Sphere Blu-ray delivers great video and solid audio in this fan-pleasing Blu-ray release
A group of scientists are taken by the U.S. Navy on a secret underwater mission to explore an
alien spaceship. The vessel turns out to be a U.S. ship from the future carrying a golden orb
that allows one to manifest their thoughts and fears.
Somewhere between seventh and eight grade I went through an intense Michael Crichton phase,
devouring Jurassic Park, Congo, and The Andromeda Strain in quick
succession. I have clear memories of staying up much too late with a flashlight and a tattered
library copy of Sphere, shuddering at the book's creepy manifestations and mentally
chewing on some ideas that were a bit beyond my junior high mind. And yet, for whatever reason,
until yesterday I had never seen Sphere, the movie. Part of it, I'm sure, has to do with
Crichton's spotty film record. Aside from Rising Sun and Jurassic Park, adaptations
of his novels haven't exactly been blessed with the Midas movie touch. So, despite the comforting
presence of director Barry Levinson (Wag the Dog, Rain Man) and a solid, unlikely
cast of actors—including Dustin Hoffman, Samuel L. Jackson, Sharon Stone,
and Liev Schreiber—I was understandably wary going into Sphere. Some fifteen years after
reading the book, I don't remember many details for comparison, but I found the first hour of the
film to be genuinely gripping. Unfortunately, Sphere unravels like a ball of yarn in its second half,
quickly becoming a tangled mess of unfocused action, vague plot points, and some metaphysical
nonsense.
The team discovers a giant Christmas tree ornament.
The set-up is promising. After a supposedly alien spacecraft is discovered on the ocean floor,
mysterious government liaison Captain Barnes (Peter Coyote) calls in a team of experts, including
psychologist Norman Goodman (Dustin Hoffman), biochemist Beth Halpern (Sharon Stone),
mathematician Harry Adams (Samuel L. Jackson), and astrophysicist Ted Fielding (Liev
Schreiber), to investigate the ship and rendezvous with any potential unidentified living entities.
One thousand feet underwater, with a typhoon raging overhead, the team makes a striking
discovery. The spacecraft turns out to be an American vessel from the future—it had been sucked
through a black hole—and contained it its cavernous hull is an enormous sphere, rippling like
mercury and reflecting everything around it but the team of scientists. Spooky. When
Harry
sneaks on board the craft and finds a way to enter the sphere—a smile of almost demonic glee on
his face—strange things begin happening on board the undersea base station. Binary code
received by the station's computers reveal an intelligence named "Jerry" who claims "I am
happy," leading Norman to wonder, "What happens if Jerry gets mad?" The answer comes in the
form of bizarre manifestations—aggressive jellyfish attack the habitat's technician (Queen
Latifah), a giant squid rattles the hull, and a fire on board is put out as mysteriously as it was
started. When the surviving characters realize they've all been inside the sphere, a circle of
distrust causes the situation to go from bad to much, much worse.
The particulars of the plot all but name-check a legion of much better sci-fi films. Watching the
team amble underwater toward the ship, holding flashlights and moving with near slow-motion
speed, I couldn't help but think of the scene in 2001: A Space Odyssey, when the
scientists approach the monolith on the moon in similar outfits and with similarly impeded
movements. The titular sphere is basically a monolith stand-in anyhow, a mysterious alien object
that expands human consciousness, whether we're ready for it or not. The distrust between the
team members is reminiscent of The Thing's great blood-testing sequence, but it's far
less cleverly—or clearly—resolved here. And there are other moments that echo Contact,
The Abyss, Alien, Solaris, and Close Encounters. If there's one
overarching thing that hampers Sphere, it's that it feels far too familiar and
underwhelming when compared to the best and brightest cinematic stars in the science fiction
universe.
In many ways, though, the film is very competently made. The underwater
cinematography is stunning, and Levinson's compositions adequately convey feeling through
spatial orientation—there's a definite awe and wonder when the team approaches the enormous
spacecraft via sub, and the cramped quarters of the undersea station are tense and
claustrophobic. The actors too handle the material with ease, and several scenes ring true with
off-the-cuff improvisation. Jackson plays a relatively cool-headed character for once, so we don't
get the pleasure of his trademark outbursts—no "I'm sick and tired of these mother-bleeping sea
snakes on this mother-bleeping submarine" here—but he nabs a few great moments with
Hoffman, who frequently looks nonplussed, considering the circumstances. Still, "The Hoff" is
fantastic as always, even if his character is somewhat flat. This goes for just about everyone.
There's a rivalry between Harry and Ted about who was the best scholastic wunderkind in college,
and of course there's Norman and Beth's hinted former history, but there's little development of
these threads, and at no point do we every really care about any of the characters.
