Review of 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) by Andrew A — 13 Oct 2015

4/4 stars. This is one of the most incredible, awesome, and ideological movies ever made. Director Stanley Kubrick is always a master of visual style, but this is his most visually spectacular film. It is also his most influential work. Most of all, this is his masterpiece, and possibly the best sci-fi movie ever made.

The film's special effects are nothing short of spectacular. The film is very slow-paced, but uses this to its advantage in order to better capture it's own visuals. This results in a bunch of 2 - 2&1/2 minute scenes that showcase spaceships, spaceship landings, the moon and other planets, but most impressively show zero gravity. These zero gravity scenes are obviously what inspired the movie Gravity. Yes, they are that good. From circular spaceships that spin in a circle while the person stays stationary to a girl walking in a circle without leaving the floor, this film is full of "how did they do that without CGI" moments.

Of course, the main focus of any Kubrick film is the ideas. Here, they are intensely provocative and intriguing. But mostly they are just painfully hard to comprehend. Every time I watch this movie I get a headache because I can't comprehend everything it's saying. I'm a straight A student, too. I don't mean to brag, so please don't think I am. I'm just showing how hard it is to understand this film.

The plot is excellent and original, the acting is highly believable, and each character is developed very well. But it is the marvelous visual effects that steal the show. It came out 9 years before Star Wars, yet it's visual effects are better. All around, this film is not so much a movie as just a mind blowing experience.