Sphere (1998)

Director:

Barry Levinson

Writers (WGA):

Michael Crichton (novel)
Kurt Wimmer (adaptation)

Release Date:

13 February 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

A thousand feet beneath the sea, the blackest holes are in the mind...

Plot:

A spaceship is discovered under three hundred years' worth of coral growth at the bottom of the ocean.

Plot Keywords:

U Boat | Bottom Of The Ocean | Underwater Sci Fi | Virtuality | Box Office Flop

Cast

Dustin Hoffman	...	Dr. Norman Goodman
Sharon Stone	...	Dr. Elizabeth 'Beth' Halperin
Samuel L. Jackson	...	Dr. Harry Adams
Peter Coyote	...	Captain Harold C. Barnes
Liev Schreiber	...	Dr. Ted Fielding
Queen Latifah	...	Alice 'Teeny' Fletcher
Marga Gómez	...	Jane Edmunds
Huey Lewis	...	Helicopter Pilot
Bernard Hocke	...	Seaman
James Pickens Jr.	...	O.S.S.A. Instructor
Michael Keys Hall	...	O.S.S.A. Official
Ralph Tabakin	...	O.S.S.A. Official

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action including some startling images.

Runtime:

134 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

South Korea:12 | France:U | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Philippines:PG-13 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Brazil:16 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:14A | Finland:K-12 | Germany:16 (w) | Mexico:B | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Mare Island Naval Yard, Vallejo, California, USA

Company:

Baltimore Pictures

Trivia:

Joseph Hahn, the DJ in rock band Linkin Park, designed the sea snake.

Goofs:

During the descent to the underwater habitat, Harry identifies the classical music inside the mini-sub as: "Mozart. Horn Concerto in E-Flat, K447.", which is not correct. It is Mozart's Horn Concerto in D, K412.

Quotes:

Norman Goodman: ['Jerry' types on the screen "I WILL KILL YOU!"] No Jerry don't do that.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Beneath the Surface: The Making of 'Sphere' (1998) (TV)

Soundtrack:

LOVE FOR SALE

Very good!!

Excellent! I went into the film thinking it would be bad, since that is what I had heard from someone before watching it.

However, I was pleasantly surprised at what a terrific film this actually was. The only downfall to the film, was Dustin Hoffman. With all due respect to one of the best actors ever, he just wasn't suited for this particular role. He was good in it, but just not the right person for the job.

The film begins with Dustin Hoffman flying over the Pacific Ocean in a helicopter, going to a Submarine investigating a plane crash. As a psychologist, he is impatiently waiting to speak to the survivors, and after having been on the sub for over 3 hours, is upset with the Capatain. However, the Captain informs him there was no plane crash, but rather an arrival of some sort not quite 300 years ago, under the Ocean.

Sharon Stone, Leive Shreiber and Samuael L. Jackson join Hoffman as apart of his team, to go beneath the surface to discover and determine what it is exactly that they have found under the Pacific.

With complete intensity and excitement non-stop throughout the entire film, it will leave you feeling a little disturbed at times, and perhaps a bit paranoid, also.

I would advice anyone who does not have a liking to intense sci-fi type films...this is not going to be your cup of tea, but for those enjoy good horror, intensity and a great story line, you will definitely enjoy this flick!