However, it's the unspooling of the central mystery—the what, why, and how of the sphere's
influence—that comes as the biggest disappointment. As the crew members gradually become
aware that they are causing the manifestations, the internal logic of the film begins to
break down. What are the rules governing these manifestations? Obviously, not just any fleeting
thought can pop into reality, otherwise the film would be cluttered with all the sundry internal
visions that an average person has during the day—pumpkin pie, sex, existential dilemmas,
1980s sitcom intros, etc. Maybe that's just me. Anyway, the things that do become manifest—
angry jellyfish, a giant squid, sea snakes—all seem so mundane and ocean-specific. Granted, the
characters are underwater at the time, but are these really their deepest, darkest fears? The
premise of the power to create tangible, physical objects from thought alone has so much
promise, but the potential is almost completely wasted here. Near the end of the film, Hoffman's
character gives a "look what we're capable of" monologue about how, as intelligent people, they
nonetheless willed horrible things into being, and how humans aren't ready for this power, but
the tacked on moral lacks any emotional resonance. By the time you get to the film's coda, a
causal, time-loop completing moment of literal handholding (you'll understand if you see it), you
might be manifesting your own visions—of better sci-films you could have watched.
As a catalog title from the late 1990s, Sphere looks great on Blu-ray, with a clean and
detailed 1080p/VC-1 encoded transfer. Nearly the whole movie is set underwater, so the palette is
understandably subdued—the interior of the submerged base of operations is almost entirely
stainless steel, the inside of the "alien" craft is a darker grey, and the ocean floor segments are
awash in deep blues. There are a few vivid colors, like the bright red flashing of warning lights and,
of course, the rippling gold sphere, but the overall look is appropriately restrained. Black levels and
contrast are well balanced through most of the film, though you'll notice—or rather not notice—a
few crushed details here and there. Some of the undersea segments also seem a little washed out,
so to speak, though this seems due to the diffuse dust and debris in the water. The print itself is
just about spotless—I only noticed one white speck throughout—and there's a thin layer of barely
noticeable grain that gives the image a warm and definite filmic quality. The title may not be as
crisp as some modern offerings, but this is still a sharp and pleasing transfer, with plenty of detail
apparent in facial textures and on-set props. Aside from one or two instances of very minor contrast
wavering, there are no real transfer-related problems to report. All in all, Sphere looks
better than ever.
Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle. Sphere rolls onto Blu-ray with a watery Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track that
suits the film well. You won't notice a huge number of discrete effects, but there's almost always
something bubbling up in the rears, whether it's subtle ambience, bleeding score, or aquatic sound
effects. Water is obviously a big part of Sphere, and you'll hear it drip, slosh, splash, trickle,
gush, and flow frequently in the surround channels. Listen to the plunging, bubbly sounds as the
team's submarine first descends to the ocean floor and hear the deep twanging of the hull
succumbing to water pressure. Be disturbed by the creepy thumping of something banging
on the outside of the underwater station. Warning sirens peel out loudly, hatches seal with
satisfying suction, and atmospheric, tension-building sounds roar and throb with low-end presence.
Elliot Goldenthal's score is a big, Hollywood affair, with bold, bellowing horns and strings that sweep
one moment and screech with staccato stabs the next. There are a couple of stocky sounds, and
there's an indistinct quality to some of the bass, especially during the opening scene, but most of
the film has a clean presence that's bolstered by clear, front and center dialogue. This track won't
necessarily rock your world or rattle your walls, but it provides Sphere with plenty of strong,
watery waveforms.
Commentary by Dustin Hoffman and Samuel L. Jackson
When you read "Commentary by Dustin Hoffman and Samuel L. Jackson" you might assume
that the two heavy-hitting actors are watching the film together, trading anecdotes, having a few
laughs, and engaging in a little witty repartee. Well, think again. This is one of those
commentary tracks, where the participants are recorded separately and their comments are cut
'n pasted in accordance to whoever has the most interesting thing to say at the moment. Sam
Jackson is given the most play here, and he manages to have a good time all by his lonesome,
chatting casually about the film and giving some insights into the process of shooting
underwater. Hoffman is a bit more subdued, and it seems like he didn't have as much fun on set
as he did on some of his other films with Barry Levinson. It's a disappointment the two actors
couldn't have recorded a track together, but if you can get past its somewhat disjointed nature,
this commentary is a decent enough listen.
Shaping the Sphere: Art of the Special Effects Supervisor (SD, 14:36)
Special Effects Supervisor Jeff Okun gives an overview of his responsibilities on Sphere,
and takes us through some of the techniques used to create the illusions that sell the film, from
storyboards and concept drawings through scaled miniatures and CGI. The segment ends with
Elkins giving some advice for those who might want a career in the special effects
industry.
The beginning of Sphere is tense and exciting, but as soon as all hell begins to break loose
for the characters, the film itself follows suit, wasting a fantastic premise for psychological terror.
The film feels like one of those matinees you'd catch on basic cable on a lazy weekend afternoon,
something you'd commit to watching—it's modestly entertaining, after all—even though you don't
really expect it to be any good. On the plus side, the film gets a strong high definition treatment on
Blu-ray, and fans should feel comfortable trading in their scratched up DVD copies. If you're new to
the film, it's worth a rental, if only for the fun cast and underwater cinematography.
Warner Home Video has announced ten titles from its catalog for Blu-ray release
on September 8: 'Catwoman', 'Creepshow', 'Dead Calm', 'Freddy vs. Jason', 'The
New World: Extended Cut', 'Over the Top', 'The Postman', 'Snakes on a Plane',
'Sphere' and 'The ...
