{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Another Pass at Sphere - with Jesse Fresco","description":"Case and Sam are joined by Jesse Fresco to take another pass at Sphere, the 1998 Michael Crichton adaptation starring Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone, and Samuel L. Jackson. They dig into a killer sci-fi premise, a stacked cast, an undersea mystery, and why the finished movie somehow feels smaller, flatter, and less frightening than all of those ingredients suggest. Another Pass Full Episode Originally aired: September 18, 2026 Music by Vin Macri and Matt Brogan Podcast Edited by Sophia Ricciardi Certain Point Of View is a podcast network brining you all sorts of nerdy goodness! From Star Wars role playing, to Disney day dreaming, to video game love, we've got the show for you! Learn more on our website: https:\/\/www.certainpov.com Support us on Patreon! patreon.com\/CertainPOVMedia Join us on Discord: https:\/\/discord.gg\/wcHHer4 PODCAST SHOWS: \u25b6 Another Pass - https:\/\/www.certainpov.com\/another-pass-podcast   \u23f1\ufe0f Chapters 00:21 Welcome and Guest Intro 01:38 Introducing Sphere 02:07 Why Jesse Chose the Movie 02:46 The Book and Roadside Picnic 04:24 Book vs. Movie Perspective 05:16 Beth in the Book 06:00 Bigger Differences from the Novel 07:03 The Squid 07:36 Where Did the Budget Go? 08:45 Case\u2019s First Impression: Boring 09:46 The Michael Crichton Formula 10:50 Why the Performances Feel Flat 12:25 Barry Levinson and the Wrong Material 13:09 Should Sphere Have Been a Miniseries? 13:58 What\u2019s Inside the Sphere? 15:31 Why the Sphere Changed Color 16:17 The Ending Doesn\u2019t Work 17:22 The Missing Cover-Up 18:14 The Problem with Erasing Their Memories 18:58 Sphere and Roadside Picnic 21:01 Why Jurassic Park Works as an Adaptation 22:03 Sphere Hurts the Source Material 22:46 The Movie Has No Point of View 24:32 Norman and Beth\u2019s Added History 25:39 How the Movie Changes Beth 27:14 Harry\u2019s Role in the Book 28:51 The Added Comedy 29:12 Stories Where Everyone Forgets 30:19 Legion and Erased Timelines 31:25 Why Give Up the Power? 33:50 Nobody Learns to Control the Sphere 35:26 The Black Hole Problem 37:17 Space Is Really Big 38:04 Underwater Pressure and Hypothermia 38:59 The Helium Atmosphere 40:02 Things We Actually Like 40:34 Peter Coyote and Queen Latifah 41:13 Liev Schreiber 41:59 The Sets and Production Design 43:10 The Most Boring Version of the Events 43:27 Where Is the Giant Squid? 45:19 The Snake Attack 46:18 Sea Snakes and Ocean Nightmares 47:22 Why the Movie Needed More Suspense 49:34 The Deaths Need More Weight 50:45 Harpoon Guns 51:29 Samuel L. Jackson Needed a Harpoon 53:19 Final Thoughts Before Another Pass 54:00 Long Live the Legion Promo 54:44 Another Pass Begins 55:21 Jesse\u2019s Found-Footage Pitch 56:38 Intercutting the Survivors and the Tapes 57:53 Europa Report 59:46 Keeping the Ship Intact 01:00:48 Preserving the Time Loop 01:02:05 Why Security Footage Works 01:04:52 The Deleted Scene Fixes the Ending 01:05:48 Final Fixes 01:07:11 Too Much Budget, Not Enough Movie 01:08:25 The Genre Problem 01:10:48 Neither Horror nor Science Fiction 01:12:31 Nostalgia for Sphere 01:13:10 Why This Format Was Wrong 01:15:56 Sphere vs. Congo 01:16:50 The Found-Footage Pitch Wins 01:17:22 Jesse\u2019s Plugs 01:21:51 Sam\u2019s Plugs 01:22:20 Case\u2019s Plugs 01:23:04 Trade School 01:24:33 Patreon Shout-Out 01:25:20 Next Time: Highlander II 01:25:38 Credits ","author_name":"Another Pass Podcast","author_url":"http:\/\/anotherpass.libsyn.com\/website","html":"