Sphere . Newcity Chicago . 02-16-98

Sphere

DIRECTED BY: Barry Levinson

REVIEWED: 02-16-98

Of the many things that may be said about "Sphere," the Barry Levinson adaptation of a Michael Crichton potboiler, the first must be: This is the "Showgirls" of sci-fi. Psychologist Dustin Hoffman prepared a study for the Bush administration of what must be done if aliens were discovered on earth. A few years later, when an apparent alien craft is discovered beneath the Pacific Ocean, his study becomes a textbook for the secret government agency studying the vessel. Bring on a covey of his old friends -- mathematician Samuel L. Jackson, astrophysicist Liev Schreiber, biochemist, former patient, secret lover and attempted suicide Sharon Stone -- and before you can say, "Who wrote this shit anyway?", a thunderously scored, neurotic-aside-filled technothriller about the fears we all hold inside ourselves veers from bad suspense to not-bad comedy dialogue. If you've seen "Forbidden Planet," you've seen a better version of the same material -- ah, monsters from the id! If you've seen "Solaris," you've seen the mystic, art-house edition. There are moments of big, dumb fun, particularly in Hoffman's superb comic lines, but it's mostly a watch-watcher.

Full Length Reviews
Sphere
Sphere
Sphere
Sphere

Capsule Reviews
Sphere

Other Films by Barry Levinson
Disclosure
Liberty Heights
Sleepers
Wag the Dog

Film Vault Suggested Links
Deep Impact
The Postman
War of the Worlds

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