A classic. Deserved? Well for waht it is - yes - this is stylisically beautiful. The story is brilliant and it is brough to life really well. As good as the book? No. Moments of tedium? Yes. More moments of jaw dropping beauty? Totally.
This is a visually stunning movie. I liked the parts with Hal the best. Definitely slow moving in spots. I enjoyed this film but it is not one of my favorite Kubrick films.
full of artistical enjoyment. this film is truly worth the call of one of teh greatest films of all time. though it's a bit hard to digest especially with the ending part, but this film does act as a pioneer to many films
"This is not a film that you watch in order to be entertained or amused, Instead it provides you with a banquet of food for thought, images that linger in the mind's eye long after the movie itself is over and It is a film that you could meditate on."
(A landmark film in science fiction genre,One Of The Best Films Of All-Time)
Excellent direction and plot. But parts were slow and boring while most the last third I didn't know what was going on. Still, I like the whole idea of the intelligent computer, Hal 9000, going mad and murderous, and I liked the themes of humanity and life. The music and visual effects were stunning and there's no doubt that there has never been a film like this before.
This may shock viewers of my review of 2001: A Space Odyssey but I have rented this film from LOVEFILM and have given up on it twice. But when I watched the whole film for first time, I couldnt understand why I gave up on such a masterpiece. This film has a lot of awesome and different qualities like the different plot from very beginning to when space scenes first appeared. The Dawn of Man scene with the ape-men is absolutely fantastic. This scene first introduced the classic music score within this film. This film has one of the best film music scores that I have ever seen my whole film. It is quite tense, tearful and like awe because it matches with the general plot of the film. The make-up and costumes on the ape men at the beginning of the film were absolutely fantastic for a film from the 1960s. The visual effects were superb. It has one of best visual effects from a film that I have ever watched. I just loved the whole plot of this film. I loved all of the characters aswell. Hal 9000 is an awesome character who is not only in complete control of the space ship and is a computer but because he is a villain aswell. I love the quote OPEN THE POD DOORS, HAL. The visual effects on Hal were good aswell but particularly Hals shutdown. Dave Bowmans character was very good aswell but I dont think the actors performance was that good really. There could have been someone more popular and a better actor. I did think if Tom Hanks was an actor around that time I think he would have been good at that character after he was in Apollo 13. I love the scene just after Hals shutdown when Dave goes closer to Jupiter and enters a new space world which shows absolutely fantastic and beautiful scenes with heart warming music aswell. After watching this masterpiece, I am completely torn between what my favourite Kubrick film is. Those films are this, A Clockwork Orange and The Shining. They are all three completely different films but if I went into great depth about each genre. Horror for Shining, Crime for A Clockwork Orange and Sci-Fi/Adventure for 2001: A Space Odyssey. I would probably say this is his best even though I still love Clockwork and Shining. This might change in the future between the three films. 2001: A Space Odyssey is probably Kubricks most achieved film because of the way he wrote it and also how well he structured it aswell. This film appears slow but it isnt slow at all really. The ending of this film brings out pure beauty and a scene that you will never forget. This is widely considered the greatest science fiction film of all time. It is certainly in my top 10 of best sci fi films and maybe even in my top 10 of all time. This is probably my 2nd favourite sci fi film after The Empire Strikes Back. I need to see sequel 2010 but not sure whether it will be any good but will give it a try soon.
An absolutely amazing film, I still don't know what to make of it. The lack of dialogue was very interesting and allowed a much deeper exploration of what was happening. The special effects were simply astounding, some of the best I've ever seen in a film ever.
2001: A Space Odyssey is one of the greatest cinematographic achievements of the human race, and one of the most complex, beautiful, unique, visionary, original and breathtaking stories ever told.
The plot begins with the born of the human existence, detailing our primitive behaviors, methods of survival, and reactions to unnatural and spectacularly shocking and scary phenomena presented in front of our eyes, presenting signs of confusion and madness. That behavior doesn't differ much from the way we would act nowadays. The culmination of this episode is the discovery of the utility of tools that we can find everyday in its pure, natural way, untouched and not modified by the human hand. Then it follows with a crew that finds a buried artifact on the moon, and plan a quest across the space to investigate its origins.
The complexity of the film is very difficult just as it is mysterious. For the first time ever, we can really experience the feeling of deep awe and psychological horror in the characters, detailing the insignificant relevance that our existence represents measured with the size of the vast Universe. As there is almost no dialogue, the purpose of the film is just that, to show not that the Universe is complex, but so is the human psyche and mind.
The music is extremelly beautiful and inspiring, even tear-inducing, the direction is the best that Stanley Kubrick could ever achieve by his enormous talent and unique vision of the human condition and the way technology, being one of our greatest ambitions in the past and one of our primary needs for our quality of life in the actuality, can really destroy us as beings.
The music of Richard Strauss add an artistic beauty and expression that can only be known and experienced through the senses, as well as peace and tranquility. The special effects are, probably, the best I've ever seen in cinema history, and hell did they deserve an Academy Award.
