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A review by frasersimons
Sphere by Michael Crichton
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I always thought that the movie was underrated. As flawed as it was, it’s still an interesting question at the heart of it about humankind, which is what the best science fiction does. Underwater thrillers are usually more interesting as space too, since it’s as foreign, but teeming with life, and feels somehow more pertinent.
The book is simultaneously better and worse than the movie. The ending is more complicated and the characters more fleshed out, less Hollywoodized. The best parts of the film are mostly from the book. But because it does try to do more, the incredulity of some of the outcomes come into play. The movie fixes this by having everything occur at a subliminal level. Without this luxury, a few of the plot beats become really questionable, and feel really indulgent toward the characters and their specific arcs, and final outcome. An ending much better fleshed out and here, and far less cheesy.
The book is simultaneously better and worse than the movie. The ending is more complicated and the characters more fleshed out, less Hollywoodized. The best parts of the film are mostly from the book. But because it does try to do more, the incredulity of some of the outcomes come into play. The movie fixes this by having everything occur at a subliminal level. Without this luxury, a few of the plot beats become really questionable, and feel really indulgent toward the characters and their specific arcs, and final outcome. An ending much better fleshed out and here, and far less cheesy.