2010: A Space Epilogue

This is one of those dream-come-true edits for me. 2001 is one of my favorite films, but 2010: The Year We Make Contact has been a frustration and a disappointment. Peter Hyams wrote, directed and shot the film. He clearly loved 2001 too. But he released a sequel that, in so many ways, rejected the aesthetic and intellectual values of the original. What was the point?

However, I suspected there was a better version hidden in there. What if the voice over was removed? What if the chattering dialogue was cut down? What if the space scenes were silent? What if actual classical pieces were used to provide music? The visual design was actually not too far off from the original. Could the rest be brought into better alignment? I hoped I'd get around to finding out one day.

That day has come. The answer is a resounding YES!

Whatever clever ideas I had for doing this have been far out-done by the extra-mile that subjectzero brought to the effort here. There is an OVERTURE. There is a beautiful opening that perfectly sets us up to confront the situations and mysteries of what comes next. The sure-handed style of Stanley Kubrick is beyond anyone's reach, but this fanedit of the sequel is really what Peter Hyams set out to do. It is an in-spirit Kubrick-style adaptation of the 2010 novel and it WORKS. The tragic emotional journey of getting to the bottom of who and what H.A.L. really is brings deep feelings to the bigger grand mystery of what's happening on Jupiter. Real suspense is generated throughout and real majesty is reached for (and often achieved) in the musical/space sequences.

I just couldn't have asked for much more. I wish everyone involved in this disappointing release could see this fan-edit and enjoy a better presentation of their work. It's so much more worthy now and I'm so grateful this fan edit exists.

2010 is a film that's biggest problem is that it's not 2001. The best film of the '60s and at least a decade ahead of its time, 2001 looms large over this movie, and so the theatrical cut to some extent tried to do its own thing. I've always appreciated it for that in its own right, but it certainly doesn't have the same rewatchability or hold the same fascination as 2001. This edit seeks to change all that.

There are two primary narrative cuts: firstly and most importantly, it ditches the newly-ghostly/energy-being Dave Bowman visiting his loved ones at various points on Earth. This always made the theatrical film drag for me, and seemed especially like small potatoes compared to the big themes of the rest of the film that tried to tie back in to 2001. Secondly, all of the USA/USSR distrust and Cold Warring is cut out. The crews still have some tension, but this is no longer a central narrative of the film and does not introduce any last minute roadblocks in the finale. While this can make the film feel a bit simple, and it honestly would've been a valid commentary on the time, it does rather anchor the film in a dated historical POV. I think to have the main resolution of the film be "we countries have to work together because there's bigger stuff at stake" is just a bit old skool and on-the-nose, and this ties back in to 2001 better when the resolution is more focused on extra-terrestrial concerns.

And that's the other main aspect of this edit: to bring the film closer in line with 2001 stylistically. The replacement of the synth score and removal of voiceover do a lot to make that happen. I found the new classical selections to be highly-engaging and perfectly edited in, lending a gravitas and beauty to the space scenes that's heightened by supporting footage from other astro-films. Occasionally some of the old 2010 film footage looks a bit drab or even blurry by comparison, but it's a small price to pay. The new title card inserts are very well done as well!

The only thing I'd change really is the several-minute overture at the start, which just seems like a weird Roadshow style choice at odds with a trim 90 minute film. Besides that, this is really a flawless edit of an already good movie. It's a shelf-replacer for sure, and one that I think now works excellently as the Answer to the Questions of 2001. Watching them in a pair is now not only enjoyable, it's almost obligatory!

The removal of the narration and changes to the music and sound design was very effective in creating a version of 2010 that is much more in keeping with 2001. I've always liked this film and it made me enjoy 2001 more. But this version is my go-to 2010 from now on. It's great.

I thought this was a tremendously successful edit! It absolutely redeemed this film. The original is, in my opinion, the greatest film ever made. This opinion means that I’ve always felt pretty negatively about this sequel. Subjectzero’s edit has really caused me to reevaluate this film.
The music substitution was perfect. Ditching the sax and synth heavy original score alone drug this into the same universe with its distinguished older sibling. I have mixed feelings about the musical prelude over the black screen, simply because I feel it sets the film up to be something it is not, namely an artistic continuation of A Space Odyssey. However, I can see the reason behind including it. It allows the viewer who has seen and enjoyed the original version of this film to adjust their expectations.
I really enjoyed the additional footage pulled in from Ad Astra, Interstellar, and Jupiter Ascending. I agree it would be perfect if the insert shots could be graded (or degraded) to match the footage from the original. However, that’s a very small quibble.
My biggest criticism with this edit is that it cuts too much from the final scene between Hal and Dr. Chandra. I felt like there was meaningful character growth from Chandra that was displayed when he responded to Hal’s “will I dream” question with an honest, “I don’t know”. This perfectly bookends Chandra’s conversation with Sal at the beginning of the film, in which he tells her with certainty that she will dream as “all intelligent creatures dream”. I just felt like the dialogue in this scene was trimmed a bit too harshly. We need the back and forth between Hal and Chandra to truly feel the emotional weight of Hal’s acceptance of his fate. And to make the reactions of Floyd and the rest of the crew to Hal’s “I understand” feel more earned.

I really can't recommend this edit highly enough. This will definitely replace "2010: The Year We Make Contact" as the sequel that comes much, much closer to being the one that should have followed A Space Odyssey.

I'm one of those "WORSHIP 2001" people.

I saw it when I was 7 years old and now lost count.

Then 2010 came along; it's a decent movie, but I just want to like it more than I do or can. Now I can like it a lot more than I did.

This is a great piece of work and truly brings in that Kubrick sense of isolation, wonder and dread. What it cannot do, is deal with inherent issues, such as some of the awful compositing, so no dedustions on that front.

The switch to classical music, silent space walks (bar the breathing track) and stripped back narrative is perfectly executed. The captions area great (in the correct fonts), and overall a much more Kurick/Clarke ride. Interestingly, the stand out moment for me was the opening and the huge attention to detail in the captioning and perfectly timed fade out which told me, THIS IS SPECIAL.

I may disagree with some of the music pieces chosen, but by enlarge, they are spot on so no deductions there either.

I can't say too much more coz it will spoil the journey, so I'll leave it there only to say, THIS IS MY GO TO VERSION and its going on a disc, in a case next to 2001. 2010 Theatrical will be behind them, out of sight!!!!!

BRAVO!