Sphere [Region 2] | ![Sphere [Region 2]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51K4NB15MEL._SL500_.jpg)
| Director: Barry Levinson
Actors: Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone, Samuel L. Jackson, Peter Coyote, Liev Schreiber
Category: DVD
Buy Used: $49.98
as of 3/21/2010 15:30 EDT details
Seller: mepaper
Rating:  182 reviews
Format: Anamorphic, Full Screen, NTSC
Languages: French (Original Language), English (Original Language), Italian (Original Language), French (Subtitled), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), Portuguese (Subtitled), Italian (Subtitled), Arabic (Subtitled), Dutch (Subtitled), American Sign Language (Subtitled)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region: 2
Discs: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Running Time: 134 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
EAN: 7321950153312
ASIN: B00004VYND
Theatrical Release Date: February 13, 1998
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
From yet another derivative science fiction novel by Michael Crichton comes this equally derivative and flaccid movie, in which three top Hollywood stars struggle to squeeze tension and excitement out of material that doesn't match their talents. You're supposed to find awe and mystery in Crichton's story about a team of scientists and scholars who discover a 300-year-old alien spacecraft deep on the ocean floor, but mostly you feel that this is all much ado about nothing. The exploration team consists of a psychologist (Dustin Hoffman), mathematician (Samuel L. Jackson), biochemist (Sharon Stone), and an astrophysicist (Liev Schreiber), and when they enter the alien ship they discover a mysterious sphere inside. What they don't know is that the sphere has the power to manipulate their thoughts and perceptions, and before long the scientists' undersea habitat is a veritable haunted house of frightening visions and creeping paranoia. Who can be trusted? What is the sphere's purpose, and why is it on the ocean floor? Sphere makes some attempt to answer these questions, but the film is a mess, and it leads to one of the most anticlimactic endings of any science fiction film ever made. There are moments of high intensity and psychological suspense, and the stellar cast works hard to boost the talky screenplay. But it's clear that this was a hurried production (Hoffman and director Barry Levinson made Wag the Dog during an extended production delay), and as a result Sphere looks and feels like a film that wasn't quite ready for the cameras. Though it's by no means a waste of time, it's undeniably disappointing. The special edition DVD includes audio commentary by Hoffman and Jackson and a behind-the-scenes featurette, Shaping the Sphere: The Art of the Special Effects Supervisor, exploring the alien ship's design and creation by special effects technicians. --Jeff Shannon
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 182
 An interesting movie from an interested viewer January 21, 2010
Samuel Robles (San Antonio, Tx)
**take this in mind before viewing***
most of the reviews written are biased and can't be taken seriously. Does no one want to just take a movie by face value anymore?
Everyone has commentary on its content, how it was done, the ending, the action and fx during the crucial points.
This is how you need to watch this movie:
Go into it as you would view things when you are a child!! Don't expect anything except to have a good story told. Its in this way that you get a really great story from the movie.
I feel that when people say the ending is crap, well, they have a skewed sense of things. Thats basically been the same ending for the past 70 yrs from the original of the original books. Does everyone need a "kick in the face" type of ending. BAD GUY LOSES, GOOD GUY WINS. YESSSS!!!!!!!
I find it hilarious that people can't stand it if no one wins or the good guy dies or EVERYONE dies or if there is just the mystery left.
Does anything in life end so definitively??? the answer is mostly no, so in that case, why would movies always have to end with a definite conclusion!?
Just accept that the stars do a GREAT job interacting, don't be so harsh and judge the movie off of what seems to an INCREDIBLY narrow-minded perspective of action/sci-fi/fiction movies.
When you open up your imagination, stop caring about fx and needing an evil vs. good super ending of battle to the death with a definitive ending, thats when you realize this is an amazing movie.
it is a mystery movie, plain and simple, and if you can't handle mysteries, this is not a movie for you.
 Sphere is FEAR! January 20, 2010
Carol Arganda (Concord, CA USA)
Are you ever bothered when a person does not answer a question you ask? How about if they don't even acknowledge your existence like your presence is void? This feeling of which I meditate upon is exhibited by Dustin Hoffman's character in "Sphere" perfectly after his crew mates start going into "The Sphere" one after another. To truly enjoy this film, put yourself in the shoes of Dustin Hoffman, who is accompanied by other researchers but who is essentially alone once his compatriots are mentally transformed into simpler humans. The one crew member who has these effects down to a T is Samuel L. Jackson whose transformation is drastic from the well-mannered scientist to the overly happy crew member who almost becomes more of a liability than an asset to the crew. All the while monsters are aloof, striking at the crew in various awful ways. And if that's not great enough, just the idea of Queen Latiffa being killed by sea monsters just makes my funny bone tingle, hilarious. I say see this film, it is an enjoyable watch and certainly an eyebrow-raiser of the scientific sorts.
P.S.- Did anyone else really want to read 20,000 Leagues under the sea really badly after watching this film?
Sphere Blu-ray January 8, 2010
Mark E. Zellmer (Lucerne Valley, CA USA)
Typical of old movies transferred to blu-ray, nothing better than DVD; I would say not to waste your money but I've noticed that some of the blu-ray versions are actually cheaper now than the DVD.
Very Entertaining! September 16, 2009
jmax479
This is a good movie, with a very good cast. I have seen this movie many times and I still enjoy it.
It raises the question, "What would humanity do with the ultimate power?"
The power to make all their dreams come true!!! I think that's obvious!!
Watch the movie, and see what you think!!
 The only movie I've ever walked out of... August 1, 2009
DMA (Dallas, TX United States)
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
When this movie came out, several of my friends and I were anxious to see it. Big-name stars, lavish special effects, a Michael Crichton story...how could it possibly suck?
An hour into the movie, we all exchanged bored, please-God-make-it-stop glances, and in unison, we got up and left for the blessed relief of daylight. I never read the book, but a co-worker of mine says it was boring, too, which might account for the movie's meandering, non-sensical plot. I'm a big sci-fi fan with a pretty high tolerance for convoluted, hold-on-we're-getting-there storylines, but even I have my limits...what was the point? The dialogue was inane...I agree with the Amazon reviewer: everything felt rushed, like they filmed the rehearsals -- overly wordy lines, haltingly delivered, lacking any conviction or genuine emotion. To be fair, I didn't see the ending, so I can't really say it was the worst sci-fi movie I've ever seen. I will say it was the worst sci-fi movie I couldn't finish.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 182
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