2010

To many people throw hate towards this movie all because it's not like the Stanley Kubricks masterpiece classic 2001: A Space Odyssey. Well in all respect many people expect 2010: The Year We Make Contact to be artistic and visually stunning space opera like it's predecessor but the truth is it's not. However with that said it's still a really great film in its own right.Between 2001 and 2010, 2010 is the better movie all the way through do to its character growth, development, supporting cast, and it's ability to tie up loose ends by explaining the things that didn't make sense in 2001. Peter Hyams did an amazing job with this film by making it his own as this film focuses on the novel and elements of 2001 that needed to be further ****'t listen to the critics and fans that say this movie isn't great because it is. Don't go into this film thinking that it will be just like 2001 because you'll be very disappointed but you'll be happy to see that the film is a great scifi classic in its own right and is more than a worthy sequel to Stanley Kubricks 2001: A Space Odyssey. This is one of my top 10 all time favorite films and it's a really great time and watch. Give this movie a try if you haven't and if you have give it another try please.

This movie stands in the shadow of the prequel 2001: A Space Odyssey. However it has its merits. It has an immersive story, great cast and good effects for its time. I have to admit that the movie poster is a bit strange and unappealing and I never complaint about this in any previous reviews. It would not have convinced me to see the movie. Like the prequel it is based on a book of Arthur C Clark named 2010: Odyssey Two which is part of a bigger story (The last two books have not be made into movies or not big enough that I heard of). It has the hard job to follow a prequel that is considered as one of the most influential movies of all time and a must see classic. I think it does a good job. The story starts approx 9 years after the events of 2001. On Earth no one knows what happened to the Discovery One and its crew on the mission to Jupiter. This is a huge mystery as the mission of the Discovery One was to investigate where a signal from a mysterious monolith which is far older than mankind's history went. Both the USA and Soviet Union are preparing a mission to investigate what happened. Because the orbit of Discovery One is unstable a joint venture between the super powers was made with the Soviets ship carrying the US crew as their ship can be finished faster. More complicating is that there are tensions as the cold war is becoming hotter than before (The movie was made in the cold war era when no one expected the Soviet Union to collapse before 2010). The journey will challenge the crew and the answers will change everything. I stop here with the set up. I like the story and build up. It is excellent and does work well. Also you get answers to mayor questions from 2001 like why did Hal 9000 do what he did. I never understood why people say that this movie is mediocre even with 2001 in mind. To be sacrilegious it has a bit of a better pacing than 2001 and explains what happened better (Mainly referring to the ending of 2001). Of cause it is also weaker than 2001 in some if not many regards and Stanley Kubrick is hard to replace even when Peter Hyams is a talented director. The cast is really good. There is Roy Schneider as Dr. Heywood Floyd. A strong and immersive performance, Bob Balaban impressed we as Dr. Chandra. Douglas Rain as HAL (voice) is again remarkably good. Helen Mirren as Tanya Kirbuk delivers a praiseworthy performance. The rest of the cast also delivers and I see no missteps here. The special effects were really good for its time and I think they hold up well enough. The sets are immersive and I never doubted the setting. The soundtrack enhances the atmosphere. Now to the hard question. Is it a weaker movie than 2001? I say that depends. It is easier accessible, answers more questions and is well made. 2001 has some weaknesses but those are depending more on preferences. Not many people will claim that 2001 is not carefully made and impressive. I say 2010 is a great movie but overshadowed by the prequel. Overall I give a 10/10 because I think without 2001 it would be better received. It was quite entertaining, well made and tells a relatable story with clear answers.