Sphere. 1998. USA. Directed by Barry Levinson. Screenplay by Stephen Hauser, Paul Attanasio. Adaption by Kurt Wimmer, based on the novel by Michael Crichton. With Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone, Samuel L. Jackson. 35mm print. 120 min.
In 1998 film critic Janet Maslin referred to Sphere as “directed with sustained tension by Barry Levinson and acted in no-nonsense style by a stellar cast...a solid thriller.” A mysterious government operative recruits a psychologist, a mathematician, an astrophysicist, and a biochemist to go on a super-secret undersea mission. Seems a long forgotten shipwreck has been discovered, with a strange species of coral growing on the hull. On their deep dive to examine the ship, they also encounter a large, metallic orb that is decidedly alive.