Spell-binding

Rating: Null/10 (25 April 1999)

"2001: A Space Odyssey" could be considered one of the most fascinating films of the century. Its influence can be found everywhere, from "Star Wars" to "Contact." Its special effects were extraordinary for the time period, and the musical score was simply breathtaking. Surely it must have been a spell-binding sight on the silver screen, because it was fascinating on the small. As I perused the comments of others on this website, I noticed the term ambiguous was applied to the film in nearly every entry. This element allows viewers to interpret the film in any number of ways, and allows them freedom to think for themselves. It's a nice touch. I have a few ideas about this film myself...First, the "Dawn of Man." I got the impression that violence was the only manner that someone would get ahead in life. There was the cheetah that attacked the ape, the ape that attacked the theropod, and the ape that attacked the other ape. The film is filled with death imagery: the dead theropod, the dead ape, the dead humans. The sets are stark white and sterile. The only breath of fresh air, of new life, is the new baby at the end. Everyone is so isolated. They eat in front of their little computer stations and talk to the computer. Their conversations are so limited in scope. There does not seem to be anything worth fighting for, no truth, beauty,or religion. Nothing is powerful enough to stir things up. It's almost reminiscent of "Brave New World," because people have nothing worth living for. They also seem to be overly dependent on technology. At least one message of the film would be not to let technology rule your life, or it will come back to haunt you. There is the concept of technological advancement. In "Jurassic Park," Malcolm tells Mr. Hammond, "Your scientists were so preoccupied if they could, they didn't stop to think if they should!" When technology has its own artificial intelligence, emotions and dialogue, what separates it from humanity? When the people become as two-sided as cardboard cutouts and humanity has less personality than a computer, something is wrong. People need to reach out to one another.
So many things can be said about the film's ending. I am still unsure exactly how it fits in, except to provide a contrast to the death imagery. It could be the BIRTH of an idea. It could provide innocence to a struggling race. It could simply be a random idea, or a connection in the circle of life. In any case, the film is fascinating. I can see its influence on "Star Wars," "Contact," "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" (the wall is like the cylinder that attempts to evaporate Earth's oceans. You never discover its true purpose), "Lost in Space" (new movie), and many others. We will probably never discover the true message of the film, but it is a nice challenge to try and figure it out ourselves.