2001: A Space Odyssey

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Runtime: The version I saw had the overture beginning, the short intermission and the overture final; that was 149 minutes long

Directed by: Stanley Kubrick

Starring: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, Leonard Rossiter, Sean Sullivan

From: MGM

Yes, I have watched this before in my life; however, the last viewing was definitely before I started this blog way back in 2009. I got the chance to see this on the big screen Tuesday night and I am very glad I took that chance, as this excellent movie is best seen in a theatre. I explain why this is a classic that deserves its lofty reputation below: 

While I have never reviewed this here before, of course I have seen this in the past, the first viewing when I was probably a young teenager. However, what made me see it last night after way too long a timespan, was something which will likely make at least a few reading this envious of me: I got to see it theatrically. No, it was not the Cinematic Holy Grail of watching it on 70mm on an enormous screen. I am envious of those people. Yet, even a digital projection on a still nice-sized screen sounded like an experience I would be a fool to miss, and I was correct. I wish the crowd at my screening would have been larger: after all they were only showing it once instead of daily throughout the week and it was held in the evening.

At least I was there, and it was an incredible experience. It is impossible to replicate the experience at home. The movie has such a large scope, booming soundtrack and impressive visuals, a big screen viewing is really the only way to capture the entire experience. The practical special effects still look incredible 48 years later (those will never age, unlike CGI) and it was magnificent experiencing the movie in such a large way. It certainly made me wish I could live in the movie's universe, with Pan Am space flight, those white space stations w/ red chairs and liquid space food... well, maybe not the last part but otherwise the universe looks great.

As for the plot... a lot can be said about it, as has since it came out. Things are ambiguous but not too much so; I am thankful it is not pretentious or overly obtuse where it is impenetrable. Everyone knows about The Black Monolith, The Star Gate Sequence (that on the big screen: it was worth the price of admission alone. It was amazing), HAL 9000, Keir Dullea's character and the song now popularly known as The Theme from 2001, and how it is the theme music for legendary pro wrestler Ric Flair. I won't go into my opinions on the plot; certain things can be read in certain ways and I'll leave it at that. It's best to see the movie then form your own ideas about such things as (the basic questions) why HAL does what he does, the backstory of the Monoliths and the entire final act... along with the deeper questions related to philosophy and allegory, as in the main purposes of the film. Many different theories have been posed concerning many aspects of the picture, and probably most are worthy of... well, a further odyssey on your part.

I heard that at the time this was a polarizing movie among critics yet it did quite well at the box office. I was a little surprised to discover this. Then again, something this odd and way different from what had come out before it in terms of wide release across the United States... I'll presume it was a gigantic shock for some to see such an epic tale where things are left ambiguous and plenty of odd things happen and there are long stretches with little to no dialogue, yet visually things are always explained quite well. If you've seen this movie and found it to be overrated, it is OK with me, for reasons I just explained. However, if you want to give it a half star review and attempt to be a troll for the fun of it like Armond White and utter a bunch of babble about how this “ruined” movies for the future (as one popular review on this site actually did; the doofus does not need the attention of being identified by name), I will think of you as a gigantic asshat and a sad pathetic clown!

Between seeing all those beautiful images on the screen, the incredible score (both Richard Strauss and otherwise), and an icy cool story about major topics and man wishing to explore the unknown in space, I do wish I would have watched this again sooner but at least I finally saw this classic in a majestic fashion. From mentioning last night's screening elsewhere, I know multiple people who have never seen this before. I won't judge as that would be way too snobby and I realize only a segment of the population are film nerds. Even in this community, if you're reading this and you haven't given it a viewing: I understand; to give but some example, I know that I am mutuals with some that are still teenagers, so that is a valid explanation why. Just know that this is something you MUST watch if you are a serious film fan, whether on the big screen, on your TV or even on your laptop. There are certainly many that have been influenced by it since then (some heavily so; I am looking at Interstellar here), so to understand all the references that have been made in pop culture since then and to watch something incredibly influential across the entire filmmaking world (in a good way, unlike what that troll said he believes), I cannot possibly give a higher recommendation. It probably is best if you see it more than once in order to fully comprehend it all, but at least see it one time, I beg you.