34/40

Rating: 8/10 (20 December 2013)

Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film, 2001: A Space Odyssey, takes the form of its subject matter. The film itself feels like an alien transmission received by beings incapable of realizing its true significance. For many viewers of 2001: A Space Odyssey, the film is dull and pointless. But many others decide to accept it for what it is and desire to understand it. I am in the latter, and each time I watch 2001: A Space Odyssey I feel like I understand its greatness even more.
I feel like I'm flinging the word "monumental" around a lot recently, but if that word doesn't apply to 2001: A Space Odyssey then it doesn't apply to cinema. From "the dawn of man" to "beyond the infinite" 2001: A Space Odyssey explores some of the most fascinating and significant questions to face mankind: the dramatic quirk of the mind that allowed humans to first proliferate by using tools and weapons, the place of artificial intelligence in relation to organic intelligence, the interaction between man and alien, or even god, and finally the ascension of the whole human race to a greater field of being. Not only does 2001: A Space Odyssey explore these fascinating concepts, it makes the viewer feel as if they are witnessing these incredible events firsthand. Strauss's "Also Sprach Zarathustra" carries the emotion of many scenes to an incredible height. It lends its gravity and escalation to the events depicted on screen. It perfectly complements the man-ape's first experiments with bone as it does the starchild's return to Earth. In addition to that fantastic piece of music are many others, many of them ethereal and otherworldly in themselves. The stargate sequence makes use of this kind of music but the real magic is in the visuals. Nothing that can be seen really makes sense. There is only a vague feeling of transportation across multiple fields of existence. And still it is beautiful. What this sequence does is simulate man's journey into alien territory, where things aren't likely to fit into man's expectations about the universe. The sequence is highly haunting and sublime, just like the rest of 2001: A Space Odyssey. I would be remiss not to mention the great suspense that the voyage to Jupiter scenes supply. The finale is a chilling showdown between man and his own creation: machine. As Dave finally kills his supercomputer copilot, HAL's emotional appeals feel particularly poignant. Perhaps that is because we do not know if HAL really feels or not and we feel guilty for not being able interact with him in a way that might comfort him. These are the main monumental sequences that give 2001: A Space Odyssey value, but they come at a price.
2001: A Space Odyssey represents two extremes in its storytelling. First are the fantastic scenes listed above, but equally present are drawn-out scenes that are very hard to find enjoyment in. The sequence that follows Dr. Floyd to the Moon feels particularly long and pointless. I know it's looked down upon but I must criticize the space ballet that represents the doctor's movement between space stations. I feel like the images and the editing are not proficient to match the beautiful, lilting, happy "Blue Danube." Another component of the sequence is several dialogue scenes that feel entirely too long. Knowing that the characters in these scenes do not matter for the rest of the story I felt very alienated, an emotion I would expect to be Kubrick's intention. And a fine intention it was except it was uncomfortable to see the scenes take so long, as if there was some underlying importance beyond merely divulging information. Indeed there might be but it escaped my grasp this time around. The second part I have issue with is the glacially slow build up to HAL's mutiny. I did not have much of problem with watching the boring daily activities of the astronauts, but the drawn out, painstakingly detailed retrieval of the mechanical component from the dish nearly had me in tears. Luckily the following scenes more than made up for the pain suffered in these frustratingly slow scenes.
2001: A Space Odyssey is a great film. I'm not quite ready to call it a masterpiece, even though it achieves something that I doubt any other film has.
34/40