An undersea, sci-fi, paranoid thriller which packs tension but cannot release the powerful payoff we have a right to expect.

Full Review | Original Score: B- | Jan 19, 2023

Adding to the downfalls is the unavailable chemistry between the leads, Hoffman and Stone. No sparks seem to fly in this relationship and we don’t feel a kinship to either.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/4 | Jan 18, 2023

It pays to be incredibly suspicious of a movie where nearly all dramatic tension is drawn from characters standing around bleeping computer screens and commenting on how bad things look.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/5 | Aug 7, 2020

I was utterly confused by the end of Sphere... This project had all the resources to make a fine film, and it squandered them all, for want of a cogent screenplay.

Full Review | Feb 26, 2020

Ultimately, the explanation we've been waiting for turns out to be just that: an explanation.

Full Review | Jan 8, 2018

Full Review | Original Score: D | Sep 7, 2011

An empty shell.

Full Review | Aug 5, 2008

Three major stars being involved, it all wraps up happily but implausibly.

Full Review | Jun 24, 2006

The central idea for Sphere is an intriguing one, but similar concepts have been much better executed on episodes of Star Trek, which makes one wonder why movie writing is allowed to be so bad.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | May 26, 2006

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Mar 14, 2005

Word 'pointless' is the one that should be attributed to this whole film, one of the worst to come from Hollywood in past decade and one that would test patience and temper of the audience like few others.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/10 | Feb 2, 2004

Let's face facts: Michael Crichton is a hack. He comes up with innovative concepts, but his characters are cardboard cutouts. Given the psychological foundations of the story, that's an egregious flaw, and the ending is absurdly dissatisfying.

Full Review | Original Score: D | Aug 12, 2003

If you want a better sci-fi film go see Dark City. A better Levinson movie? Try Wag the Dog.

Full Review | Original Score: C | May 22, 2003

Packaged as a smart psychological drama, it gradually dissolves into a badly edited action thriller, albeit one obscured by a cast of top notch talent.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | May 14, 2003

For a movie of a novel written by Michael Crichton with such a capable cast, Sphere is quite a disappointment.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Feb 8, 2003

Sphere yearns to be a philosophical epic but it's final and only edict is so rudimentary as to barely exist: man is not yet 'ready' either intellectually or emotionally for the gifts E.T.'s are willing to share with us.

Full Review | Jan 2, 2003

You can't accuse the makers of Sphere of skimping on talent. If only they knew what to do with it.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/4 | Oct 15, 2002

The ending, though emotionally satisfying, collapses under scrutiny. This lack of payoff is a real flaw in a film pitched to a discriminating sci-fi mentality.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Jun 18, 2002

Sphere is not trashy, or silly, or exploitative; a lot of talent has been used to good effect here. But in the final analysis, fine filmmaking cannot overcome mediocre material.

Full Review | Jun 5, 2002

Given its situational premise -- outer space goes underwater -- Sphere is filled with visual potential, yet Levinson can't tap it. He's just a whole lot more comfortable trying to tame the human software than the technical hardware.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/4 | Apr 12, 2002