Stunning space saga

Rating: Null/10 (15 October 2003)

In prehistoric times, ape-men come into contact with a strange black monolith which improves their intelligence. In 1999, a group of scientists discover a similar object on the moon, which sends a message to Jupiter. Two years later, a spaceship commanded by Dave Bowman(Keir Dullea) and overseen by the computer HAL, is sent on a mission to Jupiter. Coincidence? Things quickly get out of control, as HAL starts acting funny... 2001 is somewhat of a ponderous thriller, with a great deal of silence and long, drawn-out segments. While these would have hurt another film, in 2001 they help enhance the story, giving it a touch of realism that almost every other sci-fi franchise lacks. The special effects-revolutionary for their time-and haunting music score also help enhance the film. The film gives us more questions than answers--and part of the fun is drawing your own conclusions of what's going on(Although the questions are answered a little bit in the sequel, 2010). The film's acting is mostly flat and stiff, but once again, that's the style of the film. This is not the film for those wanting action sci-fi--the "Terminator" and "Star Wars" franchises are better for that-but is more of a "Thinking Man's" movie.