02/20/2012 (0 of 0 found this helpful)

"2001: A Space Odyssey" by Yojimbo

2001 is a film that does not concern anything so trite as human relationships. 2001 is a film of a scale so epic as to never have been conceived before. Up until 1968, sci-fi was all about flying saucers, death rays and theramins. Kubrick set about making a film themed around the history of the human species, from the dawn of man through to space exploration and beyond. The first thing that strikes you about this film is its sheer visual spectacle; Kubrick's juxtaposition of classical music with the elegance of space travel shows technology not as clunky and ugly, but a thing of beauty. His use of colour is breathtaking, from the cold blues of outer space, to the vivid reds of the ship's systems and the stunning pure whites and primary colours of the still brilliant looking retro future s...

Rating of
4/4 

09/03/2011 (0 of 0 found this helpful)

2001: A Space Odyssey review

This groundbreaking film may have various effects depending on the viewer. If your into fast paced, dialogue heavy and interesting plots, then this may not be entertaining. For lovers of visual effects, less script, snail paced yet detailed settings, thought provoking moments and exquisite psychedelic like visuals, then this will be a treat. A few memorable lines from the movie: HAL - "I am putting myself to the fullest possible use, which is all I think that any conscious entity can ever hope to do." "I honestly think you ought to sit down calmly, take a stress pill and think things over. I know I've made some very poor decisions recently, but I can give you my complete assurance that my work will be back to normal." Dr. Dave Bowman - "Well, he acts like he has genuine emotions. Uhm...

Rating of
4/4 

01/19/2011 (0 of 0 found this helpful)

The Power of Image in the Silence of Space

An extra-terrestrial experiment in film making narrative, Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey is among the most unique movies of all time. Without almost any dialogue to drive the plot, Kubrick uses the power of image to dazzle the senses along with a beautiful selection of classical music to accompany. While some might argue that 2001 lacks entertainment value, it must be made clear that Kubrick's intent was not to entertain, it was to evoke thought in the minds of his viewers. In that aspect, he could not have done a more perfect job. Kubrick questions the nature of invention, human evolution, and how technology can overtake all of human kind. In the end, he asks what the place of man truly is in the universe. With a scope as enormous as the universe itself, 2001: A Space Odyss...

Rating of
4/4 

06/12/2010 (0 of 0 found this helpful)

Numinous. Transcendent. Cathartic.

There are so many things to say about 2001 but only a basic outline of the plot can be accepted as objective. This is one of the most subjective works in cinematic history, and rightfully so. It is also among a small handful of flawless films; its technical perfection in particular is undeniable.

I sat through all 2 1/2 hours in one viewing session, taking no breaks. This has never happened to me before outside the cinema. 2001 had a captivating, awe-inspiring, spiritual effect on me unlike any other film I have experienced. Its majesty - facilitating the opening of my subconscious - kept me transfixed on what is essentially music married to visuals with a near absence of drama (save for the thrilling HAL sequence) and very little dialogue.

2001 transcends the traditional three act ...

Rating of
4/4 

08/31/2009 (0 of 0 found this helpful)

Not my favorite

I do understand why this movie was so ground breaking because of all it did visually, but this movie just isn't my favorite. I think it's vastly overrated and can be quite a bore trying to sit through all of it, and the movie isn't incredibly long. I've heard that there are only about 40 minutes of actual dialogue in this movie, and I can't see how you can get your message across if nothing is said for that short a time. Then again I'm not too sure if this movie has a message or not. It's trippy beyond all get out, and at the end, the main character seemingly inexplicably turns into a giant baby that can be seen orbiting the Earth. The only thing I really enjoy about this movie is HAL 9000. HAL was awesome. I respect this movie for all it did, but it just isn't for me.

Rating of
2/4 

08/01/2008 (0 of 0 found this helpful)

Not the great classice I expected to see

This is one of the hardest movies to sit through, unless you like scenery over dialog. It has more shots of outer space than dialog, character development and a story combind.

It begins millions of years in the past, where a monolith somehow directs ancient homonids how to eat meat and use weapons. It then jumps to 1999, where yet another monolith is discovered. That monolith, when exposed to the light of the sun, sends a signal to Jupiter. NASA, or some space agency, sends a manned ship to Jupiter to find who or what is receiving the transmission. It is on this ship we meet the sci-fi icon, HAL, a computer which is programmed to think and act as close to human as possible.

Most of the movie is visual -- I've read that there is about 40 minutes of dialog in the entire 2 hour movie...

Rating of
2/4 

06/11/2008 (0 of 0 found this helpful)

A Technological Wonder

2001 is quite possibly the most technologically advanced film ever made, and the only film that could ever be considered more advanced is Citizen Kane. The camera work alone could lead one to believe that Stanley Kubrick was an alien himself. The greatest fact of all of this though, is that this movie was made forty years ago, and it stands the test of time incredibly well.

The film follows an alien monolith that is seen in each of the four different chapters, that are spread throughout space and time. The first chapter shows only a group of apes, living in a cave, about to die of starvation, and are slowly being picked off by predators. One day, an alien monolith appears, and changes the apes. They learn to use tools and show early signs of evolution. That's what this film is ultimat...

Rating of
4/4 

05/12/2008 (1 of 1 found this helpful)

For the older kids.

What a difference five years makes. Back when I was young, stupid and apparently had ADD , I watched this movie and really disliked it. Now that I am older and less stupid I could finally appreciate the spectacle. I cannot even begin to imagine how they pulled off visuals of such flawlessness and grace in the 60s when today much simpler attempts at times look fake. Everything came together with the precision of a finely crafted puzzle, the score and the beautiful scenery are the main focus here, so much so that I would say they are the main characters. It's a movie that relies on total immersion from these two points as opposed to dialog and human interaction. A ballsy move that I imagine alienated a lot of viewers who found it difficult to connect, but rewarded those who could.

Rating of
4/4 

02/02/2008 (0 of 0 found this helpful)

RAD 9000!

Epic, epic, epic... The first 30 minutes of this film ring true as so many things are stated about mankind. Kubrick paints many great pictures in this movie that should all be understood with only a few viewings if not less. This is definitely a movie that uses its uniqueness to break boundaries, much to the likes of Citizen Kane, in multi-cinematic realms such as science-fiction, theatre, and social/philosophical commentary to name a few.

What Crum Dug! - The Dawn of Man sequence is legendary, also the fact that I know of no other movie that can still be as intense that does not feature dialogue until 38 minutes into the film. Great movie! Worth watching! Try to not get bored and really invest yourself into the movie and you shouldn't be disappointed.

Bah Crumbug! - Some parts of ...

Rating of
3.5/4 

08/24/2007 (0 of 0 found this helpful)

A space odyssey?

Never will a film be interpreted in so many different ways than Kubricks 2001. To first time viewers, 2001: A space odyssey may look like an everyday sci-fi movie, but i assure you Kubricks 2001 is much more than this. The film's plot revolves around three crew members sent on a mission to investigate a mysterious monolith that has appeared on the surface of jupiter and their computer HAL. The film however for the first hour does not progress, the focus at this point is on beauty. Which i dont entirely agree with. We are treated to shot after shot of space, with the excellent soundtrack in the background. However despite the beauty on display i feel that i would much prefer terrible special effects if there were less of the sequences. But when the plot starts to materialise towards the fi...

Rating of
3/4