Sphere

Sphere (1998)

Image From IMDB

I always loved the fact that Dustin Hoffman’s character Norman basically made up the protocol for first contact because the Government offered him a decent pay-check. That his paper is now their bible, and is fully enforced when they discover an alien ship at the bottom of the ocean. They call upon the crack team he recommended thinking them to be the exact right people for the job, when really, Norman just kind of thought it sounded cool.

As a central concept I love that part, but it’s also a good representation of the film. There’s a lot of decent ideas in Sphere, and the first half of the movie plays well, but when you reach the point where they’re just starting to make shit up, well, things fall apart.

Sphere is about a team of scientists sent to the bottom of the ocean to investigate a crashed alien ship. We soon discover the ship isn’t alien, but is in fact an American ship from the future. What isn’t made in America however is the giant mysterious Sphere in the cargo hold which they theorise has to be linked to the time displacement of the ship, the unknown event logged on the ships computer, and the dead crew.

It’s a great setup, and an intriguing one when underwater Hal––aka Jerry––starts acting like an unattended child having been bored out of his computer mind on the futuristic craft for the last three-hundred years. But, for all the good parts, the film feels like it doesn’t quite come together at times. I think the main issue as far as I can tell, is the audience is ahead of what are suppose to be extremely clever characters for the entire movie, therefore making them, and their decisions, seem dumb.

We know that Norman went into the Sphere because we were shown it. We know the events taking place are linked to Harry because the camera goes to him every time. Yet, for almost two hours, the characters in the movie know none of this. It frustrating, as there’s a decent movie in there, but they’re always reacting to stuff we already know. They’re figuring out a scene we’ve already easily put together because we’ve been shown it. Sharon Stone’s Beth becomes intolerable by the end because we literally know every single thing she is doing is wrong, rather than wanting her to succeed. It’s kind of infuriating!

Also, as a side note, that finale gave me Red Dwarf ‘Back to Reality’ vibes, which didn’t help me take the suspense seriously.

With that little rant out the way, the movie is ok. I’ve watched it a few times now and it’s always decent, but with a little more time in the editing room it could have been much better. The underwater sets are absolutely amazing, and the mixture of practical and CGI sea creatures looks great. There’s plenty to enjoy, but equal amounts to be frustrated with. Sphere is one of those movies were after watching the first hour you think its better than you remember, and then you start to see why it’s not.