I’ve been watching a lot of 1980’s movies lately – specifically “cold war” movies. Call it nostalgia. Recently, I re-watched 2010: The Year We Make Contact on YouTube where it’s currently streaming for free. 2010 is a sequel to the Arthur C. Clark book- turned into Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 masterpiece- 2001: A Space Odyssey.
2010‘s plot is set nine years after the first film. The film was released in 1984 – sixteen years after the original 2001 – A Space Odyssey. 2010 is more accessible than its artsy predecessor. It is beautifully made, with state-of-the-art (for 1984) special effects, a dark and brooding musical score composed by David Shire- realized on a Synclavier digital synthesizer and orchestra- and engaging performances from Roy Scheider, Helen Mirren, and John Lithgow. Keir Dullea and Douglas Rain reprise their roles from 2001: A Space Odyssey as Dave Bowman and HAL.
There are many “reaction” clips to 2010: The Year We Make Contact on YouTube and the overall consensus seems to be that the Soviet Union no longer exists, therefore there is no longer any merit in spending a couple of hours watching a movie about it. However, the world portrayed in 2010 seems just as cold and perilous as the one we find ourselves in today- with nuclear powers in conflict, visionaries planning years-long journeys to Mars, and AI generating fear and uncertainty about our futures.
If you have never watched 2001: A Space Odyssey, the introduction to 2010: The Year We Make Contact provides a Cliff Notes synopsis to bring everyone up to speed. However, 2001 is worth watching on its own, as its fingerprints can be found on the science fiction films George Lucas and others would create just a short decade later.
Technology buffs will want to keep an eye out for the Ford Probe IV concept car that was developed in the 1980’s prior to the introduction of the production Ford Probe in 1989 (Ford correctly blinked and assumed that the world was not yet ready for a front-wheel-drive Mustang). There is also a scene where Roy Schneider is using an Apple IIc with an LCD screen at the beach.
Did you watch the film 2010 when it was released in 1984? Have you watched it since? What are your impressions of the film?
