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:

Ocean | Sphere | Scientist | Bottom Of The Ocean | Time Loop

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

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Brazil:16 | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | France:U | South Korea:12 | Philippines:PG-13 | Hungary: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:

"Basura", which is written in one container on the spacecraft, is Spanish for "trash".

Goofs:

Factual errors: In an atmosphere made of 98% helium and only 2% oxygen such a fire is impossible.

Quotes:

Harry: Follow the yellow brick road.

Movie Connections:

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

Soundtrack:

HORN CONCERTO NO. 3 IN E FLAT MAJOR, K.447

Holy Moly!

Best movie I have seen in a long time. I first saw `Sphere' on the big screen when it first came out and I have rented it a few times and then went out and bought it on VHS. A little bit of the story for you-Dustin Hoffman plays the part of a psychologist and thinks he is going to counsel the survivors of a plane wreck in the ocean. There is more to the situation than Hoffman knows. At the supposed crash sight Hoffman teams up with Sharon Stone and Samuel Jackson as part of a top team of scientists assembled in high-priority situations. While under water the team finds the unexpected and their worst fears become reality. This movie is perfectly intriguing and very well written. The twists and turns in the movie fit together like puzzle pieces that paint the best psychological thriller that I have seen. Hoffman is of course at his best and Stone and Jackson are right there beside him the whole way.