![]() ![]() They were a great addition to the movie, and helped to create some terrific tension in certain key moments of the movie. Early CGI was used too, most notably in the swarm of monoliths that begin to spread throughout Jupiters atmosphere. The special effects were created by Douglas Trumbull’s Entertainment Effects Group, although Trumbull, who’d played a large part in the effects of the first movie, didn’t personally work on the sequel. Helen Mirren, being British, obviously is hired to play a Russian, here the ship’s Captain and a stern cold bitch too, portrayed cold and hostile as the Russians so very often are. Lithgow’s character in the book is typical of a character Lithgow would play, wisecracking and humorous, but it was almost watered down in the film, which seems a shame not to have utilised that ability in the actor. There are also relatively early appearances from John Lithgow and Helen Mirren. In fact the relationship between Floyd and his wife frayed with time and distance in the novel, the movie again opts for a more rose tinted ending.Īmong the cast playing the crew of the Leonov are actors such as Close Encounters actor, Bob Balaban, as Dr Chandra, the strange creator of HAL, hired to re-establish a link to HAL. They have a corny dreamy echo, and seem to be read from the page, whereas the same letters in the novel were carried by a lot more spontaneity. Throughout the film we hear voice over of the letters he writes to his wife back on Earth. His character seemed a lot more the leader than in the novel, where he was merely taking a back seat to all the scientists. Scheider is decent as Heywood, but hardly notable. The movie has a brilliant cast, and some excellent effects, and I’d imagine that due to there being a larger cast in the film that there is more going on in this movie to entertain most audiences than there was in Kubrick’s slow paced and mostly silent movie. To me, Hyams was trying to emanate the feel good message that Speilberg had captured with Close Encounters several years prior, yet I think Hyams failed – it felt to me like it was merely tagged onto the film. It’s a hideous happy ending that ruins the mystery of the book. In the movies end, the same message is received by the Leonov, but the all knowing extra terrestrials had to add a melodramatic sentimental footnote about working together and in peace. Without giving too much away the book ends with the crew of the Leonov receiving a message from the Monolith, in which Earth is warned away from Europa. It’s a storyline that I find helps to date the movie quicker than perhaps it should have, and really does nothing for the tension of the film.Ī perfect example of how awful this extra storyline is, would be summed up nicely by the films ending. If anything it’s an inclusion typical of the 80’s, see Rocky 4, see Red Heat. This premise is generally the same as Clarke’s novel, although, here, for the big screen, the general mood between the yanks and the ruskies is not too hot, as we hear of a war brewing between the two countries at home on Earth, and the storyline is made into a prominent feature that the book seemed to work fine without. He is coaxed back to accompany a joint American/Russian team of astronauts aboard the Leonov, as they journey back to Jupiter, to investigate the disappearance of Dave Bowman and more importantly the strange monolith still floating in orbit around the planet. Here he is none other than Roy ‘Chief Brody’ Scheider, and since the disaster of Discovery One, he was held responsible, and quit his position as a result. The story this time follows Heywood Floyd, who was the head of the National Council of Astronautics when we met him in the original, and played by William Sylvester. Clarke in brief cameos as the Russian / American leaders pictured on the front of time magazine. Kubrick can be seen, along with the author, Arthur C. He also wrote the screenplay and although some additions he made to Clarkes story are decidedly ill fitting and unnecessary, what you’re left with is a relatively good film. Whilst not sharing the majesty and enigma of Kubricks original, Hyams skilfully handles this much anticipated sequel. Instead, Peter Hyams, director of the slightly above average conspiracy sci- fi thriller, Capricorn One, takes to the director’s chair, and makes once again another slightly above average sci-fi thriller. The novel was, however, the sequel to Kubricks film, as opposed to his own novel, and whether this was to get it out to a greater audience is not clear, but it certainly had no effect in coaxing back the legendry director to sit behind the camera. Clarke’s very own sequel novel, published 2 years earlier in 1982. Over ten years after Kubrick’s phenomenal s cience fiction masterpiece, 2010 hits the big screen, based on author Arthur C.
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