Brilliant!

Rating: 10/10 (7 September 2008)

I first saw this film alone one cold evening at the Astor theatre in Melbourne a couple of years ago, I was baffled at the ticket price- $25 but paid nonetheless. It was only afterwards I found out the lead actors Kier Dullea and Gary Lockwood where going to do a Q & A session- coming out from the US. Now, the Astor theatre is the only 'classic' style cinema left in Melbourne; it has just one screen (albeit quite large) and seating capacity for a large crowd.
From the opening sequence- 3 minutes of blackness, accompanied by music to mirror the void, it was clear that '2001: A Space Odyssey was going' to be a large scale film. The thing I found remarkable about the film was how well the two most powerful elements of film, music and (of course) the visual picture, where crafted together. It is the synthesis of the two that makes this film great, and it is greatly aided by the powerful and memorable score. Indeed, the film won the 1969 Oscar for visual effects, while the masterful direction of Stanley Kubrick earned him a nomination.
It is difficult to describe the plot of '2001' without boring you, my good reader, to death. I'll therefore leave it at this; monolith (cubical wall?), Monkey, HAL-9000, mission to Jupiter. This movie has borne many famous and spoofed scenes and to any who know nothing about the film, he/she/it/walrus will find the watching of this quite informative.
If you like direct action, look somewhere else, to keep it simple- no guns are fired. It must be said though, that because one can only watch this in a rare, insightful mood, it is not suitable for everyday viewing. Any way bugger off now