What is everyone's take on the 1998 sci-fi film "Sphere"? It's got a stellar cast including Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone and Samuel L. Jackson, was directed by Barry Levinson, and was based on a novel by Michael Crichton.
Yet despite that pedigree, the movie bombed at the box office and received mostly negative reviews from critics. All in all, does anybody think that it pales in comparison to the book?
Posted by Crash (Member # 7484) on :
Barry Levinson has no idea how to direct a big sci-fi film. I thought that this one, despite the great cast, was really dull and forgettable.
Posted by Kash (Member # 297) on :
I actually liked it a lot and watch it every now and then. The ending is a bit of a cop out, but overall, a tense and suspenseful movie.
Posted by Valley (Member # 1322) on :
"Sphere" is was a creepy cool film right up until the horrible ending. What's the deal with these underwater films? I actually feel the same way about "The Abyss".. of course, they they actually changed/cut the ending of that one before we ever saw it.
Posted by Spreadking (Member # 7280) on :
I saw this once. One of the rare films I gave a 1/10.
Posted by kingkujoe (Member # 12017) on :
I actually like The Sphere, never read the book to do an accurate comparison of the two but I can give my opinion of the movie. It did stand to have some pacing issues and suffered from a time paradox but the truly interesting part was the take on the human psyche and what people are capable of with unimaginable power.
Posted by ViennaRage (Member # 13710) on :
Ordinarily, I'm not huge on Sci-fi books, but I did read Sphere and enjoyed it thoroughly. I remember loving the movie when I first saw it in theaters, but then I didn't see it again until actually quite recently (on blu-ray). I still find it enjoyable--primarily due to the stellar cast--but it's quite flawed and is pretty muddled. Because I remember the book, I get more out of the movie, but the narrative and direction of the adaptation is just kind of unfocused and all over the place. Still, I don't regret buying it and again I enjoy it.
[ 03. October 2012, 06:30: Message edited by: ViennaRage ]
Posted by ViennaRage (Member # 13710) on :
quote:Originally posted by Valley: "Sphere" is was a creepy cool film right up until the horrible ending. What's the deal with these underwater films? I actually feel the same way about "The Abyss".. of course, they they actually changed/cut the ending of that one before we ever saw it.
I agree. Honestly, I actually prefer the theatrical ending to the extended cut version. The latter was so blatantly preachy, it was as if the fictional story stopped and the film makers, by way of the underwater "beings," turned to the camera and began an overly long, awkward rant...the movie itself I love though.
Posted by 80'sRocked (Member # 6979) on :
One of my faves from the 90s as it is sci-fi....had way more potential though. I wasn't thrilled with the direction that the storyline took. Ending needed work as well.
Posted by Pyro (Member # 7658) on :
Didn't really care for this movie at all. Very poorly written movie, and even worse directing. Even though I like the actors in this film in general, I feel this movie could have been slightly better with a younger cast.
