Sphere (1998)

My Review

“Sphere” is a science fiction film about a spacecraft discovered on the floor of the Pacific Ocean which is assumed to be of alien origin. The scientists and government experts sent to investigate soon find out there is more than meets the eye. Director Barry Levinson (“Rain Man” 1988) put together a mediocre scifi movie which has a complete lack of suspense with virtually no action or adventure. The all-star cast assembled seems to have no choice but to recite sophomoric lines from the terrible screenplay by Stephen Hauser and Paul Attanasio. It is based on the 1987 novel by Michael Crichton.

The cast includes Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone, Samuel L. Jackson, Peter Coyote, Liev Schreiber, Queen Latifah, Huey Lewis, and James Pickens Jr. The unwatchable “Sphere” was a box office bomb for producers Barry Levinson and Michael Crichton, Baltimore Pictures, and Warner Bros. Pictures. It was nominated for three Golden Raspberry Awards: Worst Actress (Stone), Worst Director, and Worst Screen Couple (Hoffman and Stone). It was filmed at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, California.