2010 Film Review by Director Peter Hyam
Sequel to Sci-Fi Masterpiece Offers Little to Appreciate
The film comes as an uninvited, unnecessary sequel to Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). But where Kubrick's film asked viewers to contemplate humanity's place in the cosmos, 2010 puts in none of the effort and yet pretends to have it all figured out.
The argument for 2001 as a truly great film is becoming increasingly difficult to refute. Amidst complaints about its length, monotony, and challenging subject, it has become one of the most influential films of all time. Not only did 2001 inspire the Star Wars era of science fiction blockbusters, it has now become grandfather to yet another generation of films and filmmakers.
Mission Failure
By contrast, 2010 is as forgettable as they come. Unable to leave well enough alone, the story concerns an expedition to investigate the spaceship Discovery, still floating in Jupiter’s orbit where the climactic events of 2001 took place. A joint American-Soviet crew brings all the tensions of the Cold War with it as the team attempts to make sense of Discovery’s secrets before it collides with a nearby moon. Working for science and survival, the astro/cosmonauts include John Lithgow, Helen Mirren, and Roy Scheider as Dr. Heywood Floyd (William Sylvester’s role in 2001).
The microcosm of humanity formed by the bi-national crew is among the few redeeming aspects of 2010. Imagined as extending into the 21st century, the Cold War is taken to its furthest extreme, resulting not in a totalitarian state modeled after a domineering superpower but in a world without trust where doomsday war is a daily worry. Muttered references to an escalating conflict in Central America could just as easily cite Vietnam, Afghanistan, or anyplace where peace is strained. In this case, that is also aboard the Alexei Leonov, a Soviet vessel that is the only one capable of reaching Jupiter. Since American experts will be needed to gain access to Discovery and reactivate its nerve center, the dangerous HAL 9000 supercomputer, enemies are forced into close quarters. The absurdity of common hatred in the face of common interest is a point well taken.
With the nationalistic rivalry at its frenzied peak, 2010 falls off the edge of plausibility. Predictably, things go wrong and it is up to the reactivated HAL to sacrifice himself to save the humans he was made to serve, now banded together in their moment of need. Jupiter experiences some very fuzzy science, turning from a planet into a star and providing the sky with a second sun. Back on Earth, HAL’s honorable act and this celestial miracle inspire Americans and Soviets alike to set aside their differences and live in harmony. Meanwhile, primitive life begins to evolve on Europa, Jupiter’s now-inhabitable moon.
Systemic Faliure
Despite sixteen years of rapid growth in the sophistication of special effects, the look of 2010 is a huge step backward from its predecessor, the result of an inflated budget with no creativity of vision required. Kubrick’s film poses a subtle, contemplative image of the universe with some of its most spectacular images also the most simple. In 2010 scenic moments are used to fill in the gaps in the storytelling, which is a lot to ask of even the prettiest pictures.
Like other late entries to respected franchises, 2010 has the dubious distinction of changing history by tainting the original, and for this reason alone it deserve at least a certain amount of contempt. Catering to audiences raised on the high concept movie, it also attempts to remain in communication with the most cerebral, mystifying science fiction film yet produced. Caught in the middle, 2010 is like an answer nobody believes to a rhetorical question that nobody asked.
2010
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