2010

I would say that this movie shows which director is a genius and which is a routiner. While Stanley Kubrick has made a groundbreaking and legendary sci-fi in the late 1960s, almost 20 years later a routiner Peter Hyams made a solid but (compared to Kubrick) a very routine movie. However, although it is routine it is still a sci-fi classic. (04/03/2019)

The otherwise average director Peter Hyams has pleasantly surprised me. 2010 is a film with very good visual effects, an interesting story and a well executed final twist. But it should not be compared with Kubrick’s 2001, that one is a league of its own. (06/27/2002)

Despite my strenuous effort, I was unable over the course of two hours to block out my awareness of the existence of Kubrick’s masterpiece, so it was difficult not to snobbishly dwell on the “not much better” special effects, the intellectual shallowness and frequent literalism (the most likely “function” of the monolith is even mentioned at the end). Nevertheless, I admire Hyams’ stubbornness and I am well aware that, with respect to his abilities, he made a remarkable film that suffers from thematic complexity. Earth is in the midst of the still ongoing Cold War (which is no longer so cold), while a crew composed of non-Russian-speaking Americans and English-speaking Russians deal with mutual hatred, HAL’s psychological games and a number of technical or, as the case may be, metaphysical problems (Dave Bowman hasn’t said his farewell yet). The result is a stylishly clean but excessively content-heavy sci-fi movie that lacks the “extrasensory” scenes of  the original 2001: A Space Odyssey, though it elegantly runs circles around its dumber genre cousins. What’s interesting is the composition of the crew (I didn’t recognise Helen Mirren at all, but Jan Tříska immediately), as well as the point, which will make your brain glow white hot if you know the original (was the last shot a symbol of a completely new beginning?), but anything more interesting cannot erase the fact that even if parts III, IV and V were to be made, there will always be only one Space Odyssey. 70% (08/01/2011)

Kubrick’s 2001 is a work of art that played with the medium in an unprecedented way, Hyam’s 2010 is nothing more than well executed science fiction, which I don’t mind at all. It was thrilling, it was entertaining, the effects are again perfect for its time, I’ve no reason to complain. Thanks to the clearer shifts in the plot, I’m planning to read the literary sequel because I’m curious about how it continues. If a film manages that, it’s a hit :) (07/07/2011)

A very successful adaptation of Clarke’s book. At the same time, it’s very hard to compare both movies (2001 and 2010) because they are both filmed in a completely different way (some people would certainly like to stone me to death for giving them the same amount of stars). While in the first one, the secretive Kubrick was more interested in presenting mysticism, the down-to-earth Hyams put his money on action, and that was a good choice (you simply can’t compete with a giant such as Kubrick, so you have to take a different path). Such a lot happens in the movie and it is pretty impressive visually. But the screenplay, where the story is set in the Cold War, in today’s world just isn’t so powerful. Clarke was much more forward-thinking. Oh, and one more thing, Roy Scheider is certainly a better Floyd that William Sylvester. Kuritsa. (08/21/2009)

Maybe I’m being too nice, but I liked this movie. It is, of course, completely different than the first part and any comparison is out of the question. Kubrick's trip into the future was a unique cinematic treat, an amazing play of effects with the director's infinite imagination where the actors were completely incidental. But there is only one Kubrick; Peter Hyams knew that very well and managed to create science fiction of quite a different kind that draws on Clark's excellent script, with a few moments that even continued the mystical atmosphere of the famous first film. The stunts and effects were again excellent, the actors were likeable (though I missed the Russian from Armageddon), and the final twist, which I was eagerly awaiting the whole time, was not badly thought out and didn't spoil the overall impression. I certainly don’t recommend putting on the second Space Odyssey without watching Kubrick’s film first, it’d be a great shame to write off this space adventure in advance. (03/08/2012)