Michael Crichtonis one of the few authorswho’s consistently seen his work adapted to the big screen. Sometimes, the results are great;Jurassic Parkgave birth to a long-running movie franchise(with the latest installment,Jurassic World: Rebirth, slated to debut later this year). Sometimes, they aren’t: despite having the considerable talents ofRichard Donner,Timelineturned out to be a major flop. But one adaptation has flown under the radar:Sphere.
Based on Crichton’s 1987 novel,Spherefollows a group of scientists — Norman Goodman (Dustin Hoffman), Harry Adams (Samuel L. Jackson), Beth Halperin (Sharon Stone) and Ted Fielding (Liev Schrieber) — who discover a massive spacecraftt containing a shimmering golden sphere that resides at the bottom of the ocean. But as they investigate the spacecraft,they’re drawn into a web of tragedy and madness,and directorBarry Levinsoncrafted a compelling thriller that captured the essence of Crichton’s novel.
‘Sphere’ Keeps Its Protagonists – and the Audience – Guessing
From the minute the scientists descend into the deep,Spherestartsthrowing a multitude of twists at the viewer.The aircraft that the scientists visit isn’t actually alien in nature, but rather, it comes from the future. The sphere itself begins togrant psychic powers to the people who enter it, which results in their subconscious throwing all kinds of threats at their companions. When Harry enters the sphere, his deep-ridden fears give birth to colossal forms of sealife, including a giant squid that nearly wrecks the habitat the scientists are residing in. But the creepiest part comes when the sphereexhibits a form of artificial intelligence,which calls itself “Jerry.” Jerry seems to be benevolent at first, but Goodman puts forward a chilling question: “What happens if Jerry gets mad?” Out of any other actor’s mouth, it would sound ridiculous, but Hoffman delivers it with the perfect amount of gravity.
In fact,Spherewouldn’t have been able to sell its twisty mysterywithout the involvement of Hoffman, Stone, and Jackson. All three actors perfectly capture the curiosity of a scientist in their respective performances, but also the paranoia that comes with being at the bottom of the sea, inches away from a mysterious piece of technology that they don’t know anything about. This is especially prominent in the scene with the aforementioned giant squid:when Beth first encounters the squid, Stone’s performance shifts from curiosity to terror, punctuated byElliot Goldenthal’s rising score. What really makes this scene terrifying is that the squid isn’t completely seen. The protagonists, as well as the audience, only get brief glimpses of the beast. There’s even a hint of Harry’s budding psychic powers, as he’s reading20,000 Leagues Under the SeabyJules Verne, a book that also features a massive squid.
‘Sphere’ Suffered From Behind-the-Scenes Drama
ThoughSphere’s protagonists are beset by giant squids and alien technology, Barry Levinson had his own monster to battle:the post-production process. Due to its massive budget,Warner Bros. decided to pushSpherebackfrom a Christmas release date so that the script could be revised. This led Levinson to shootWag the Dog, which also starred Hoffman, in the interim. But even when Levinson returned toSphere, he had to deal with Warner Bros. ordering major re-shoots a monthbefore its theatrical release.
Paul McCartney and Isaac Asimov Once Tried To Make a Sci-Fi Movie Together, and It Would’ve Rocked
No pun intended.
The end result led to a critical drubbing — withRoger Ebertreferring to it as a “watered-down takeon the sci-fi classicSolaris” — andbombing at the box office. Ironically, one review ofSpherewound upinfluencing Levinson’s next film. He reveals that he wrote and directedLiberty HeightswhenEntertainment Weekly’sLisa Schwatzbaumwrote a paragraph arguing that Norman Goodman was “the empathetic Jewish psychologist.” “For days it troubled me. Negative reviews are part of filmmaking, but what did this comment mean?” Levinson said prior toLiberty Heights’release.
HBO and Robert Downey Jr. Tried To Revive ‘Sphere’ as a TV Series
Spheremay not have made an impact on the big screen, but it definitely made an impact on HBO. The networkgreenlit a TV seriesbased onSphere, which had some considerable talent behind the scenes. Not only didJonathan NolanandLisa Joy, who adapted Michael Crichton’s filmWestworldinto a critically acclaimed TV series, board the project as producer, butRobert Downey Jr.and his wife Susan were also producers under their Team Downey banner. Though theSphereseries was greenlit in 2020, it seems that everyone involved has moved on to different projects: Nolan and Joysigned a deal with Amazon, leading to the debut ofFallout, whileDowney is slated to portray Doctor DoominAvengers: Doomsdayand its follow-up,Avengers: Secret Wars.
Despite its box office bombing and critical panning,Sphereis still a solid sci-fi thriller. It had a cast that elevated the material, a solid premise, and even boasted Crichton as one of its producers - meaning that, unlike other adaptations, it hewed fairly close to the source material. It will also make viewers think twice before they head out into the ocean.
