Based on the works of

Arthur C. Clarke

Directed by Stanley Kubrick

Brilliant

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

Ghastly

Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

Barry Lyndon (1975)

Beauty is underestimated

This movie is not just good, its amazing. This is the first sci-fi movie that takes us out into the unknown space of our galaxy with such splendid effects and mind bursting reality that the audience is left without words.

I am only 16 years old, and therefore I was raised into a world of modern effects and 3D animations in the movies. But nonetheless I was really, and I mean completely, blown away by the quality of these effects, even after almost 40 years. The visual effects was just one of the merits of this movie, the camera was in true Kubrick style amazing and enchanting. It feels like you are consumed by the screen and sucked into this surreal world (especially in the round control room or whatever you call it).

Many might think that the length and slow pace of this movie is, boring? ridicules? or just a waste of time. But before you can jump to those conclusions, think about why Kubrick spends time with calm music and a spaceship in the middle of space for several minutes. This is to illustrate the beauty of it. Kubrick wants to show us beauty, and if we do not succumb to it and relax, we can not enjoy this film as it was intended. This is not an ordinary movie. We can not just sit and watch as we can with some other movies. This requires time, thoughts, and above all commitment and feelings to watch.

All of this together, makes this one of the greatest achievements in the world of moving pictures.

10/10 Let me know if you agree with me.

2001: Still As Fascinating Today As It Was Nearly Forty Years Ago

Is it a sermon? An account of the history of mankind? An exploration of man's futile attempts to advance technology only to have technology destroy him? Is it about the fragile balance of time and space? A lesson in evolution? Or is it just a spectacular effects show; a film Kubrick made only to show us the limitless possibilities of the motion picture and present to us the truth that images are exceedingly more powerful than words?

2001: A Space Odyssey is all of these things. One of the most interpretable films ever created, it's almost more fun to dissect and discuss the ambiguous plot design and events of the film, than it is to actually watch. But it's left open to discussion intentionally; if Kubrick had explained the meaning to his wondrous 1968 classic (ranked #22 on AFI's list of the greatest 100 films ever made, and nominated for 4 Academy Awards: Director, Original Screenplay, Art Direction, and Visual Effects) it would have lost half its fascination, all of its complexity, and a good portion of its cinematic worth. We would only be left with the technical ingenuity; which in itself is worth praising.

Unmatched accomplishment

Sometimes reading the user comments on IMDB fills me with despair for the species. For anybody to dismiss 2001: A Space Odyssey as "boring" they must have no interest in science, technology, philosophy, history or the art of film-making. Finally I understand why most Hollywood productions are so shallow and vacuous - they understand their audience.

Thankfully, those that cannot appreciate Kubrick's accomplishment are still a minority. Most viewers are able to see the intelligence and sheer virtuosity that went into the making of this epic. This is the film that put the science in "science fiction", and its depiction of space travel and mankind's future remains unsurpassed to this day. It was so far ahead of its time that humanity still hasn't caught up.

A sci-fi marvel

I have now seen this film for five times. I'll be honest, the first time I saw it, it didn't make much/any sense to me. It all seemed like a cold, emotionless trip into nothing. But I wanted to understand it, so a second viewing was definitely required. With every time I saw this film, I discovered new things. And this is the most amazing thing about 2001 - that besides all the straight metaphors, there are things that you can have personal interpretations on, such as the monolith.

This is definitely not a film that you fall in love with instantly. Well, I'm sure someone did, but the majority probably found this film blank at the first viewing. 2001 is a film that grows on you after several viewings and makes you see that there is so much more behind the seemingly bleak images. It is an exploration on the human race and it's ability to function correctly, it is a journey behind the sane into a world beyond existence, finding answers and giving new, more important questions.

My god, it's full of stars•

For all those bewildered by the length and pace of this film ("like, why does he show spaceships docking for, like, 15 minutes?"), here's a word you might want to think about:

Beauty.

Beauty is an under-rated concept. Sure, you'll often see nice photography and so on in films. But when did you last see a film that contains beauty purely for the sake of it? There is a weird belief among cinemagoers that anything which is not plot or character related must be removed. This is depressing hogwash. There is nothing wrong with creating a beautiful sequence that has nothing to do with the film's plot. A director can show 15 minutes of spaceships for no reason than that they are beautiful, and it is neither illegal nor evil to do so.

'2001' requires you to watch in a different way than you normally watch films. It requires you to relax. It requires you to experience strange and beautiful images without feeling guilty that there is no complex plot or detailed characterization. Don't get me wrong, plots and characters are good, but they're not the be-all and end-all of everything. There are different KINDS of film, and to enjoy '2001' you must tune your brain to a different wavelength and succumb to the pleasure of beauty, PURE beauty, unfettered by the banal conventions of everyday films.

"All art is quite useless" - Oscar Wilde. (drn5 from Canada)