MovieChat Forums > Demon Seed (1977) Discussion > 2001: A Space Odyssey Ripoff!

2001: A Space Odyssey Ripoff!

posted 19 years ago by iamcraig
19 replies | jump to latest

When it first came out, I remember sci-fi enthusiasts complaining about the elements that 1977's "Demon Seed" had in common with 1968's "2001: A Space Odyssey."

In particular, The self-conscious supercomputer with a human "HAL-like" voice...And the "psychedelic" visual interludes.

As far as Robert Vaughn's voice as Proteus...The comparison with Douglas Rain's HAL was inevitable. Both spoke with a natural human lilt and without the stereotypical mechanical stilting voice that sci-fi movies had usually reserved for computer characters. (Although Robert Vaughn's voice was given a gratuitous high-tech distortion for the time.) Both voice actors were used to instill some sense of humanity to the machine characters.

Compared with 1970's "Colossus: The Forbin Project"...Paul Frees' heavily filtered voice as the supercomputer Colossus was never meant to provoke a sense of self-consiousness or humanity...Only to voice a coldly logical automaton.

As far a the "psychedelic" visual interludes? Both "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "Demon Seed" were produced by MGM Studios in Panavision format...And the MGM visual effects department obviously wanted to show off their new electronic video effects processing in that same impressive wide format that 2001's slow-motion liquid and camera animation effects had done almost a decade before.

Finally, and most likely undetectable for most viewers, "Demon Seed" uses some of the same sound effects produced for "2001: A Space Odyssey."

But then again...MGM's sound library for "2001: A Space Odyssey" has been used over and over again in contemporary movies as well...Which is telling aspect of those MGM sound engineers' skill from almost four decades ago.

[–] Possessed-like-a-Fish 19 years ago

No One Cares!

Demon Seed is a very good movie, so don't go jabbering!

[–] iamcraig 19 years ago

Plenty of people cared enough to compare "Demon Seed" with "2001: A Space Odyssey" when the former was originally released.

If you were around about that time, perhaps you would understand. You are obviously too young to have experienced that plenty of pre-web sci-fi fans DID care and heartily debated the issue...Aka "jabbering."

I'm sure that IMDB people reading this thread get more insight about the film out of your half-sentence exclaimation that "Demon Seed is a very good movie."

*roll eyes*

[–] Possessed-like-a-Fish 19 years ago

But it is a good movie.

I read the novel and saw the movie. I found the movie better. 2001: A Space Odyssey, is overlong and quite boring. Demon Seed was made better and got straight to the point - it didn't have monkeys jumping and screaming around for half an hour.

Demon Seed was suspenseful and the direction was way better than anything Kubrick could've made.

Demon Seed may of been 'Inspired' by 2001: A Space Odyssey, but it's not the movie that's a "Ripoff" - there was a novel written many years beforehand by the great Dean Koontz.

By the way, Demon Seed doesn't try to be a masterpiece (Even though it's close to it). 2001: A Space Odyssey may be seen as a Masterpiece (I can hardly see why), but Demon Seed has many good qualities to have it called '2001: A Space Odyssey Ripoff!'

Demon Seed actually has a better storyline than 2001: A Space Odyssey. Demon Seed has better acting and casting. But best of all, I found the Writing in Demon Seed a lot better than 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Demon Seed is an underrated cult classic. It's very enjoyable and fun.

That is all!

I think I made my point.

[–] Chromium_5 19 years ago

Demon Seed may of been 'Inspired' by 2001: A Space Odyssey, but it's not the movie that's a "Ripoff" - there was a novel written many years beforehand by the great Dean Koontz.

Um, yeah. Nice try. Actually the book was published in 1973, five years after "2001" was released.

Walker told me I have AIDS.

[–] 19 years ago

[deleted]

[–] iamcraig 19 years ago

"Demon Seed is an underrated cult classic. It's very enjoyable and fun.

That is all!

I think I made my point."

I agree..."Deamon Seed" is a great movie. But you missed my original point.

Many sci-fi enthusiasts who originally saw "Demon Seed" in the theaters thought it ripped off far too much from "2001: A Space Odyssey."

It's an old argument from sci-fi conventions, an editorial or two from the magazine "Starlog," and probably a host of ancient pre-world-wide-web usenet posts available on Google Groups.

My original post was more-or-less re-hashing those old arguments. ;P

[–] lrcdmnhd72 17 years ago

Actually, I thought that 2001: A Space Odyssey, was only boring in spots. I thought the monkey scene in the beginning was overly long, as well as the Jupiter trip.

[–] iamcraig 19 years ago

"IAmCraig, you really are an *beep* aren't you?"

Wow...That's a intelligent critical analysis of my opinion of "Demon Seed."

*Roll eyes*

[–] 19 years ago

[deleted]

[–] buckaroobanzai50 18 years ago

Quite a few films made in the late '70s, contain similar 'star train' type sequences in them like The Manitou, etc. It seemed to be a fashion back then. No necessarily a rip-off though.

[–] toalzhu 17 years ago

agree. think that they wanted to recreate 2001 success. It was funny when during the "penetration" Proteus shows to Julie Christy's character some space psychodelic sequence - just like in the 2001 finale.

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] martymcsly2k1 16 years ago

This is more of a fusion of "Rosemary's Baby" and "Colossus: The Forbin Project"

Proteus also seems to be more directly inspired by AM from Harlan Ellison's "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" than HAL.

[–] intexor 13 years ago

I don't think it's such a blatant rip-off at all. Yes, there's a conscious computer but its goals are different. The setting is obviously completely different. The only thing I thought came close to ripping off 2001 is where Proteus shows the woman his image of the galaxy, which is a pretty long video sequence that does make one think of the video sequence near the end of 2001. Yet again though, they don't really have the same purpose.

[–] deanowest 13 years ago

seems to me its a melding of Rosemary's baby and 2001. Rosemary and 2001 are bone fide classics.......Demon Seed.....fun but goofy scifi/horor.

Dictated, but not read.

[–] ethermusic1981 11 years ago

I agree with everything you've said here.
That is all...

[–] Strazdamonas 12 years ago

Having similarities to a bad movie does not make Demon seed a ripoff.

---------------------------------------------
Applied Science? All science is applied. Eventually.