2010

Often, and unfairly, described¹ as a weak sequel to 2001, this was showing last night on the Sci-Fi Channel. This is still one of my favourite movies.

Whereas 2001 was bleak and drab in various shades of grey (a deliberate move to make the final psychedelic "stargate" effect far more impacting), this film brought colour to the "new" space race.

The US-Soviet tensions do seem a little dated now, but at the same time, lay some strong foundations for the plot.

Plot: Discovery, left in parking orbit around Io by Dave Bowman before he disappeared, is going to crash on Io before the Americans can get a recovery mission to her. They've somehow managed to miss this over the last nine years. The Russians are going to get there before it crashes, but they lack the expertise to salvage her in time. Low and behold, there's suddenly three free seats on the Russian mission.

To explain, I read this story first, before I saw it. As such, the film is fairly faithful, only the absence of the Chinese mission being obvious. 2010 was first written by Arthur C Clarke and then filmed, whereas 2001 was first filmed and the book (written about the same time), was released later. It tries to explain some of what happened in 2001. Although not everything is revealed, one of the plot points in why HAL malfunctioned and killed off the crew. It's actually a very clever reason, same one as in the book, and doesn't pander to the audience. You'll either understand it, or you won't.

This film can still send shivers up my spine, particularly the scene where Dave Bowman turns up and when the Monolith disappears. The special effects have stood the test of time fairly well. They still look pretty damn good, and can put a lot of CGI from more modern films to shame. Even the ignition of Jupiter is impressive. The images, taken mostly from the Voyager craft, are breathtaking (even if we now know the colour of the clouds is way off.)

This is definitely a film that stands up to repeat viewing. You catch new and different things each time you watch it. It also pays to have a good sound system, as a mono TV sounds completely different to a 5.1 surround sound. The mono tends to mash the soundtrack together, so for example, in the escape scene, the music and the noise of the approaching shock wave are smushed in to each other. But the 5.1 can pick them out for you.

Score: A- for sci-fi fans. Probably a B- or C+ for non-fans.

OQ: I understand. It is important that you believe me. Look behind you.

¹It's also correctly described as one of the few films where Helen Mirren keeps her clothes on.