Disturbing, accurate, awesome

Rating: 10/10 (17 July 2009)

The number one reason I am so fascinated with this film is the fact that it was made in 1968. We hadn't even landed on the moon and lots of technology was still in its infancy. Yet, this films looks and sounds as if it were produced yesterday - in fact, it looks better. I don't think filmmakers could make something this good anymore with their crappy unconvincing CG. It's like a fine analog recording of a great jazz band, or a 60's muscle car - these things just aren't done the same way, lost to a different era.
This film is also disturbing in a way I hadn't expected for a science fiction film. The use of music, sound, and trippy visual effects bring you to an almost psychedelic state of mind, especially near the end of the film. I don't think Aurthur C. Clarke had this in mind when he wrote the book, but Stanley Kubrick (director) took it to a whole new level.
It's also jaw-dropping how accurately the future is predicted. I'm not going to spoil it for you, you'll have to watch the film to see what I mean. In fact it's so futuristic that friends and family of mine who saw the film for the first time were totally convinced it was made in the late 90s.
If we had geniuses like Kubrick producing films like this today, just imagine the possibilities. By the way, 2010 (the sequel) doesn't even come close, but it's good nonetheless.