Random Movie Review - 2010: The Year We Made Contact

2001: A Space Odyssey is a strange yet brilliant film. It came out at a time when things set in space were at a very minimal rate. There was no Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Mass Effect or even Alien and Predator. There was Star Trek which had been on TV at the time, but it hadn't become as huge as it is today. We owe a lot to that film because without it, none of those franchises would've existed. The Stanley Kubrick film basically helped make the sci-fi and space opera genres popular. But not many of us know about its sequel. Because the first film is based on a book which ended up being a series of books. So I guess 2010: The Year We Made Contact is an attempt at continuing the story. It may not have had an impact like its predecessor, but it should still be a good watch. So let's get to it:

Nine years have passed since Discovery One failed in its mission which resulted in all but one astronaut killed with the one in question David Bowman (reprised by Keir Dullea) being missing in action. The United States and the Soviet Union then decide to make a joint effort in figuring out what truly happened and what became of HAL 9000 (reprised by the late Douglas Rain). The joint effort sees the Soviet Union using one of their ships with a team comprised of both Soviet and American people, among them is Discovery designer Walter Curnow (played by John Lithgow) and the creator of HAL 9000, Dr. Chandra (played by Bob Balaban). Upon arrival near where Discovery is, strange readings come up and the crew set out to find out the truth about what really went down even if someone long believed to have gone missing makes a surprise appearance.

Kubrick may be controversial and great at what he does with his films. But for a sequel not directed by him, this is alright. It does lack some elements that made the first one great, but it's well acted, keeps us guessing and while its now dated due to it now being 2021 (or later if you're reading this in the future), it's not a bad sequel. 7/10