"2010 : The Year We Made Contact" (1984)
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2001: A Space Odyssey is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most innovative sci-fi movies ever made. Even over 30 years after its release it frequently tops polls looking for the best sci-fi movie ever. Less well remembered is this belated sequel, which eventually got made over a decade after the original film. While it is not as groundbreaking or, to be blunt, as good as 2001, 2010 is nevertheless an excellent sci-fi movie.
From the beginning - the first line heard is "My God, its Full of Stars” as the 2001 theme plays over the opening credits – it is clear this movie owes a great debt to the original. It is now 9 years after the apparent failure of the Discovery mission and the Soviet Union intends to launch a spacecraft, the Leonov, to investigate what happened out in Jupiter’s orbit and to study the mysterious monolith discovered there. Since the Discovery was built by the Americans, they invite three American scientists to accompany them. Their mission - to attempt to salvage the Discovery and re-activate the computer HAL.
Some of the pre-departure scenes set on Earth drag a little but once they reach Jupiter, the movie improves. Like the original, this is one of the more realistic science fiction films. The laws of physics are scrupulously obeyed and the ships and space backdrops all look completely convincing. Somehow, the model-work here looks much more real and impressive that the CGI spacecraft of more recent movies.
One of the more notable features about 2001 was the minimal amount of dialogue, this is one difference in the sequel as the Americans and Russians interact all through the film. Although the dialogue is not exactly scintillating it introduces a welcome human element that 2001 was at time lacking. The obligatory interesting sci-fi concepts and sense-of-wonder moments are not missing here either as the crew encounter some inexplicable events as they investigate the monolith, culminating in one of the more spectacular climaxes in any science-fiction film.
2010 is a film that stays true to the spirit of the original film while still being different enough to be distinct from it. A very good science-fiction film that deserves more attention than it gets.
Rating : 8 / 10
DVD Review (Region 2)
For such a good film, it's a pity that the DVD release is so lacking in special features. The picture and sound quality is good, but there's a complete lack of extras. Fortunately the price is low enough that the DVD is definetely worth buying, even with the lack of special features.
DVD Rating : 5 / 10
All content ©2003 William Marnoch.
Comments? Agree/Disagree with the Reviews? Suggestions? Random Ramblings? Whatever you might want to say, feel free to e-mail me at william@wmarnoch.freeserve.co.uk .