The Star Child makes contact

2010: THE YEAR WE MAKE CONTACT (1984)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

You know the impact that Stanley Kubrick had with "2001: A Space Odyssey" when a brief picture of him figures in "2010" on a Time magazine cover - he is shown as the Soviet Premier right next to Arthur C. Clarke, the author of "2001." "2010" is an impossible task to follow on the coattails of "2001" but it is unfair to think that no sequel could or should be made. Under the direction of Peter Hyams ("Outland"), it is no great work of art but it is certainly no disaster.

Roy Scheider stars as Dr. Heywood Floyd, a noble scientist who feels the Discovery ship's disastrous journey to Jupiter was his fault. To backtrack for those who have not been lucky to witness Kubrick's film or Clarke's novel, the Discovery ship was piloted by two astronauts, one of them being Dave Bowman (Keir Dullea). The other astronauts were killed by the supercomputer HAL 9000, and Dave wandered into the far reaches of the universe and evolved into some Star Child. Floyd knows nothing of the Star Child or those monoliths that orbit Jupiter. Nevertheless, he decides to embark on a trip to Jupiter (which will take roughly two years) and reluctantly travels with a Russian crew - they are riding on a Soviet vessel known as the Leonov. At this time, the U.S. and Russia are on the brink of a nuclear war over Central America (hey, this was 1984). The Leonov's commander is Tanya Kirbuk (Helen Mirren), who is none too pleased to be traveling with Americans who ask too many questions (there is an implication that the Soviets would rather do all the work and find the Discovery ship and its mysteries for themselves). Also on board are two Americans, Dr. Chandra (Bob Balaban), who designed the HAL computer, and an engineer named Walter Curnow (John Lithgow), the designer of the Discovery.

"2010" is full of dialogue, probably more than is needed since the film barely comes close to the visual power of Kubrick's masterpiece. One of the key sequences of "2001" was its climax where you heard total silence while the astronauts were outside the ship - in space, you can't hear anything. "2010" violates that rule. There is also far too much voice-over narration by Dr. Floyd which interrupts the narrative during key moments - we do not need to hear his voice as his transmissions are read to his wife and daughter on Earth. Still, there is much to savor throughout. Scheider's Floyd portrayal is more full-bodied than the colder, detached William Sylvester from the original film. And it is thrilling to watch Dr. Chandra trying to reconnect with HAL, knowing of course what HAL was up to before. John Lithgow brings some understated humor as the engineer with a bad case of vertigo. And there are many startling sequences, including a hair-raising moment where the Leonov turns off its engines as it orbits a planet.

"2010" ties up a few loose ends, including one involving HAL and a strange ending that will not satisfy many (myself included). Peter Hyams is in the unenviable position of positing a more hopeful picture than a pessimist like Kubrick. Some may get annoyed with the reappearance of Keir Dullea as Bowman who insists that something wonderful is about to happen. For all its flaws, "2010" is still an effective movie but it has no trace of the poetry or ambiguity that Kubrick imbued "2001" with. Maybe it is too much to expect nowadays, or even in 1984, for a film to rely on visuals to tell a story and to keep audiences guessing as to the mystery and power of an infinite universe. "2001" had maybe twenty minutes of dialogue in a 2 hour film. "2010" beats it by almost a full hour and a half.