A work of art to be seen only on the big screen

Rating: 10/10 (11 March 1999)

In the likely event you have only seen this movie on video or television, you must know that '2001: A Space Odyssey' can only be understood and appreciated fully on the big screen.
Only two years old when '2001' appeared in theatres, I became familiar with the music and the concept of the movie a few years later by listening to the soundtrack. My father purchased it shortly after release, and it survives today among my collection of '70s and '80s rock LPs. When NBC broadcast '2001' in the mid-'70s, I didn't know I would have to wait through many years of pan-and-scan cable TV showings to finally enjoy it in the most impressive environment of all: an IMAX theatre.
Back around 1990, the IMAX RiverCenter in San Antonio presented a science fiction series in its unique facility. Running on a modified projector designed to expand the original image as large as possible onto the IMAX screen, '2001' was deeply affecting and mesmerizing. Stanley Kubrick's artistry and craftsmanship are realized in amazing fashion in '2001', which to this day stands at the pinnacle of movie making. His marvelous adaptation of music, and the use of long camera shots, disturbing sounds, prolonged silence, routine-sounding dialogue, average-looking characters, and highly-realistic visual effects set an extraordinary example. In the days before computer imagery, when models, matte paintings, in-camera tricks, and other conventional methods were all a director had to use, this movie went beyond the state of the art. It also went much deeper than normal thought, challenging the viewer to examine his purpose and place in a world which now seems so small in a universe of endless mystery. '2001' will be enjoyed by many, hated by some, and studied by many generations to come.
I strongly recommend you buy or rent '2001: A Space Odyssey' in widescreen format, find the biggest television possible, and view it alone or with a quiet companion without interruption. You won't regret it.