Review of 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) by Persin — 11 Jan 2013

I give this film the highest rating, but I am still not sure if I like it. This film is intriguing, visually spectacular, and one of the most ambiguous I have seen. Its lack of dialogue can make a viewer seem disconnected, and some sequences with humans are disturbing in their lack of emotion, but maybe that was a point Kubrick was attempting to make.

In the film, humankind is shown to have essentially taken the place, emotionally, of their machines, who seem to be more human than they. Maybe, in conclusion, the philosophy of this film is that man cannot improve himself, but only bestow higher qualities on its creations, which they can never achieve.

If this holds true, perhaps those who made the monoliths were conscious of this, and tried to elevate themselves by elevating man. Hard to like, but fantastic nonetheless (if that makes any sense).