Sphere

The most unsettling Jerry since Springer (or Lewis, for that matter) is the mysterious presence who introduces itself via a computer screen to a quirky dream team recruited by the government to explore a possibly alien craft submerged in the Pacific. Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone and Samuel L. Jackson take the plunge in this sci-fi thriller based on Michael Crichton's book that recalls Alien, Forbidden Planet and Solaris. But even these accomplished actors are in over their heads trying to put a human face on the high-tech mischief and mayhem that awaits those who enter a glowing sphere discovered aboard the mystery ship. Still, it should make a splash with fans of the author and the stars. Hoffman is especially good as the fish out of water who is there under false pretenses. (He fabricated a lucrative report on alien encounters. "It covered the down payment on my house," he confesses.) Optional. (K. Lee Benson)