"Sphere" is a sci-fi film directed by a man usually associated with relationship-oriented movies, based on a book by that "Jurassic Park" guy and starring a cast who have all excelled in more ambitious projects than this one. You can already hear the critics sharpening their knives.
Despite what anyone may say, Barry Levinson's ("Rain Man," "Wag the Dog") big screen adaptation of Michael Crichton's bestselling novel is both more exciting and more thought-provoking than its trailer may suggest and its loopy premise should allow. It is certainly not perfect, but for a film where Sharon Stone and Dustin Hoffman are supposed to be ex-lovers, it is more convincing than it has any right to be.
The film revolves around a team of professionals that are sent way, way below sea level to investigate what is believed to be a sunken alien spacecraft that has been there for 300 years. The crew includes a nerdy psychologist (Hoffman), a mathematician (Samuel L. Jackson), a babe (actually, a biochemist played by Stone), an astrophysicist (Liev Schriber), a butcher, a baker, a candlestick maker ... you get the idea.
The setup of the film is certainly not anything original. Not surprisingly, certain crew members have a history with each other, and the others do not really seem to get along very well. There is also a lot of technical mumbo-jumbo that does not really make much sense. In any case, the basic plot is still accessible, and audiences should not have too hard of a time figuring out what is happening.
The film really picks up once the scientists stumble upon a huge ball of liquidy gold goo in the sunken spacecraft that they casually refer to as "the sphere." Where this came from, why it is there and what it does is never really explained.
Certain curious crew members cannot resist the idea of walking into the sphere and, of course, all hell breaks loose. Alien presences start manifesting themselves in unusual and threatening ways, and our heroes are, understandably, scared silly.
From there on in, the film takes the form of one dangerous situation after another, and the audience is left trying to make connections between the sphere, the on-line alien "Jerry" that tortures the crew and the people on the ship themselves.
It is also safe to say that audiences should not get too attached to minor players in "Sphere" since their demises are inevitable and presented in such a manner that only increases their predictability. No surprise deaths in this film.
Given the obviousness of several plot points, it is admirable that the film still works extremely well on several levels. The thrills are genuine and well staged, and we are offered characters that are more intriguing than films of this genre typically offer. How many films can convincingly stage a therapy session between a human and an on-line alien?
This film is also about "big ideas", and, for a while at least, it allows those big ideas to enter onto the screen quite effectively. As the film progresses, it plays on the issues of trust, reality versus imagination and capacity for evil, and it handles these issues well. The audience starts to really begin to question what is going on and the film is strongest at these moments.
"Sphere" also functions as a strong example of how to use genre cliches to the best effect. Predictable moments are handled chillingly. Even if you do know what is going on at certain points where the film desires you to be unaware of those things, the movie is always exciting and interesting.
A large part of the credit should be given to the principle actors or "Sphere," most of whom bring a vitality to the movie that, if absent, would be seriously missed.
Jackson is terrific as always, and he adds much needed humor to the film at moments when the movie is in danger of collapsing under its own seriousness. Stone, a good actress who has had the misfortune of being in several bad movies, is done right by the script and is an especially sympathetic character.
Hoffman does not fare as well. His anti-action hero character may have been charming if he were not so self-involved and, at times, cruel. The movie seems unaware of what a jerk his character is at certain points, and Hoffman often comes across as smarmy and unlikable.
By the time Sphere draws to a close it begins to take itself a little too seriously. One of the characters begins sermonizing about the "big issues" previously mentioned in the final scene, and the film becomes a bit too preachy.
But "Sphere" has enough going for it to overcome these flaws and others. It is an interesting, fun, mostly well-acted sci-fi picture that delivers as many thrills as it promises. It may not be the most brilliant thriller ever, but it is a lot smarter than you probably think it is.
