2010: A Textbook Example of How Not to Up a Sequel You Deserve Medals

Since the dawn of cinema, sequels have always been a dicey proposition. As the media is oft to tell us, fans are absolute monsters and barely register as human, and as such, can be fickle and unreasonable with how they receive follow-ups to their favourite properties. Some sequels meet even the most jaded fan expectations, and provide quality and worthy continuations of fantastic starts - think Winter Soldier, Terminator 2, and Wrath of Khan. In other cases, you get movies like Last Jedi, Speed 2, and Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, all being served by Howard the Duck in a Miniskirt as he squats over your table and colon-dumps onto your plate. However, once in a long while, you get a sequel that not only manages to reach the level of expectation set upon it by demanding fans, but in many ways surpasses the original source material and becomes legendary in its own right. Empire Strikes Back is an obvious example of this, but in this episode, we get to talk about another absolute gem of sequel legend - 2010: The Year We Make Contact.
Strap into your command chair and join Jay and Benny as we blast off into Jupiter orbit, and enjoy one of the best sequels in movie history. 2001 is a tough act to follow because of the whole...you know...absolute artistry and generation-defining storyline. However, 2010 inexplicably knocks it out of the park with a compelling follow-up to the events of the previous film, while adding incredible acting, solid storytelling, and themes of unity and camaraderie against all odds. 2010 is a rare gem in the world of sequels for an obvious yet often overlooked reason - it respects and honours the original material, using it as a springboard to continue a story that makes existing fans happy, while providing an accessible journey to new ones. We wish more studious would take note of this *cough Disney Star Wars cough*.
Avoid staring directly at the monolith as we explore such topics as:
With two minutes of computer mission review text, the viewer is perfectly brought up to speed on the events of the previous movie. If you never saw 2001, these two minutes would have you perfectly positioned to enjoy the movie. Why don’t more sequels do this?
Russia and the US are close to an all out war, yet the scientist interactions between both nations are presented with the right amount of intrigue and cooperation. The growing friendship between the two nations’ crews is one of the best parts of this movie
If you’re like Benny, and you have an abnormally strong dislike of women with pronounced chin dimples, you’re going to HATE Floyd’s wife
Dave is a returning character, playing a pivotal role in story development. He is a beloved character that is treated with respect and dignity. Last Jedi is absolute garbage
Enough good things cannot be said about the growing relationships between space crews. From Floyd’s fatherly comforting of a young Russian officer to John Lithgow’s buddy Max, the viewer is treated to enemies slowly becoming friends in a universe that doesn’t allow it
Dear NASA: We get it. There’s clay on Mars. Awesome. How about you get around to launching a drill probe so we can all say hello to the sentient squid race under Europa’s icy crust? Pretty please?