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Splendor in the Sky
As for decades many critics have maintained that Citizen Kane is the best movie of all time, likewise 2001, A Space Odyssey is considered the best sci-fi movie of all time, even though originally many critics weren't exactly brimming with enthusiasm, but that was a standard phenomenon after each Kubrick release. Well it is tempting to go against popular opinion and in the case of Citizen Kane I do, even though it's a great film, but far from the best movie ever (it's not even Welles' best), but as far as this movie is concerned I bow to the masterpiece that this work of art by Kubrick represents.
Let me begin by addressing the two most heard points of criticism concerning this movie:
1) The movie is too slow and as a result boring.
This of course is a subjective experience from any viewer and I think due to harboring wrong expectations of a significant portion of this group. A considerable part of sci-fi lovers comes at this genre from quite a different kettle of fish, as one can see at sci-fi favorite's lists at various movie forums. A Star Wars fan will probably think of quite different movies as opposed to a fan of Tarkovsky's "Solaris". Not that one excludes the other, which would be oversimplifying things.
Apart from that there is a significant number of intellectually somewhat challenged people, whose attention span will not cross the magic 4 second barrier: to them I indeed do not recommend this movie.
More so, the 'slowness' of this movie is one of its big plusses.
2) The movie is incomprehensible.
The complexity of this movie is about the only thing that's overrated in my view.
Under the pre-condition one watches the movie somewhat focused and takes the time absorbing and thinking about it, no Einsteinian brain power, or even that of a remote relative of this honorable man, is required to understand it.
Of course, again there is this group of viewers that have an outspoken aversion to prompt any brain cells that may exist into action. There are those that simply detest having to look for answers themselves and expect a movie to resolve any possible duality in plot interpretation.
The fact a movie may inspire multiple interpretations, should only be a source of interesting debate and not considered a failing of the movie as it surely is an aspect of great art that it is a living organism, that, through its perception lives on and evolves.
What makes Kubrick's movie stand out within movie history in general and the sci-fi genre in particular?
A few aspects:
- The story
The story entails a vision of grandeur and elegance concerning the physical and spiritual evolution of mankind and gives it a fascinating, and at that time original, spin through an alien civilization being at the basis of every crucial evolutionary step. It poses questions that touch the core of our spiritual and physical roots and the next leap we might make in this grand scheme. The film gives its own splendid and captivating answer to these questions, to which the validity of this answer is not so much important as the way the confrontation with it as a viewer resonates within us.
- Cinematography
2001 has images that, once seen, you will never ever forget and even now, 40! years after its release, remain fresh and visionary. The breath taking panoramas of pre-historic earth, the majesty of space and beautiful space station/ship interior designs are unforgettable.
- FX
The special effects in the movie were far ahead of their time, never before or since was there a movie that instantly made all predecessors within a movie genre look antiquated and visually into a B-category movie.
Think of the beauty of the lunar landscape images, even though nobody had ever even been there at the time, the far ahead of its time computer generated images.
-Editing
The editing is truly sublime in this movie: just think of the classic scene of the bone thrown into the air transitioning into a docking space shuttle; the way Bowman sees himself aging at the end.
Of course even more important is the tempo of the movie determined by the editing, that indeed is quite slow. It is however a great plus of the movie, as the viewer gets all the time to "travel along" and take it all in, giving the audience in such an unique way a chance to experience the overwhelming beauty of the universe, turning it into a spiritual experience.
- Soundtrack
Again unique and never equaled in my personal view and extremely moving:
Ligeti's "Requiem" at the appearance of the monolith, his "Lux Aeterna" during the Lunar flight as well as his "Athmosphères" during the final odyssey part "Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite".
They are quite contemporary works and admittedly I enjoy some of contemporary classical music a lot and consider Ligeti's Requiem to be the most impressive oratory of the 20th century, but more importantly, the effect with the appearance of the monolith is astounding (to whom it may be interesting, the piano music in Kubrick's swansong "Eyes Wide Shut" is also Ligeti's, although be it written 30 years later), as is "Lux Aeterna" creating this texture of mystery and impending revelation so magnificently.
The use of a Strauss waltz while the space shuttle is docking without any dialogue for minutes at a time is one of the highlights of the movie and a stroke of pure genius. Before I saw this movie I wasn't exactly what one would call a fan of the waltzes composed by any within the Strauss family or this piece in particular. After seeing this movie I considered it to be of a gracious beauty that I would never forget.
Khatchaturians tragic ballet music heard during the first images of the spaceship "Discovery" creates this great atmosphere of impending tragedy, which will befall most of its crew. Later Cameron quoted this music at the opening of his movie "Aliens", as a tribute I presume.
The music of course that everybody associates this movie with, Richard Strauss' "Also sprach Zarathustra" is majestic at both beginning and end of the movie.
Well, I could continue on about several aspects of this movie that now for 40 years signifies a watershed within the genre and has become that shining star dominating the sci-fi sky and rightly so.
It is a movie that can move a viewer on many levels, confronting us once again with who we are, where we come from and possible destiny as a species in a work of great audio-visual splendor, which, like all great art will undoubtedly stand the test of time.
Actor Keir Dullea, playing the iconic character of Dave Bowman in the movie, once articulated it beautifully:
"It resonates in people because it touches on the instant our wonder - not only our wonder about space, but our wonder about time, our wonder with our relationship to the Deity perhaps - because you get as many interpretations of what the film means as you do almost people who have seen it. That's true of almost any great work of art - if you see a Picasso, is it important to know what Picasso intended, or is it important to know what your relationship is, your emotional reaction is to it?"
