Now that is here-your thoughts on movie 2010-The Year We Make Contact

[Mutara Nebula 1967]

SPOILERS

Yes, its horribly outdated with the USSR storyline but I appreciate this movie for what it was...they did not attempt to remake 2001 or even wholly explain it...it was a different type of movie...a fairly good one at that and you can't go wrong with Roy Scheider as a lead.

The Jupiter climax was exciting an there is something really, really cool about the idea of a duel sun solar systems.

Dave Bowman visiting his wife and mother was very touching.

The one true complaint I have with the movie is the very WEAK and LAME attempt to explain HAL's murderous actions in the original...it just wasn't a satisfying explanation and didn't ring true..or and Dr. Chandra was the most NON Indian Dr. Chandra you'll ever see. Bob Balaban? Seriously?

Over all though thumbs up for 2010.

 

[DrCorby]

Re: Now that is here-your thoughts on movie 2010-The Year We Make Cont

I enjoyed 2010, as well. Like you said, completely different in style from 2001; it told a more structured story.

I wasn't bothered by HAL's rehabilitation, though. IIRC, it's what Clarke did in the original 2010 novel; the movie just followed suit.

 

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

Re: Now that is here-your thoughts on movie 2010-The Year We Make Cont

I'll have to invoke the standard cliche and say the book was better. I missed the greater interaction between the Soviet and American crews that was sacrificed for more cold war tension in the movie. I think in the book the build up to the Jupiter event was handled more smoothly rather then just Dave Bowman saying over and over something wonderful is going to happen. It was a good film though. I wouldn't mind seeing it again.

 

[Worf2DS9]

Re: Now that is here-your thoughts on movie 2010-The Year We Make Cont

I also really like this movie. And though we in the real world are nowhere near to building huge starships to send men to Jupiter (neither were we in 2001 for that matter), it was a nice look at the future.

I also enjoyed seeing Keir Dullea back as Bowman and thought his visits with his wife and mother. The air-braking scene was pretty neat, despite the exterior sound effects. And Douglas Rain's vocal performance as HAL was great. The final scene was suitably creepy too.

 

[Canadave]

Re: Now that is here-your thoughts on movie 2010-The Year We Make Cont

I'll have to invoke the standard cliche and say the book was better. I missed the greater interaction between the Soviet and American crews that was sacrificed for more cold war tension in the movie. I think in the book the build up to the Jupiter event was handled more smoothly rather then just Dave Bowman saying over and over something wonderful is going to happen. It was a good film though. I wouldn't mind seeing it again.

Pretty much exactly my thoughts. The movie certainly isn't bad, but the book is Clarke at the top of his game. It's hard to beat that.

 

[Turtletrekker]

Re: Now that is here-your thoughts on movie 2010-The Year We Make Cont

The movie was ok, but not nearly as good as the book.

 

[Candlelight]

Re: Now that is here-your thoughts on movie 2010-The Year We Make Cont

I prefered this to 2001. Never read the book but the movie was similar enough according to what I've heard.

 

[Agent Richard07]

Re: Now that is here-your thoughts on movie 2010-The Year We Make Cont

Damn cool ending.

 

[Kegg]

Re: Now that is here-your thoughts on movie 2010-The Year We Make Cont

The book is better, but the spaceship designs are nice.

 

[Darth_Daver]

Re: Now that is here-your thoughts on movie 2010-The Year We Make Cont

2001 is a visual masterpiece, but let's be honest --- boring. 2010 is a very good scifi movie. But the 2010 book is the strongest one in the space odyssey series, one of Clarke's best (up there with Childhood's End and Songs of Distant Earths) so yeah, it's tough to beat. I still love the movie though...

