 Stanley Kubrick's dazzling, Academy Award-winning achievement, a compelling drama of man vs. machine, a stunning meld of music and motion. Kubrick (who co-wrote the screenplay with Arthur C. Clarke) first visits our prehistoric ape-ancestry past, then leaps millennia (via one of the most mind-blowing jump cuts ever) into colonized space, and ultimately whisks astronaut Bowman (Keir Dullea) into uncharted realms of space, perhaps even into immortality. "Open the pod bay doors, HAL." Let an awesome journey unlike any other begin. Storyline: "2001" is a story of evolution. Sometime in the distant past, someone or something nudged evolution by placing a monolith on Earth (presumably elsewhere throughout the universe as well). Evolution then enabled humankind to reach the moon's surface, where yet another monolith is found, one that signals the monolith placers that humankind has evolved that far. Now a race begins between computers (HAL) and human (Bowman) to reach the monolith placers. The winner will achieve the next step in evolution, whatever that may be. Written by Larry Cousins Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Ben Williams on November 12, 2007 -- Stanley Kubrick is probably the most iconic director to ever make movies. A virtual recluse by nature, his films were almost as mysterious as the man, himself. 2001: A Space Odyssey's release on Blu-ray disc (along with the remainder of the Kubrick collection), is an important landmark for the format. These are some of the most obsessed-over films of all time and surely will find new life on the Blu-ray format. 2001: A Space Odyssey begins with a lengthy musical suite that perfectly sets the mood for this bizarre tale. You'll be treated to a blank screen during this musical opening, but fear not, there will be splendid visuals coming in a matter of moments. "The Dawn of Man" segment shows us a few snapshots from the lives of a group of primitive apes. One day, they encounter a strange, black monolith that has appeared out of nowhere in their small world. Days after the encounter, one of the apes seems slightly changed as he suddenly gets the idea to use animal bones as weapons. The apes appear to be evolving. Thanks to one of the greatest edits in the history of cinema, we then flash-forward a few thousand years to the year 2001. After another encounter with the black monolith, we settle into the main body of the film that takes place aboard the spaceship Discovery on its mission to Jupiter. Aboard the Discovery, we are introduced to Astronauts Dave Bowman (Keir Dullea) and Frank Poole (Gary Lockwood). They sit in boredom on their lengthy mission and perform their daily duties with the assistance of the talking supercomputer HAL 9000 (Douglas Rain). Through the use of news broadcasts that the astronauts view, we are informed that the HAL 9000 is the most complex computer ever devised: "he" thinks, controls the ship, plays chess like a master and has never made a single mistake. When HAL incorrectly predicts that a component on the ship will fail, causing an unnecessary and dangerous spacewalk for Poole, it seems clear to the astronauts that something is wrong with HAL. I'll stop right there for those of you who haven't yet seen the film. 2001: A Space Odyssey is a very slow film. Don't let that scare you, though, as this film is deliberate in its pacing and the very nature of its length allows the story to develop in a much more robust way. All of the standard Kubrick signatures are here, the high shots of characters peering up and under their brows, the phenomenal classical score, the absolutely astonishingly beautiful cinematography. What's not to like? Add to that one of the most deliciously, confusingly captivating stories ever told and you have the very definition of a classic. If you've never seen the film, you owe it to yourself to do so immediately. For those like myself who have seen it many times over the years, 2001: A Space Odyssey continues to age like a fine Bordeaux. It gets richer, more satisfying and more obtuse with every viewing. See it again, for the first time! 2001: A Space Odyssey is one of the great classics of cinema and it is a most welcome addition to the growing library of Blu-ray releases. I'm a huge fan of the film, personally, so this was a release that I've been eagerly anticipating for quite some time. Fortunately, this Blu-ray release from Warner doesn't disappoint in any way. The film has been given the utmost of attention and the resulting video quality is of reference grade. Audio is also similarly spectacular, if not slightly limited simply by the film's age. Warner has also really opened up the vaults with the disc's excellent supplementary features. In the end, 2001: A Space Odyssey is a must own title on Blu-ray and this Blu-ray release earns my highest recommendation! Cast Notes: Keir Dullea (Dr. David "Dave" Bowman), Gary Lockwood (Dr. Frank Poole), William Sylvester (Dr. Heywood R. Floyd), Daniel Richter [I] (Moonwatcher), Leonard Rossiter (Smyslov), Margaret Tyzack (Elena), Robert Beatty [I] (Dr. Halvorsen), Sean Sullivan [I] (Michaels), Douglas Rain (HAL 9000), Frank Miller [I] (Mission Controller), Bill Weston, Ed Bishop [I] (Lunar shuttle captain), Glenn Beck, Alan Gifford (Poole's Father), Ann Gillis [I]. User Comment: Michael Torrice (mmt02@mit.edu) from Boston, 3 June 1999 • Instead of writing a paragraph, I'll give four good reasons why 2001 is the greatest cinema experience of all time: 1) It is a visual Odyssey that could only be told on the big screen. The special effects that won Kubrick his only Oscar are the most stunning effects before that age of Jurassic Park and T2. They allow Kubrick to give an accurate (or at least are the most accurate) depiction of space travel to date. The silence that fills the space scenes not only serves its purpose as accurate science, but also adds to the mood of the film (to be discussed in a later point with HAL). The fact that Kubrick shot the moon scenes before the Apollo landing is a gutsy yet fulfilling move. Many have said that upon its original release, it was a favorite "trip" movie. I can think of no other movie that has such amazing visuals for its time and even of all time (sorry Phantom Menace fans!) 2) Kubrick's directing style is terrific. As in all his films, Kubrick likes to use his camera as means to delve into the psychology of his characters and plots. His camera is not as mobile as other greats, such as Scorsese, but instead sits and watches the narrative unfold. Faces are the key element of a Kubrick film. Like classic movies, such as M and Touch of Evil, Kubrick focuses on the characters' faces to give the audience a psychological view-point. Even he uses extreme close-ups of HAL's glowing red "eye" to show the coldness and determination of the computerizd villain. I could go on, but in summation Kubrick is at the hieght of his style. 3) HAL 9000 is one of the most villainous characters in film history. I whole-heartedly agree with the late Gene Siskle's opinion of HAL 9000. Most of this film takes place in space. Through the use of silence and the darkness of space itself, a mood of isolation is created. Dave and his crewmen are isolated between earth and jupiter, with nowhere to escape. Combine this mood with the cold, calculated actions of HAL 9000 and you have the most fearful villain imaginable. I still, although having see this film several times, feel my chest tighten in a particular scene. 4) The controversial ending of 2001 always turns people away from this film. Instead of trying to give my opinion of the what it means and what my idea of 2001's meaning in general is, I'd like to discuss the fact that the ending serves to leave the movie open-ended. Kubrick has stated that he inteded to make 2001 open for discussion. He left its meaning in the hands of the viewer. By respecting the audience's intelligence, Kubrick allowed his movie to be the beginning, not the end, of a meaningful discussion on man's past, present, and future. The beauty of 2001 is that the ending need not mean anything deep, it can just be a purely plot driven explanation and the entire movie can be viewed as an entertaining journey through space. No other movie, save the great Citizen Kane, leaves itself open to discussion like 2001. It is truly meant to be a surreal journey that involves not only the eye but the mind. Instead of waiting in long lines for the Phantom Menace, rent a widescreen edition of 2001 and enjoy the greatest cinematic experience. Summary: Greatest Movie of All Time. IMDb Rating (07/25/14): 8.3/10 from 308,286 users Top 250: #103 IMDb Rating (03/25/09): 8.4/10 from 134,610 users Top 250: #87
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