I can see why this movie didn't resonate with a lot of people because it's a bit "off" or peculiar, but personally that's why I enjoy it so much. The atmosphere is unsettling, everything that happens feels bizarre and fantastical, just as a dream before it turns into a nightmare. The way the characters manifested their fears and paranoia felt very real and relatable. I've re-watched this movie several time and I think the ending is perfect. Both the message of them sending the sphere away and the hilarious part where they're panicking in the mini-sub. That's exactly how nightmares work.

I've read the book twice and seen the movie at least 3 times and I still love it

I remember seeing the climax of this film for the first time, that ending that you say doesn't work, and exhultating at the idea. I got it straight away and allowed my mind to be as buggered as theirs was, I absorbed the concept of perception over reality and it didn't seem strange at all that they cut back and forth with the characters in different locations - it was just a perception change by one or more of the characters. That was the best part of the film for me, but then I actually loved this film and this is the first time we have ever disagreed on a film.

I like this film a lot... seen it around 10 times i guess. Great atmosphere and visuals. The music is awesome and the most redeeming aspect of this film!!!

Some parts are extremely well adapted from the book. I especially like the scene when the three are in the mini sub and "the power" has them running around the spacecraft. Seeing that made me wonder how much further the movie could have gone with this idea. The tension of who went into the sphere and who was manifesting thoughts is unfortunately lost.

~10:20 in defense of Dustin Hoffman and Sharon Stone, Dustin Hoffman had been acting for close to 40 years when "Sphere" came out, and Sharon Stone had been acting for close to 20 years. Most star actors have a period of 5 to 10 years where they are super hot commodities, if they're lucky, and both of them did way more than that. Hence, the reason why we know their names today. It's unrealistic to think your career as a star actor, especially for women in Hollywood, is going to keep going up, up, up and away.

No one mentions the music, its quite memorable

This movie should have had Robin Williams in Hoffman's role. He would have added alot

The problem I had with the film was just how derivative it was compared to the novel, which was the film plus so much more. An exciting story about humanity's supposed first meeting with alien life which then quickly devolves into a psychological thriller, then a psychological chess game between people with godlike powers. The film waters down the last two parts greatly much to the film's detriment.

This is actually my favorite movie. I've seen it well over 25 times but it seems I'm the only one who loves it. Something about the way its shot, the music and atmosphere I just love.

The book is a textbook example of how to hook a reader in and get them to read "just one more chapter" before stoping for the night.... i pretty much read the book in two sittings (only because I physically fell asleep from exhaustion from staying up too late or it wouldve been one sitting) the film was good, but didn't quite catch that sense of immersion and momentum.

I think I love this movie more than it deserves because how big of a fan I am of the book. My #1 book ever & it’s written by my favourite author.

It's just subjective to some extent. The spy kids 2001 have 93% on rotten tomatoes, so there's always that :) Loved the Sphere book and the movie. I watch it at least once a year, normal natural dialogue (it's not as low as 'The Last Jedi' jokes). I like the idea of the human mind being the main problem, not the aliens or external world. A mixture of practical with cgi makes this movie look good even today. No cheesy cgi effects. Elliot Goldenthal at his best. But then again, for some people: "Characters/Plot are boring, didn't care". Plenty of movies that I don't watch and other people love - like The Abyss (I almost fell asleep), but for most people it's a masterpiece :)

Michael Crichton... scientist explaining stuff... --> The Andromeda Strain (1971) !

I agree, I was 8 when this came out and saw it when I was 9, and I do remember liking it. I recently watched it when I went to a pawn shop and got a VHS copy...yes I still like watching video tapes and have a VCR. The movie has alot of issues, I wouldn't mind if they would remake it. As a kid my mind was just blown and trying to understand the meanings. As a 31 year old....I was disappointed but still enjoyed how the film looks, especially the sound. I grew up with claustrophobia, the captain getting cut in half always got me even to this day.

I'd recommend doing a review for _The Abyss_, or maybe even _The Shining_, that'd be interesting to hear y'all discuss those films.

