2010: The Year We Make Contact [DVD] [1984]

2010 is a very, very different film from 2001: A Space Odyssey. In 2001, the first twenty minutes are completely devoid of dialogue; in 2010, the first twenty minutes are packed full of dialogue that attempt to explain, from the perspective of the people back on Earth, what happened to the Discovery mission nine years earlier. The stage is set for another trek to Jupiter- this time frought with danger (aerobraking around Jupiter, encountering strange readings from Jupiter's moons) instead of 2001's sedate ballet.

So 2010 gets maligned, I think, for being so utterly different from 2001, and for not having the kudos of Stanley Kubrick attached.

However I think that's unfair. The special effects were no less stunning (but by 1984 cinema audiences were used to spaceships, more so than by the 1968 original). The mystery is unravelled neatly, with some good performances, especially John Lithgow and Bob Balaban. The drama's handled extremely well, with an occasional flash of humour.

It still has Arthur C Clarke's novel firmly at its root, so as a science fiction story, it's a brilliant one.

In some ways it's very dated- the not-so-cold war between Russia and the US couldn't now happen in the way it unfolds in this film- but putting some of that aside, it is a really good sci-fi film that manages to both suffer and benefit from being in 2001's shadow. Definitely worth a look, especially at Amazon's current bargain price.

This DVD has no extras, which is a shame.

2001 - A Space Odyssey is an incredibly influential film which offers an immersive film experience which borders on the spiritual, it's worthy of being called a masterpiece and is regarded as one of the greatest pieces of cinema ever created. The sequel never manages to climb out from the shadow of the '68 classic but it is still a great work of science-fiction which does justice the Arthur C Clarke novel.

2010 begins with an on-screen text prologue 'mission report' which summarises the events of 2001 (not an easy task!). It provides the essential facts to refresh the memory banks of any who haven't seen it for a while or for those who for reasons beyond comprehension, haven't seen it. It's obvious that the Discovery Mission is still a contentious issue with both American and Russian missions planning to meet with the stricken ship to find out what happened. With the Russians further ahead and the Americans in possession of the knowledge to bring HAL-9000 back online, a joint venture is inevitable. Given the cold-war nature of world politics the teaming up is a highly symbolic one, but during the long mission relations down on Earth worsen and the world edges into war. The human tendency to obliterate each other is far from the minds of those orbiting Jupiter however...

The mixed American and Russian crew find it difficult to integrate initially, but moments of joviality between crew members ("what's Russian for 'stupid'? ..That's me") and the threat of obliteration help to gel them together. It picks up nicely from 2001 and there's a great feeling of nostalgia when see the Discovery for the first time, but that's nothing compared to the re-awakening of HAL. HAL is a crucial part of the both the films and it's amazing how emotionally attached we feel towards a computer. On board this time is Dr Chandra, HAL's creator - his attitude towards the ship computer is more like a father-son relationship than a programmer with his code, he's protective of HAL and shows affection to his 'baby'. HAL even seems like a child when he seeks assurance that he's doing a good job, and when faced with the possibility of his own destruction he once again admits to being afraid. It's a faithful translation of the book and the almost hypnotic quality of 2001 is replaced with something more literal. This is no doubt a more accessible film but the ambiguity of its predecessor was one of its major strengths as each person who watches it experiences it in their own unique way. It's to be expected though, this is the film of a book whereas both Clarke and Kubrick worked together on the first plot and Kubrick was writing with the film in mind.

A lot of work has gone into making 2010 look like 2001 in terms of the sets and the spacecraft, a failure to do so would ruin the continuity given that the original models were all destroyed, and the effects team have done an excellent job in building new models which are as impressive as the originals. Though this is a more 'wordy' film there are still expanses of time with little dialogue and also some musical themes shared with the first film - this feels like a 'proper' sequel and it's hard to believe that there is 16 years between the two. This compliments the '68 film well with the first film asking questions and the sequel providing some answers while still being enigmatic. Kubrick was a visionary and I don't envy Peter Hyam's directing task and the inevitable comparisons, I love Kubrick's style and he had the chance to shape the universe in which this story takes place (along with Arthur C Clarke, of course) but Hyam's vision is still impressive and seems influenced by Kubrick without imitating. The cold war setting isn't as relevant now as it was then, the politics of the time is mainly what dates the film. Some of the technology looks a bit dated now but instead of looking ridiculous you see it in context of when the film was made and it has a retro-futuristic quality. Although the clunky display screens look a bit old fashioned, the actual spacecraft look superb with a design focused on functionality rather than comfort. The way the spacecraft move with celestial bodies in the background is beautiful and it feels like the physics of such activities has been taken into account to make it all look so real. The silent vacuum of space provides incredible atmosphere (no pun intended) and the film cleverly uses music and subtle sounds to build great tension.

This Blu-Ray release is an improvement on the DVD (which was actually one of the first DVDs I ever bought) but I was a bit disappointed with the picture at times. There is some banding and sometimes blockiness in darker areas where the compression doesn't seem to have been executed well, there's also excessive graining at times though that is probably from the source material. The issues are inconsistent - sometimes it's more obvious and some scenes look very good, there is clearly more detail than on previous releases but don't expect this to look as sharp or as flawless as the brilliant 2001 Blu-Ray package. The spacecraft and the computer consoles benefit most from the Hi-Def treatment with flashing lights and ship exteriors appearing impressive, but it also reveals some of the weaknesses of some of the visuals looking super-imposed but that can't be helped. The disk includes the documentary '2010: The Odyssey Continues' which is introduced by Arthur C Clarke, it's only 10 minutes long and tells the story of how the film was made. From initial communications between collaboration between Clarke and director Hyam, designing the sets and building the models. The short bonus reflects on differences to 2001 includes a set of brilliant outtakes where the illusion of zero gravity is ruined by gravity! Brief shots of the model works and props left me wanting to see more - but sadly this is the only bonus feature.

In a nutshell: Cold war politics and hard Sci-Fi combine to make a sequel which considered on its own merit, is a stylish and thought provoking science-fiction film which promises "something wonderful" and I honestly think it delivers. However, this has to be compared to Kubrick's opus and it lacks the transcendental punch of 2001: A Space Odyssey which set the standard for 'hard' Sci-Fi. Whereas 2001 questioned the origins and the future of life, 2010 feels more political and carries an anti-war message - and there's no better way to unify the people of Earth than to realise that outside of our planet - we are not alone.

if you're a fan of sci-fi,cold war suspense and top-notch pre-cgi effects work,then this is right up your alley. If,however,your tastes run to more modern fare and stunning hi-def presentation then this title should best be avoided. Not to say that it's a bad transfer,in some scenes far from it,but you can't expect warner bros to lavish attention on an almost 30 year old,not-exactly-top-of-the-want-list movie. I myself am old enough to have experienced 2010 in a well equipped cinema where it was a jaw-dropping peice of work and this disc brings back some of those memories.