2001: A Space Odyssey Chad'z rating: **** (out of 4 = excellent) 1968, G, 141 minutes [2 hours, 21 minutes] [science fiction] starring: Keir Dullea (Dave Bowman), Douglas Rain (voice of HAL 9000), Gary Lockwood (Frank Poole), William Sylvester (Dr. Heywood Floyd), written by Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke, produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick.
"2001: A Space Odyssey" lives up to its name by taking a profound look at mankind. It wonders what our significance is in the universe, and questions how intelligent we really are. It uses invisible, but powerful forces to manipulate plot, which in turn allows the viewer to use his/her own intelligence to decide what themes and ideas are being portrayed.
The opening scene depicts a large group of apes at the dawn of time who encounter a mysterious monolith that suddenly appears out of nowhere. When they touch it they become just a little bit smarter as they learn to make weapons and tools. Although this is blatant storytelling it is symbolic of the entire film as it uses simplicity to make for powerful themes.
We then flash forward to year 1999 where we meet Dr. Heywood Floyd (Sylvester), an American scientist en route to the moon. Floyd leads a scientific mission on the moon where they have discovered a monolith buried 40 feet below the surface. Here is where the aforementioned "invisible forces" really come into play. The scientists realize the monolith was deliberately buried, which also means some intelligent being put it there for a reason. And just like those primitive apes, the scientists crowd around the monolith in awe which emits a radio signal (another unseen force) towards Jupiter. The reason is unknown, but the fact we know there is a reason at all is a frightening in a way.
The story again changes as it skips ahead 18 months to the U.S.S. Discovery 1 on its way to "The Jupiter Mission" to study a new monolith orbiting Jupiter. The Discovery's crew is led by Dave Bowman (Dullea), and Frank Poole (Lockwood), along with the artificial intelligence computer HAL 9000 (voiced by Rain). Kubrick's storytelling establishes a very high-tech atmosphere quickly as to make Bowman and Poole appear primitive and almost useless compared to the machines and computers. They seem intimidated by HAL's intelligence and capabilities.
Kubrick's film emphasizes the value of humanity by paradoxically dehumanizing the characters. The storytelling is slowly paced but always interesting to watch due to the detail and realistic atmosphere. When it seems as if HAL has gone insane the mood becomes quite chilling especially considering how gentle and humanistic HAL's personality is.
The last act ties all the plots together to make for an overall enigmatic mood and theme. Bowman and Poole become victims of HAL's "breakdown," but Bowman survives and then approaches the monolith orbiting Jupiter. What follows is one of the most bizarre, yet most blatantly thematic sequence of events I have ever encountered. It's a mind-blowing experience because of the sense of the unknown and unexplained. It's poetic and philosophical due to the fact there's no one correct answer.
What makes "2001: A Space Odyssey" such an excellent film is the fact that not only does it epitomize filmmaking (good acting, superb effects, well scripted, thematic, etc.), it makes for a theme about humanity that is powerful no matter how you look at it.
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