Three major stars being involved, it all wraps up happily but implausibly.
Comment
06/24/06
Sphere (1998)
13
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:48
Fresh:6
Rotten:42
Average Rating:4/10
Consensus: Sphere features an A-level cast working with B-grade material, with a story seen previously in superior science-fiction films.
Runtime: 2 hrs 32 mins
Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy
Synopsis: When psychologist Norman Goodman (Dustin Hoffman) wrote a report for the government on how to deal with extraterrestrial life forces, he didn't expect his recommendations to be used. Now that a... [More]
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone, Samuel L. Jackson, Peter Coyote
Director: Barry Levinson
Reviews for Sphere
Top CriticDecent performances and an abundance of good ideas and effects but there is definitely a lack of pace to the dramatic tension and you may find yourself just not caring.
01/01/00
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01/01/00
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11/06/02
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01/01/00
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01/07/09
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01/01/00
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01/01/00
Sphere tries hard to be an intelligent genre piece, but a weak and convoluted storyline only leads to a disappointing experience.
01/01/00
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.
01/02/03
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.
08/12/03
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.
06/05/02
Sphere winds up just a load of balls.
01/01/00
This journey is a road to nowhere.
01/01/00
Director Barry Levinson still has his strong visual sense -- both the infinite water and ultimate confinement are effectively creepy -- but the story starts dragging about halfway through.
01/01/00
There are some things that humankind is just better off not knowing about.
01/01/00
It is an annoying and distracting movie, where the actors lose all of their prospect for existing, and the story loses all faith in the material and gives up just as it seems to begin.
01/01/00
A run-of-the-mill fantasy, competently produced but disappointingly familiar.
01/01/00
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.
02/02/04
Latest News for Sphere
November 05, 2008:
Michael Crichton Passes Away (1942-2008)
Best-selling author, screenwriter, and director Michael Crichton has passed away at the age of 66. The medical doctor-turned-filmmaker was best known for writing... More...
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