 

[Electric Coleslaw]

Re: Now that is here-your thoughts on movie 2010-The Year We Make Cont

I'm a fan of 2010 as well. I saw the movie after reading the book. It was more accessible than 2001 for the casual sci-fi fans but I kinda missed Kubrick's style. 2001 did have those long drawn out shots but it is still probably the most realistic space movie ever made. Ships don't just zoom in and land in space, they have to go through a complicated and long series of maneuvers.
But 2010 was strong and the movie flowed well. My favorite scene was when Chandra hands Floyd the device that was supposed to shut down HAL and Floyd smiles at the other scientist as he puts it in his pocket.
I also thought the explanation of HAL's breakdown made perfect sense.

 

[Kegg]

Re: Now that is here-your thoughts on movie 2010-The Year We Make Cont

2001 is a visual masterpiece, but let's be honest --- boring.

Not really. 2010 is pretty dull, though, and a trifle overearnest.

 

[CmdrAJD]

Re: Now that is here-your thoughts on movie 2010-The Year We Make Cont

While I like both films, 2010 is a much more straight forward movie than 2001. I like the performances in 2010 far better, and it has a great cast. Everyone just seems more...human. And it's actually about the characters, which I don't think you can really say about 2001.

 

[Electric Coleslaw]

Re: Now that is here-your thoughts on movie 2010-The Year We Make Cont

HAL was the character in 2001.

"Daisy.....daiiiiisy."

 

[Myasishchev]

Re: Now that is here-your thoughts on movie 2010-The Year We Make Cont

Both are good. I wish they'd made a 2061.

 

[Turtletrekker]

Re: Now that is here-your thoughts on movie 2010-The Year We Make Cont

Both are good. I wish they'd made a 2061.

QFT.

 

[David cgc]

Re: Now that is here-your thoughts on movie 2010-The Year We Make Cont

But 2010 was strong and the movie flowed well. My favorite scene was when Chandra hands Floyd the device that was supposed to shut down HAL and Floyd smiles at the other scientist as he puts it in his pocket.

The thing I always thought about was that if Floyd had pulled the trigger, the blades would've cut open Chandra's suit, and he would've been marooned on Discovery.

 

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

Re: Now that is here-your thoughts on movie 2010-The Year We Make Cont

BTW if anyone is interested in seeing it again I just discovered by accident the whole movie is up on You Tube. Just search 2010 contact

 

[bryce]

Re: Now that is here-your thoughts on movie 2010-The Year We Make Cont

2010 is one of my favorite scifi movies of all time...and one of the most (if not *the* most) realistic space travel movies ever.

They did a good job recreating the Discovery sets, but there were some glaring mistakes...in the original film, they used rear-projection (on to flat screens) for HAL & Discovery's monitors/screens...a primitive, low tech effect, but it made the screens like modern flat-panel screens that you see everywhere *today*...but in 2010, they went with more hi-tech, more expensive curved CRT monitors - real actual computer/tv screens...but in the end, especially here in the *real* 2010, they look dated and anachronistic compared to the original, older 60's film.

(And don't get me started on Heywood's giant "laptop" computer he had on the beach!!!)

Also, in the re-created Discovery, the pod bay floor is a shiny flat black surface...where in the original it was covered with black Velcro, because that part of the ship remained in 0-g...(in once scene in 2010, you can see the characters leaning against a wall in the pod bay, which clearly has gravity - after, I believe, Chandra had stopped Discovery's rotation.)

But I still love the movie...and while we don't have a USSR anymore, it not to hard to imagine such tensions with a resurgent Putin-controlled Russia...

And the scene where HAL asks:

"Will I dream?"

And Chandra chokes up as he answers "I don't know."

...makes me cry every single time.

Especially because it makes me wonder if his attempt to revive SAL - which he said would be risky - didn't work, and he lost her...

 

[Kegg]

Re: Now that is here-your thoughts on movie 2010-The Year We Make Cont

2010 is one of my favorite scifi movies of all time...and one of the most (if not *the* most) realistic space travel movies ever.

An odd claim since one criticism I've heard levelled against it is that the space travel is significantly less realistic than the original movie (sound in space, less use of no gravity, other details).