2001: A Space Odyssey
"Still the grandest of all science-fiction movies." -Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
2001: A Space Odyssey is a countdown to tomorrow, a road map to human destiny, a quest for the infinite. It is dazzling, Academy Award®-winning visual achievement, a compelling drama of man vs. machine, a stunning meld of music and motion. It may be the masterwork of director Stanley Kubrick (who co-wrote the screenplay with Arthur C. Clarke)... and it will likely excite, inspire and enthrall for generations.
To begin his voyage into the future, Kubrick visits our prehistoric ape-ancestry past, then leaps millennia (via one of the most mind-blowing jump cuts ever conceived) into colonizes space, and ultimately whisks astronaut Bowman (Keir Dullea) into uncharted realms of space, perhaps even into immortality. "Open the pod bay doors, HAL." Let the awe and mystery of a journey unlike any other begin.
Member Reviews
Speechless - ABC99
Some movies aren't about anything. 2001 is one of those movies where things happen, people react, characters interact but it isn't the point. The point is this is a movie that dares to ask unanswerable questions and allows its audience to ponder them. This movie has to be experianced, and reflected on. It seems pointless at parts but it isn't.A Challenging Journey - icedevilz2
First, what you are watching is as much an art experiment as it is an attempt to tell a science fiction story. So do yourself a favour and get the blu-ray, so that you can fully appreciate the beauty of the picture and sound. Next, forget everything you have heard about the movie. The problem with legends is that expectations get warped (and disappointed). Finally, make this something you have time to appreciate, because it is unusually paced. (And it is not JUST modern audiences who have trouble with the pacing – many at the time of release found it difficult to watch as well!) If you do this, you will have a far more authentic experience with the film.
2001 was a pioneer in special effects. How can you tell? Well considering it was produced in 1968 and manages to look better than sci-fi films produced into the 80s, tells you just what an achievement this was. It also is one of the most accurate depictions of space travel you will ever see. Without HAL, it also isn’t a very good story. What everyone remembers and talks about is really a small portion of the plot. Without this bit of the plot, the rest of the movie would have very little going on, over a very long time frame.
In addition to HAL (and the iconic transition towards the beginning), what everyone remembers is the music. Or rather the CHOICE and USE of music. It redefined some classic pieces. It is also extremely challenging to listen to in its transitions. You will understand after you have watched. I say this because, whatever your taste in movies, you need to watch this film and watch it properly. Think of it as a 2+ hour visit to a modern art gallery, with one exhibit that everyone should enjoy and several that will at least challenge your senses. Also, do yourself a favour and read the book – they are meant to be experienced together.Yeah, where are the martians, lightsabers, rayguns? - happyblue
2001 often gets praised to the high heavens by film critics, but it's not for everyone. It is art first, movie entertainment second. Watching it the same way you watch, say, Aliens or The Matrix, where you are expecting character development, conventional narrative and a climax to a big finale, is the wrong way to approach this film.
In 2001, the joy is in the journey. The film starts with a few minutes of black screen with music, followed by the image of planets and stars appearing in sync with the credits and then the apeman sequence. If you're not enraptured by the first 10 minutes, then you probably won't last the entire film. This is serious filmmaking and filmviewing. A lot is being said with each image. (The more humans venture into the vastness of space, the more empty and cold it seems.) Even the background sound and music have a purpose. (Majestic music plays while we watch extraordinary pieces of technology float through space, but inside those spacecrafts it's dead silent, conveying loneliness.) It's a film about something more than characters or story. The meaning is much deeper and the film challenges (more like dares) the viewer to search for it. An average person may not have the motivation to find it, but if you're any type of serious filmviewer, you'd at least give it a serious try.
I don't see 2001 as a Hollywood movie but as a movie that just happened to be made in Hollywood. It fails as a popcorn flick, but succeeds boundlessly as art.
Member Reviews
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Speechless - ABC99
Some movies aren't about anything. 2001 is one of those movies where things happen, people react, characters interact but it isn't the point. The point is this is a movie that dares to ask unanswerable questions and allows its audience to ponder them. This ...A Challenging Journey - icedevilz2
First, what you are watching is as much an art experiment as it is an attempt to tell a science fiction story. So do yourself a favour and get the blu-ray, so that you can fully appreciate the beauty of the picture and sound. Next, forget everything you have ...Yeah, where are the martians, lightsabers, rayguns? - happyblue
2001 often gets praised to the high heavens by film critics, but it's not for everyone. It is art first, movie entertainment second. Watching it the same way you watch, say, Aliens or The Matrix, where you are expecting character development, conventional ...