Beyond the Infinite

Rating: 10/10 (26 May 2014)

At this point the technical brilliance of Stanley Kubrick's '2001: A Space Odyssey' is absolutely beyond reproach. Where there is still room for debate is in its tone and dramatic style. The dry dialog, flat acting and lack of dramatic flourish as well as the long and narratively unnecessary musical sequences are seen by critics as fatal pretense. To its fans--and there are obviously many--these are the very things that help to set it apart from the crowd.
I won't pretend to fully understand the more metaphysical aspects of the final act of '2001', but I contend that it's not necessarily a film that's meant to be understood so much as it is to be experienced. And what an experience it is.