2010 (Yeah, the sequel.)

Since this is on TV right now and I couldn't find a thread for it, here goes.

Obviously not in the same league as Kubrick's 2001, but I found it inoffensive enough, and the special effects and cinematography (by the same guys who worked on The Empire Strikes Back) are pretty outstanding, I think.

So is the movie a curiosity at best? A travesty, squandering its pedigree? I have a feeling that there might be some diverse opinions out there.

Wasn't surprised to see Syd Mead on the credits, either — the interior of the Soviet spaceship looks straight out of Alien.

It's only OK (love the Clarke/Kubrick easter eggs in the film) but the Cold War paranoia makes it rather quaint now. Too bad you're seeing this on television because the exteriors (especially the spacewalk scenes) looked fantastic in the theater.

I love the ending of the book when one of the Europan blob-things sticks out a tendril at the monolith. Full-circle and all that.

It's in widescreen, at least, but I can imagine how much better it would have looked in theatres.

Only saw it on initial release, remembered being visually impressed, but yeah, very of-its-time as filmed (admittedly as written too but the emphasis was on enthusiastic cooperation between the US and Russian astronauts throughout set against the Chinese trying to steal the show -- that whole sequence where they hear the one survivor from Europa in the book is wonderful and chilling, and I always regretted they expunged that whole arc from the movie).

About the time it was released I came across a really great little paperback that published telex conversations (of all things)between Clarke and Peter Hyams about making the film.

In one chapter Hyams is trying to track down Dougles Rain, then when he finally gets to talk to him over the phone he's freaked out at how he sounds just like HAL.