I enjoy this movie, and have seen it at least three times, but there are a lot of questions unanswered. I get that the Sphere and even the spaceship might not be able to be explained. But even the characters' reactions to things are always just... off. Dustin Hoffman doesn't care that Queen Latifah is dying in considerable pain, Jackson cares not when the station is basically falling apart... I think they had them act like that so you would suspect and mistrust these people, just as their comrades do. But it ended up not making any sense, and all seems to be forgiven by these characters in the next scene. But the thing that really gets me is "Harry" being mistranslated or misdecoded as "Jerry." This would mean that J is actually H, and E is actually A. If that's the case, the opening communique from JerryNotReallyJerry should read, "Jallo. Jow ara you. I am fina. What is your nama? My nama is Jerry." The book probably explains and/or does it correctly, though.

The music was great and I really loved the atmosphere of this film. It translated perfectly from the book. It also starts off well like you said and does a good job at building tension, but then becomes very fuzzy as soon as the action commences. It's because the director didn't include the scenes were the characters consciously use their power and so the film came off as more vague rather than mysterious. Also, they didn't show the squid. The squid had some very memorable scenes in the book that helped create a lot of the intense and creepy moments. Had they used those scenes the movie would have been much better. I thought the actors played their parts well, but they were held back by a messy script. Harry didn't display a lot of emotion because that's how he was in the book. Keep in mind that through his genius logic he had predicted their deaths and accepted it immediately. It's a shame because this did have potential to be a great thriller. Sphere deserves a remake, but I don't think the book is popular enough for that to happen. I still like the movie, but I only recommend it to fans of the book, so they can see it at least once and judge for themselves.

Ok, please help . Samuel projected the giant squid. Dustin Hoffman killed the queen. Who’s fear/projection killed the astrophysicist and the other woman. Any theories?? I think it was Dustin’s Hoffman’s survivals guilt, which he talks about in the beginning of the film.

The book is awesome

I wish you guys would review The 13th Warrior!!!

Lmao "yeah he's shooting Jackie Brown on the weekends" 😂

I thought in Alien the black man was the last to die except for the alien. In sphere it was queen Latifah and it had to happen before she started singing. Thank you squid.😎

The movie suggests all kinds of weird things. The suggestion is that Hoffman murders Queen Latifah cause he was afraid of the jellyfishes and therefore that's why there are jellyfishes. It suggests that Hoffman manifested the squid because he is the one who gave the piece of squid to Samuel Jackson. (Hoffman's character is not big on black people apparently.) He also just sits there while Schrieber gets his face roasted off. Hoffman is like the secret ax murderer of this film.

I thought that Queen Latifah was gonna suck in this film, but she is the best.

nice review, iain i just noticed tekken 2 has just popped up online, you know you want to watch it

Appreciate the review! I have mixed feelings about this film, and I do think there was a much better version underneath what was represented on the screen. The concept reminded me of Forbidden Planet. Samuel Jackson’s character’s behavior throughout parts seemed very strange to me even for someone who is supposed to be a brilliant, detached, eccentric individual. I think the film would have benefited a lot from a script rewrite. Oddly enough I also think it would have been better off with a smaller budget, tighter run time, and with lesser known or unknown actors. Thanks!

I find it funny how many people are like, "Event Horizon sucks! Sphere does it better!" I enjoyed Event Horizon, enough to watch it multiple times and purchase the DVD, but I did not care for Sphere at all.

Oh wow - just noticed Talisman in the background, great board game if a bit too random.

This reminds me of the "Confidence & Paranoia" episode of Red Dwarf. "Is that a urine stain on your trousers, Mr Hoffman? "Nope, Sharon forgot to put her knickers on again. I caught a flash of the old minge, and creamed my pants."

I love this movie, but I think people who aren't into sci-fi, or stories that make them think, probably would not appreciate this movie that much. If you liked "Andromeda Strain" or other Michael Crichton movies/stories, you'd probably like this movie too.

Id love to hear your opinions on " Outbreak " 1995 , " 2010" ( sequel to 2001) NOT 2012 !! " Fire in the Sky " and " Communion ( with Christopher Walken. Maybe someday. Thanks guys , always fun to listen

The book is good too. After a while i realized oh i know this story! And i was not disapointed like so often with novel adaptions

.........are we all going to ignore how close there sitting?

