Review of 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) by Daryl N — 03 Jan 2014

'Humanity finds a mysterious, obviously artificial, object buried beneath the lunar surface and, with the intelligent computer H.A.L. 9000, sets off on a quest.' This summary doesn't even begin to explain 2001; I doubt my review will either.

2001: A Space Odyssey is based off acclaimed Science Fiction writer Arthur C Clarke's short story 'The Sentinel' and is, quite simply, the quintessential Sci-Fi; forget Star Wars, Blade Runner, Alien and Planet of the Apes. In my younger days I had seen clips, I had heard the music, and I had heard people reciting the quotes. However, I did not see any large portion of this fantastic film until high school, during a science lesson (Thank you Miss Greening). After this, I decided to finally sit down and watch the entire thing. Since then I have seen this film many times, and am watching it now as I write my review.

2001 is mostly a visual experience, there is very little dialogue in the film (especially at the start and at the very end), instead we're treated to breathtaking shots of earth and the ships surrounding it, the polished interiors of these spacecraft, and to the pen floating aimlessly next to Heywood Floyd's seat in the zero-gravity environment with the beautiful and iconic music playing, our eyes are looking out into space itself. For a film made in 1968 the special effects are still awe-inspiring, even after multiple viewings. I still get that special feeling when the film starts, the moon, sun and earth align to Richard Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra.

When a character is speaking in the film they feel wooden or robotic, I believe this isn't down to poor acting but rather to symbolise humanity's detachment from standard communication and situations and their dependence on technology, it could also be interpreted as the humans becoming like the machines themselves, this is evident throughout the film as characters eat processed meals from machines, use machines to align and land their space ships, and through the introduction of H.A.L. 9000 we can see that sophisticated Artificial Intelligence is in control of entire spaceships. H.A.L. himself reinforces this theory by being the most interesting character in the film, and towards the end showing more emotion than any human in the story.

The effect of technology on humanity is also extremely prominent in the modern developed world, people are always connect online, using their phones, tablets, and are generally using the internet many hours in a day for many different activities that even just 15 years ago would have been carried out differently. This advance in technology is something that has allowed this film to pass the test of time; it has aged incredibly well, one day I can imagine space travel being this advanced.

2001: A Space Odyssey is a slow experience, I feel this is intentional, Kubrick's freedom in making this groundbreaking film is projected onto the audience, he allows us our own freedom to ponder each gorgeous shot, and he lets us think and use our imagination, finally drawing our own conclusions. In my opinion, this is one of very few perfect films ever made; I do not believe anything will ever come close to this remarkable achievement.

This film will live on forever, it will never go away, mysteries tend to stick around for long time, and that is exactly what thing makes 2001: A Space Odyssey interesting, just like the legendary filmmaker who directed it.

"How could we possibly appreciate the Mona Lisa if Leonardo had written at the bottom of the canvas: 'The lady is smiling because she is hiding a secret from her lover.'? This would shackle the viewer to reality, and I don't want this to happen to 2001" - Stanley Kubrick.

In conclusion; I have to applaud the effort injected into this film, I really respect Stanley Kubrick and everybody who worked on this film, the effect this film has had on popular culture and the filmmakers of today is almost unrivalled, If you have not seen this spectacular film I hope you will soon, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do every single time I treat myself to this true cinema great.

**My Rating - 5/5.**.