Review of 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) by Calib M — 27 Mar 2016

There is only ONE thing stopping this film from being no.1 on all the "best of all time" lists. The people that love this film worship it (including me) & the people that hate it only hate it because they are naive & impatient. If everyone had patience in this world & people ACTUALLY paid attention to the whole film without falling asleep? It would be EVERYONES Greatest film ever made. The true monilith of cinema.

No words can describe how masterful this film is. It's more than just a film, it's somthing else entirely. To me, the TRUE meaning of the words "masterpiece" & "experience" is - "2001: A Space Odyssey".

There's more deep meaning and hidden messages in this film than all of Chris Nolan's films combined.

To explain to the Naive and impatient folk. there IS a reason for the 5 minite scenes of (so-called) "nothing".

We spend 10 minutes looking at apes in plain desert, showing us how we developed human behavour for the first time.

THEN....all of a sudden, we're seeing a spaceship & spacestation. Without the 5 minute scenes, The film wouldn't be able to make us appreciate the technology we've managed to create since the "dawn of man". Think of those scenes as a 'celebration' of tenchnology & space travel.

All those 5 minute scenes of "nothing" are one of the most important aspects of the film.

There is even a reason as to why the film plays 5 minutes of music before the film starts.

The song 'requiem' plays whenever a monolith appears on-screen. Stanley uses 'Requiem' to not only create a chilling mood but also give the monolith a voice. 'Requiem' is the monolith's voice speaking to whoever it is facing. By having the music play over the black screen at the beginning of the film Kubrick is actually showing us the first monolith. Doesn't the black screen go on for a little too long? That was done intentionally by Kubrick. This is the monolith speaking to the audience themselves which suggest that we're about to witness a film so grand and so magnificent that it will open up our eyes to things we've never even thought possible.?

This is a movie that needs thinking, repeated viewings, and more thinking, it's ambiguous and multilayered.

It's a philosophical journey that makes you wonder about life.

A masterpiece still fresh to this day, it looks like it hasn't dated a single year, it has phenomenal special effects, a brilliant screenplay and story, astoundingly perfect acting with one of the greatest villains of all time, along side the best use of music in a motion picture to this day.

This movie is among a special catagory in science-fiction movies, 2001 is not concerned with thrilling us, but with inspiring our awe.

Watching this film demands two qualities that are sadly lacking in all but the most mature and sophisticated audiences: patience and a willingness to ponder the meaning of what's transpiring on screen. 2001 is awe inspiring, but it is most definitely not a "thrill ride." It is art, it is a statement, and it is indisputably a cinematic classic.

Kubrick's best work, and in my eyes, the greatest motion picture ever created and I doubt it will ever be triumphed.

2001: A Space Odyssey is a must-see for every cinephile!