I'm a big fan of the book. The thing I hated about the movie was its ending because, in the book, whether they actually chose to get rid of their powers is ambiguous. The book hints at them not forgetting their powers and leaves it up to the reader to decide. The film just removes that ambiguity entirely bc it doesnt hint at anything. It just tells you they forgot about everyrhing and doesn't show any evidence to the contrary for the viewer to interpret. Such a disappointment.

Yeah I originally thought this was going to be in the similar vein as 'The Abyss,' and was disappointed. As a book, its great. As a movie, its kinda entertaining but all over the map.

Right there with you guys on this movie. Being a huge fan of The Abyss, this film really fell short, it seem hollow and pretentious but also lost in its own story which made little sense. I got to see this in the theater. It had so much going for it Effects ☑️ amazing cast ☑️ great sets ☑️. But somehow the film just left you pretty empty and unfulfilled. It was a bummer. Now a modern film that I recently watched that had a great cast, interesting trailer, looked like good sets. Turned out to be my most hated movie of 2015-16 The Lazarus Effect. I FKN HATE THAT FILM! Such a wasted effort. Very similar to this or really worse. Great review.

You guys ever seen supernova

i liked this film . i just wished they went alot more into the history of the sphere.

It was called an unknown entry event because they never woke up. They all astoprojeted inside the sphere and it took off with their consciences inside of it. They are vegetables laying in a hospital somewhere.

An odd movie for me. The plot was OK, Jurassic Park underwater basically, but I felt almost every role here was mis-cast.

The book the space ship is from the future it’s human not alien

I actually enjoy this film. I know a lot of people dog on it.

It's not "empty," the characters are very consistent with the backstories provided You need to pay closer attention and stop comparing it to other movies. There's a reason that Harry keeps going to sleep, it's not hard to figure out why, but you're obviously not bright enough to figure it out. The fact that you keep referencing other movies really illuminates why you struggle to understand the film and character interactions in particular. 😂

I think you guys are right - I found it all a bit flat and lifeless.........having seen even Deep Star Six and Leviathan this felt dull.........get this - until your review I had forgotten that anyone had died in this movie! I even just thought there was hoffman and jackson by themselves in the movie!

See this is the problem with shallow minded people. Never able to entertain an idea as this one, no depth into mysterious events of the universe. Funny thing is that this is only fiction, now imagine how grotesque things could be in real life out there. Like with the theory of relativity, it existed even before we found it. This movie and concept were phenomenal. I don't understand how you could even frown on this movie. It's like people from the medieval times frowning on a modern ipod and calling it...what was it you said....'empty'.

Yes ..saw this in on big screen in 98 and it just left me ..flat....which is maybe THE worse thing a movie can invoke ..nothing.(like film muzak lol) ...looking back on this ..it seems like Sam Jackson basically used his character in this movie as a basis for Mace Windu just a yr later .in SW EP 1.at least in the first film (and most of the second one to)

Very very good movie :-)

+off the shelf reviews could u guys review slither

Yeah I read th ebook before seeing it, and I must admit the book was better, same with a lot of Micheal's books.

The setup was brilliant and thought provoking, but the remainder sucked. I don't understand how they can make a big budget movie and not have a solid script, shooting scenes ad-hoc.

This film feels like a Kubric film

Outbreak was better.

the African American female was Queen Latifa

This movie was God awful. Dustin Hoffman is a hack and I do not know why people think he's a good actor.

The book is pretty lame, too. Not one of Crichton's best.

Ads every 3 minutes. Come on guys, this channel used to be amazing.

The discussion they had to not remember anything really killed this film for me. Even the premise wasn't great but the enviroment keeps you interested. I would avoid it.

disappointing on repeated viewing. this was disappointing on first viewing. i love crichton's works, they're all great. even one of the worst reviewed movies from his books, 13th warrior (from eaters of the dead) was amazing compared to this book to film failure. even congo, which was bad compared to the book was better than sphere. this was a very dull translation. and one of the reasons you mentioned, the the trying to cram a bunch of information in a small chunk, and failing, and moving on. they also missed/changed some of the most intriguing events, like beth making the airlock accident happen, the code for communicating, etc.