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Amazing detail!
"2001: A Space Odyssey" has been among my favorite films since it was released. I saw it twice in the theater, and have never been able to thoroughly enjoy it at home... until now. On Blu-Ray disc, viewed on a 40" Samsung LCD HD television (1080p, of course), I can see everything Stanley Kubrick envisioned for this movie, and the details are stunning. For younger viewers who have grown up with the staggering developments in Special FX (ever since the early days of George Lucas' "Industrial Light & Magic"), the "effects" will seem somewhat primitive. To me, this is the second-best viewing ever of this seminal film. Well worth the cost.
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A classic
2001 - A Space Odyssey, sets the standard in realism for science fiction films. The physics of the space craft and station, rotating in perfect coordination, illustrates how much attention was payed to keeping the 'science' in science fiction.
Perfectly scored with Copeland's "Fanfare for the Common Man," and filmed with dramatic and yet somehow understated camera work (a halmark of director Kubrick) it combines the hardest of science with the fanciful portrayal of humanity's first (and ultimately meaningless) interaction with intelligence greater than our own.
It also introduces Hal, the murderous, strangely passive super computer, represented by a simple, blinking red light that is able to portray more malice than most human actors.
A triumphant film, boned up on real 'science,' and with one of the most memorable villains in sci-fi film, Kubrick once again demonstrates his dominance as a director. A true classic.
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PERFECT! As good as it gets and then some
This is, IMO, nearly a reference Blu-Ray disc.
Okay, because the movie is 40 years old, it lacks some in the surround audio department, but it's still very good. The Blu-Ray video rendering is absolutely stunning - deep, pure blacks in the star fields, wonderful color and contrast, very little graininess -- perfect.
This movie hasn't looked this good since I saw it in the theaters (way back) in 1969.
The special features (documentaries) are extensive and easy to access. Also, no "forced" movie previews when loading the disc; you go right to the main menu (still bummed on my "Pirates of the Caribbean: Black Pearl" experience).
Buy this disc now (you know you want to).
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The First Truly Great Science Fiction Movie!
There are few movies that have hooked me as much as this one. It's such a classic that for some reason that I cannot pin down I keep returning to it at least once each year without fail. I feel strangely drawn to it from the eerie opening overture music and pure black screen meant to signify the dawn of creation on earth to the first bars of Strauss' "Also Sprach Zarathustra" to the early humans seque-ing brilliantly to man in space, the trip to Jupiter and the super computer gone mad to the final mysterious ending signifying the wonders of the undiscovered and the awesomeness of it which would leave our jaws dropped just as this film does for me each time I watch it.
If you are an intelligent film lover who looks beyond the quick thrill quick fix movie ala "The Mummy" and its countless sequels but look instead at good storytelling and character development as well as innovative, inspired directing so that the whole becomes a work of art to be admired and to stand the test of time, there are really not that many films in existence; this film happens to be one of those that stand the test of time to remain a work of film art to inspire and to entertain serious movie-goers for decades to come.
Directors of note since the film's release such as Spielberg, Lucas among many others have already heralded the genius of this film and copied elements for their own work but you don't have to be a student of film to see just how brilliant this work of art is. You don't simply watch this you experience it and I know each time I do, I take away something new from it and I always look forward to the next installment each year.
Some have claimed that there is no clear story in this film but that is clearly false; there is one constant theme of the monolith and how it affected the various stages of human development suggesting it was the catalyst that got our civilisation going along the path it finally took. There are a few different mini-stories such as the early man, sickness and discovery of the monolith on the moon, the technology gone mad HAL story on the way to Jupiter and the final quest for the still unknown mysteries of space and hence the future of man i.e. the Starchild story at the end. A few mini-stories but all connected by the central theme of the monolith. What is the monolith? The religious among us may suggest that it is an analogy for God, for the atheists maybe some alien force that has an invisible hand in our species' growth and development; for George Lucas, it is The Force and I'm sure many others can substitute their own theories for this as well.
Why are so many younger people so upset at this film? Because in the old days of film, a good film like any good classic book or work of art doesn't tell you what to think but inspires and encourages you to find the meaning to make yourself better than you are by getting you to actually look into yourself and to find out how much potential you have to improve. Films in the last couple of decades don't do this as they tell you what to think and simply give you what you want effectively dumbing down things so that you don't have the chance to improve yourself; the quick sugar fix that dies soon after the 2 or so hours are over.
Some of you may say so what and still think "The David Letterman Show" is the epitome of great television; for you please give this and other films that are artforms such as "Lawrence of Arabia" a miss because you just won't get it. For those who see film as art and the great potential it has to educate and to encourage you to use your full God-given potential to think and grow, this film certainly ranks among the top-10 ever of greats of filmdom.
This dvd is also a real treat for fans as it has been restored very well with the Dolby 5.1 Digital Surround although the picture quality is quite good there are still some imperfections that can be improved upon. I can only imagine just how breathtaking the improved Blu-ray version must be. The Special Features also include excellent footage of the late great Arthur C. Clarke giving a speech and Q&A session at the opening of the film. By the way, widescreen is the only way to view this film and do any justice to it.
Not only is this the best Sci-Fi movie I've ever seen, it is also among the Top-10 works of film art ever made. I cannot recommend this film highly enough and this dvd version is also of good quality although I'm sure the Blu-ray version would have removed the picture quality imperfections.
