2001: A Space Odyssey

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

  • 96% of critics liked it
    (56 reviews)

  • 86% of users liked it
    (252,220 ratings)

A mind-bending sci-fi symphony, Stanley Kubrick's landmark 1968 epic pushed the limits of narrative and special effects toward a meditation on technology and humanity. Based on Arthur C. Clarke's story The Sentinel, Kubrick and Clarke's screenplay is structured in four movements. At the "Dawn of… More

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G, 2 hr. 19 min.
Directed By
Stanley Kubrick
Written By
Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke
Genres
Classics, Science Fiction & Fantasy
In Theaters
Jan 1, 1968 Wide
On DVD
Aug 25, 1998
Warner Bros. Pictures

Critic Reviews

  • Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

    The film's projections of the cold war and antiquated product placements may look quaint now, but the poetry is as hard-edged and full of wonder as ever.

  • Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

    It was a freshening attitude then, though its long-term effects haven't been all to the good.

  • Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune

    It is an extraordinary, obsessive, beautiful work of art.

  • Glenn Lovell, San Jose Mercury News

    Yup, you guessed it -- a religious experience.

  • Stephen Hunter, Washington Post

    Now, seen in the actual 2001, it's less a visionary masterpiece than a crackpot Looney Tune, pretentious, abysmally slow, amateurishly acted and, above all, wrong.

Read all 24 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Tyler K


    Incredible. This masterpiece of a motion picture is astonishing from the Dawn of Man to the End of the Universe. Remember able Special effects litter this Stanley Kubrick classic. Incredible acting and use of sound is also a very nice touch to this masterpiece. Based of the book with… More

  • paul o


    Sci-fi genius! This film has inspired science and culture with its mystic and ambiguous plot; in other words, its a classic!

  • Graham J


    This may be the most grand movie experience ever created. Beautiful, hypnotic and horrifying.

  • Christopher H


    This is my favorite movie of all time. The visuals look just as stunning now as they did in 1968. The music is iconic and epically beautiful. The story is deep and very complex, dealing themes from man's place in the universe, how far human's have come and how far we need… More

  • Brad W


    2001: A Space Odyssey is the most incredible achievment in the history of filmmaking, and is (tied with Star wars V as) the greatest Science Fiction film ever. The plot is one of the most incredible adventures that I have ever seen, it starts off millions of years in the past, and… More

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

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