Review of 2010 (1984) by Daniel K — 26 Apr 2011
Arthur C. Clarke is one of my favourite authors and I often wonder why more of his novels haven't been made into movies. Then I see one like 2010 and remember that while Clarke wrote about mind-boggling expanses of time and space, his characters tended to be a bit thin.
Even a quality cast such as Scheider, Lithgow, and Mirren can only do so much with such cliched characters. And seeing this on TV recently, the special effects don't hold up well. Some of the matte scenes, particularly when the characters are floating between the two spaceships, have a very flat appearance.
Other scenes have very noticeable "garbage mattes", areas around objects that are a different colour than the rest of the background. Now this may be because the TV channel used an old, un-restored print; I'd have to see this on DVD to compare.
There were some well done moments, particularly the sets based on the originals in 2001: A Space Odyssey. And, of course, the return of Keir Dullea as Bowman and Douglas Rain as HAL. In the end, Clarke is perhaps better enjoyed on the page than on the screen.
This review of 2010 (1984) was written by Daniel K on 26 Apr 2011.
2010 has generally received positive reviews.
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