This away-from-its-time human exploration/science fiction eternal masterpiece will always remain as one of the most complex, controversial and discussed, but with no doubt Stanley Kubrick left us an enormous legacy and inheritance not only for cinema, but for the human race as well.
i notice how most people have decided not to say much more than a line or two about this film in their comments section. i've tried to watch it several times when it's been on late at night. each time i fell asleep. then today i saw it all the way through as it came on the tube in the middle of the day. one of my first impressions were that it should be called "2001: the picture show" instead of "2001: a space odyssey". there's not alot going on in it except for lots of imagery hurled at you for about 3 hours. the last hour made me think when it got a bit tense with the HAL computer losing its marbles. i hadn't much idea what was going on throughout and was left just as lost when it finished so i got online and looked up some FAQ's for the movie and got my head around the basic idea of it. still i found the explanations didn't improve my enjoyment of the film. i simply wasn't entertained by it. at the end of the day it's told in pictures and pictures aren't dramatic. surely a film has to be dramatic to get some enjoyment out of it? no matter how dramatic the music is... it's not going to replace feelings or emotion. perhaps i should read the book one day and maybe i'll enjoy that rather than get pissed off with something so dragged out and slow. tried watching the original lolita last night as well (nowhere near as good as the newer version with jeremy irons in it) which is another kubrick calamity. in summary... fuck off kubrick! your films are shite! they annoy the hell outta me! boring! dull! the complete opposite of entertaining! if anyone reads this and has any comments feel free to post me them and i'll get back to you. am i the only one that see's this as over-rated tosh?
As much as i love his later films, this really is Kubrick's masterpiece. Also, it is meant to be seen on a big screen, so do yourself a favor and find a theater that's playing this and go see it. it's a life-changing experience.
Visually and technically near perfection. My only problem is that unlike when watching some of Kubrick's other films such as The Shining and Clockwork Orange, where I could see aspects of myself in the characters, there was nothing here for me to really connect with. The most human thing in the movie is a narcissistic computer. It is a great spectacle, with visual ties to many of his other films, but regardless of all of the symbolism, it didn't inspire any emotion positive or negative in me. I look forward to reevaluating it in the future.
For a Kubrick film, this was probably his worst film ive seen so far. I know what he was trying to do and theres no denying that this film was visually beautiful. I also liked the fact that HAL the computer is so intelligent for its own good and the safety others to the point where they begin to wonder if HAL has real emotions, and they shockingly discover that he infact does. However, I am a dialogue man, so I generally like a movie that is carried at least somewhat by talking. Maybe thats why I'm a huge Tarantino and Kevin Smith fan. So overall, I like the comparison between the gorillas in the birth of man with the people of the future and how there not that different and I also really enjoyed how beautiful the visuals were, but I'm sorry cause with no dialogue or music in a lot of parts in this movie made the movie really boring dispite what Kubrick was trying to accomplish and in my opinion, this movie could have been cut down to an hour and a half instead of having it a long draging two and a half hours. I still give a slight recommendation to see this because of the visuals and some parts in the story, but most of it you might get bored.
An intergalactic movie with an intense fascination for the otherworldly that is adorned by little dialogue, classical waltz pieces, and jaw-dropping (and revolutionary) special effects with timeless quality.
It was such a deeply resonant film filled with psychedelic imagery and head-splicing direction by Kubrick. This one not only is it psychologically and philosophically rich but also immensely fascinating. Unforgettable screenplay and a monotonic and ghastly performance by Douglas Rain as HAL.
Evolution through a higher force, or as whatever you interpret it upon first viewing this work of art. It's like those monkeys at the beginning whom evolve into bigger, more intelligent, and sympathetic individuals, thanks to a bizarre and ambiguous figure.
This is more than a movie. It's a meditation of mankind's greatest achievements, or what mankind could achieve. It's a spiritual love letter for the believers and non-believers alike. It's a mind-bending head-trip without hallucinogenics involved. It's a sombre suspense to watch on a Friday or Saturday night with your dearest ones. Whatever you classify this movie as, it doesn't change the fact that it broke the stereotypical elements of the science fiction genre.
And ass deep as a movie can be, really, it doesn't get any better than this.
Kubrick's yet another masterpiece. This is so creative, so deep and clearly a work of a genius. Clarke and Kubrick take you to a whole new world, an experience never to be forgotten. This film leaves you thinking about so much, be it the 'Monoliths , the 'Star Child' and so much more!
This was a rather strange, yet attractive film. I like the idea of the actual "milestones" that announce a new era for mankind. I'd call this film an obvious classic in filmhistory.
Stanley Kubrick and Arthur Clarke defined space opera long before Harve Bennet coined it for Star Trek II. In this epic and trippy adventure, long before Lucas and his CG, they used terrific modelmakers and steady acting to make a gripping and lonely tale of mankind in space. Even though humans weren't destined to be orbiting Saturn by 2001, our time, they had no idea. The story of two men and a psychotic AI out in space inspoired generations of scifi writers.
One of the, if not THE, best films ever made. Every shot is a beautiful painting, every cut, every beat of music is perfectly placed, the special effects, to this day, are not dated and still look amazing, and it is wonderfully, philosophically, and chillingly ambiguous.
Not an easy movie to watch because the pace is very slow and the ending quite difficult to understand - but what an atmosphere and tension! A masterpiece!
A lot would say that includes me that this movie by Stanley Kubrick set the bar for other movies such as Star Wars and Alien. Kubrick was a visionary unparalleled so far. His vision of imagery, sound and small nuances makes this a classic.
MCT:July 25, 2008
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