Ever since I saw Barry Levinson's 'Sphere' I have been unable to understand why it has received so little critical acclaim, especially with such great start like Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone and Samuel Jackson. Sure, the touch of surrealism in the script makes the film unusual but the story, direction and acting are good enough to give it more accolades than it has received so far. I could not help but compare it to Ridley Scott's 'Alien' which has a similar claustrophobic feel but with a clearly defined aggressor in shape of the creature. With 'Sphere' the antagonist is less obvious and there is a touch of Shakespeare's 'Tempest' in the overall ethos of the film. The outcome at the end is left to the imagination of the viewer to some extent and that is probably why many critics were disappointed. But for me, it remains a highly unusual, well made science fiction film.
