Sphere

An expedition team dives into a strange discovery at the bottom of the Pacific. A wrecked spacecraft sits in the dark, clearly older than any known ocean mission and probably of alien origin. A group of scientists and experts is assembled to study the craft up close, hoping to learn how it ended up there. When the cargo hold yields a perfectly smooth sphere, the crew starts testing its properties and theories. Curiosity collides with fear as they push for answers, and tensions rise as personal histories bubble to the surface. Isolated and under pressure, the team discovers that knowledge may come with a dangerous ripple beyond anything they imagined. Strange phenomena during experiments push the team toward paranoia, forcing them to rethink what they know.

Barry Levinson directs Sphere, an adaptation of Michael Crichton's novel. The screenplay is by Stephen Hauser, Paul Attanasio, and Crichton. Released 1998 by Warner Bros, it stars Dustin Hoffman with Sharon Stone and Samuel L Jackson, supported by Liev Schreiber.

Among Crichton adaptations Sphere is often noted for its big cast and ambitious premise rather than becoming a lasting influence. It is occasionally discussed for how it frames scientific curiosity under pressure and for the way it toys with audience expectations about alien contact.

Critics gave it mixed reviews, praising performances and the suspense while finding some science dubious and the plotting uneven. The film raises questions about power and responsibility in exploration and shows how fear influences decisions when the mind is under pressure. That tension lingers after the credits.