Review of 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) by Sitaram B — 19 Aug 2016

2001: A Space Odyssey is one of those masterpieces that should be mandatory viewing especially now in the era of "social media", "texting" instead of talking, and "computer time" over the great outdoors. Yes, it DOES take place largely in space, but you eventually learn that space has little if anything to do with the movie. It's a very philosophical movie about the meaning of life that, in the end, will have you dusting off your copy of Viktor Frankl's "Man's Search for Meaning".

It is not an easy film to sit through. It's not that it's an overly lengthy movie at 2.5 hours, but because the tempo is maddeningly slow at times especially for today's ADD viewer. However, you eventually figure out that slowing the tempo at these key points are all part of Kubrick's masterful design, and you find yourself thanking him for it in the end. Being ADD, I watched it for the first time in four "chunks" over separate nights. Then, you'll find yourself thinking about it randomly, but consistently, for about a week, until you find yourself re-watching it in it's entirety.