Does anyone know whats so evil about HAL 9000?

shoyrumaster11

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Ever heard of the HAL 9000 supercomputer? It's supposed to be this creepy computer with a glowing red light. And it asks, What are you doing, Dave? I don't know any more about it, but it seems to be pretty evil! Just look at this image!

hal-9000.jpg


Get the point?
 

xist

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2001.....where over and rated come together.....

HAL is a masterpiece of characterisation despite it's monotone delivery, the rest of the (overlong) film, not so much.
 

Depravo

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2001.....where over and rated come together.....
2001 is a brilliant film - the book is even better. 2010 (the film) however... to call it bad would be to slander the word 'bad'. I've read the entire series and the books start very good and get progressively worse but never so bad as the 2010 film adaptation.

 

Vulpes Abnocto

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There's nothing inherently evil about HAL.
He malfunctioned due to poor planning in the creation of artificial intelligence;
he just about literally had an emotional breakdown.

The movie certainly isn't a shoot-em-up space thriller with Michael Bay explosions and chase scenes, leading some to conclude that it's boring. I personally consider it to be a work of art. But to each their own. If you can't sit through the movie, I highly suggest reading the book(s). If you don't, you'll never know the significance of a simple black stone, or why some people balk at the thought of us landing on Jupiter's moon, Europa.
 

xist

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The movie certainly isn't a shoot-em-up space thriller with Michael Bay explosions and chase scenes, leading some to conclude that it's boring. I personally consider it to be a work of art. But to each their own. If you can't sit through the movie, I highly suggest reading the book(s). If you don't, you'll never know the significance of a simple black stone, or why some people balk at the thought of us landing on Jupiter's moon, Europa.

And that's exactly what it is - art. It most definitely has interesting points, and might utilise interesting plot devices and sometimes complex issues shown in a subtle way, but as someone who owns the thing on DVD it gets lost in itself. It's certainly a great work on cinematography and atmospherics but it's not a masterclass in storytelling. The issue i have is that is fits into a very specific genre of Sci-fi, yet somehow time after time is hailed as one of the best (general) sci-fi films of all time, which it isn't.

And for the record, despite my disdain for it i'd much rather plod through 2001 than have to endure a Michael Bay film....
 
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Gahars

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I have never seen the film, but I have read the book. If I remember correctly, HAL only went haywire because it received two conflicting orders - keep the details of the mission a secret from the crew, and be completely honest and truthful to them. Unable to resolve the issue, it sabotaged the mission and attempted to kill them.

If you haven't already, definitely pick up the book. It's a classic piece of science fiction, and a pretty gripping read.
 

Guild McCommunist

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From what I heard the movie is a bit dry but it was very visually engaging and pioneering for its time. I wouldn't call it "overrated" as much as Citizen Kane is "overrated". Not necessarily a movie everyone will like, especially nowadays, but it did a lot for the industry and the genre and you can at least appreciate it.

But of course anything considered remotely popular is gonna have its thick-rimmed glasses-toting artsy-fartsy types who think it's "overrated".
 
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