this film when it first came out and was not disappointed.
For once, the filmakers have stuck pretty much to Crichton's novel (perhaps at the expense of having to cram in too many detailed conversations explaining different aspects of the plot?)which does give the film a momentum that carries it through to the climax. The performances from the three principal actors are excellent, particularly as their attitudes change in the cramped conditions of the underwater habitat - from indifference, through antagonism, to paranoia and finally to the realisation that they need each other to survive. The identify of the "alien" and its chilling computer message "I WILL KILL YOU ALL" is a very clever plot twist and the special effects are excellent. The last few minutes of the movie and the final scene are about the best in the film. One of the best film adaptations of a Crichton book that I've seen and well worth a visit.
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
I WILL KILL YOU ALL,
By
This review is from: Sphere [DVD] [1998] (DVD)
Wow. Never has a film that I've really, really liked generated so much negative critisism. Some of the critisism is justified - the film is completely all over the place, the script and dialogue coming across like they were written on the fly - but the moments that I love about this film totally outweigh any problems I would have had with it otherwise.First of all, the atmosphere is intoxicating. The sets are realistic, cramped and futuristic, accompanied by Elliot Goldenthall's often slow moving, brassy score. I love his music. The cast all do a brilliant job of creating actual "characters" by improvising some lines. I have heard the critisism that there is too much talking in this film. TOO MANY CONVERSATIONS. It's opinions like these that make filmmakers produce such masterpeices as Alien Vs. Predator and Resident Evil. Let's have all expository dialogue and no actual pondering or drama - the audiences will love that! This film rips off pretty much every SF cliche. Everything from Alien to Contact and back again is pilfered from, and some moments are a little hard to believe, the motivations of characters unclear. But you need to think to enjoy the film, and it does need you to use your imagination. I didn't care that the giant squid is never shown (unlike it is in the book where it has a full-on battle with a crewmember), and I don't care that there aren't any little green men in it. I love the performances (especially when they start to distrust one another) and the atmosphere and every time I see it I see something new.
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