On its own, Stanley Kubricks 2001: A Space Odyssey would hold an uncontested title for weirdest space epic ever conceived. However, Kubricks film is based on the series of novels by Arthur C. Clarke and of the four books, one of them, 2010: Odyssey Two was made into a film. Therefore, as a complete cinematic story, we give it a second place finish. While Kubricks 2001 artistically transcended the science fiction genre to become an experimental musing on metaphysics, consciousness and isolation, Peter Hyams sequel remained just another genre piece. 2010 becomes bogged down with purpose, devoting much of its attention to answering questions purposely left unanswered by Kubrick. Further, the film overplays the Cold War tensions reflective of the era in which it was produced. In the middle of this lies the plot like an afterthought. 2010 does contain some epic moments, interesting visuals and the ability to raise poignant questions, and when viewed as a complete story along with 2001 there does remain a cohesive progress of events. Dave Bowmans journey is that of the epic hero, a growth from reluctant hero to saviour and sage, and the Space Odyssey series is a unique look at some age-old questions.
David Wagner is an author/musician who splits his time between Oakland, CA and Istanbul, Turkey.
David has published two novels, both available on his website, and as a fan of movies, comics, and genre television, he is happy to be working with WhatCulture as a regular contributor.
