2010: A Space Epilogue

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!

Full disclosure... I love 2010! Yeah, I am that guy. lol While I fully acknowledge Kubrick was a genius filmmaker, I do find his 2001 to be a very cold, detached, clinical experience. It is masterpiece of filmmaking that, for me, is filled with wonderous visuals and undeveloped boring characters. I think that is why I prefer 2010; instead of trying to compete with the original classic, it shifts story emphasis to characters rather than metaphysics.

With that out of the way, I got to say this was a truly fascinating watch.
SubjectZero has KUBRICKED the frack out of 2010!

Some exceptional audio throughout this edit. I thoroughly enjoyed all the new music choices. The pacing, chapter breaks and minimalism all harken nicely to the original. The 'no sound in space' works very well. Though the spacewalk breathing sound fx didn't quite work for me, as it never changes when the characters are in distress.

The new minimalism tone works really well. So well, that the "hotdog" and "you think I was wrong" scenes feel out of place in this new narrative. Also, I found the removal of the Cold War dialogue in the scene between Heywood and Moisevitch to be a bit awkward. And while I loved the additional footage from other films like Ad Astra, narratively it works fantastically, I thought it could have been degraded more to match the original film; as is, it really pops out with how clean, bright and CGI it is.

While I still prefer the original movie, this was an amazing alternate viewing experience.
SubjectZero successfully met all his set out goals.
Well worth the watch! Thank you so much for sharing with us.

I was very intrigued by this edit. Whilst I agree with subjectzero in that 2010 is not in the same league as Kubrick's 2001, I've always enjoyed it as a solid follow up. There's no doubt that with Peter Hyams at the helm, it's a more conventional movie. Hyams is a more than competent director, having made such fare as Outland, Capricorn One, not to mention the extremely entertaining Van Damme vehicles, Timecop and Sudden Death. Of course, he's no Kubrick though, and there's no doubt that for as well made as 2010 is, it lacks the majesty and style of its ground breaking predecessor and in some ways gets bogged down by trying to over explain everything, particularly with Roy Scheider's voice over. So, the prospect of an edit which attempts to strip some of this down and make it more like 2001 in feel, certainly spiked my interest.

On the whole, subjectzero succeeds in the attempts to bring this more in line with 2001. There are large amounts of dialogue removed, particularly during some of the space walk scenes, and thankfully all of Scheider's voice over is gone. To be honest, I didn't miss any of these scenes, so kudos to the work done on this. The only criticism I would make, is that during some space walk scenes where some of the crew are in trouble, or at least in precarious positions, their breathing remains the same (i.e. very calm and controlled), which does lessen the impact and excitement somewhat. It's not a deal breaker, but I feel more work could have been done on this in terms of audio editing.

The "no sound in space" idea is on the whole well executed, and the additional/alternate music cues work nicely and certainly hark back to Kubrick's style from 2001. However, I do question the execution of tiny sections of the choral music from 2001 which literally pop up for what can be 2 or 3 seconds and will then just cut out. To me this feels jarring and is the sole reason why I have downmarked the audio editing. It happens on 5 occasions and it did impact the overall enjoyment of the edit for me. Some may say I'm being fussy, and perhaps I am, but it's a real shame as otherwise all the musical choices and audio editing work well. There's nothing wrong with the choral music being used, it's just the execution unfortunately.

Otherwise, I fully enjoyed this edit. The extra scenes used from other sci-fi movies such as Interstellar, AD Astra etc, are expertly implemented, and considering the very small file size of the MP4 the picture quality looks impressive. Personally I would have prefered a larger file size so that it could have rivalled the blu-ray quality of the film, but I was nevertheless impressed.

Naturally with the film being cut down to just over 90 minutes, it does feel a little on the slim side for such a space epic, but full kudos to subjectzero for managing to make a streamlined version that feels more in the world of 2001 and doesn't feel the need to over explain everything to the viewer. Recommended.