Review of 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) by Nathan A — 26 Jun 2015

2001 is a sight to behold. It boasts some of the most outstanding visuals and camera-work not only of its time, but of all time. Stands the test of time incredibly well, even if it has a 1960s flavor to its sense of design. Movies like this are what cinema was made for, and there's nothing in the genre that is superior (there may be a couple on the same footing, but none exceeding). Kubrick's genius is all over this, and like a machine, every aspect is deliberate and precise as you can get. The only element I can say that I'm not a huge fan of is the ape sequence at the beginning, but the cinematography is breathtaking, so it evens itself out.

To those that can't sit through this movie, I have a couple of thoughts:

1: If you can't sit through it because of its odd, cryptic nature and surreal, confusing atmosphere, I understand, it's not for everyone.

2: If you can't sit through this merely because of the length, you have no right to complain. It's only under 3 hours long, so I'd hate to see how one would fare watching Das Boot or Barry Lyndon. It is actually just as long as some Marvel and DC films, such as The Avengers 2 and Man of Steel. Because it has a lack of action, explosions and more emphasis on tension, dialogue and atmosphere, it's not a success? You really need to somehow get a bigger attention span, get more cultured and open to other genres and as I said in my review for Alien, stick to the 'turn your mind off' crap that the dungheap called Hollywood spews out on a constant basis.