Review of 2010 (1984) by Al M — 06 Aug 2010

For starters, it is completely unfair to Hyams' film to compare it in any way to Kubrick's majesterial 2001: A Space Odyssey. It is not high art and it is not a classic of cinematic expression, but it is a well-crafted and intelligent piece of science fiction that brings plenty of tension and suspense together with its metaphysical elements.

In most ways, the film follows rather closely along with Clarke's novel, and it features a great cast of Roy Scheider, John Lithgow, and Helen Mirren. It continues to probe the nature of life and humankind's place in the universe while also speculating upon the existence of forces that exist on a higher order of being than humankind can imagine.

Indeed, by the film's end, it is difficult to say whether these beings may actually be God(s) or not.