Brilliant...until you reach the ending

Rating: 7/10 (8 April 2019)

My first experience of Stanley Kubrick was 2001: A Space Odyssey, a revolutionary, extraordinary and enlightening journey through the existence of humanity and its exploration of space. The first 2 hours are pure enjoyment as the course of human history is charted (accompanied by one of the most famous film scores of all time) up to the present day, all whilst pondering the existence of an artefact found on Earth.
The space travel, however, is where this film truly shines: for the late 60s, every visual must have been pioneering, depicting space, future life and artificial intelligence beautifully. HAL 9000 is the looming presence here, an entity of which its level or control cannot be fully comprehended, seeing as the other characters rely on him so heavily. HAL's interactions with the crew is unbelievably sinister, as the lack of tone allows nothing to be given away emotionally, even if you sense something is afoot. As the film progresses further, these visuals continue to astound, with meticulous set design and amazing use of slow, quiet scenes to build tension and emotion. Everything you have seen then builds towards the final eventuality - disappointment.
Kubrick almost shot himself in the foot by attempting such an ambitious storyline, as some viewers would ultimately never find the ending satisfactory. However, personally the ending just doesn't achieve anything; none of the story is fully explored nor understandable, and it feels like a jumbled mess of conclusions rushed to (with some arresting visuals to boot). I would recommend 2001: A Space Odyssey purely on the first 2/3 of the film - just don't expect the all-encompassing ending you're hoping for.