2001: A Space Odyssey

Rating: 9/10 (27 April 2016)

Well, my mind was officially blown by my second undertaking of a Stanley Kubrick feature. Being a huge fan of auteur David Lynch, I was greatly looking forward to watching another film of Kubrick's. Before this viewing, I had only seen The Shining (and who hasn't) so I was ready for more Kubrick. This 1968 Sci-fi epic starring Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, and William Sylvester tells the cautionary tale of modernization and the advancement of technology, and what that advancement means for the human race. When a group of astronauts is sent into deep space, they realize the horrors of the possibility of technology taking over humanity.
Dr. Heyward Floyd (William Sylvester) eagerly and hastily sets up another deep space mission which he provides little public details of to those around him. Dr. Floyd hurried to the Florida launch station with his guarded secret to attend a meeting with a top official that would get his project off the ground. He then learns that a discovery has been made below the moon's crest that predates human existence. Energized by this undebatable proof of extraterrestrial life, Heyward assembles a group of scientists to investigate the phenomenon, only to be turned away by the piercing scream of a magnetic disturbance once they arrive at the scene. The conscious members on board the mission are Dave Bowman (Keir Dullea) and Frank Poole (Gary Lockwood), they are on the trip with other members "hibernating" until they reach Jupiter. Hal 9000, an artificially intelligent supercomputer maintained many ship functions and interacted with the crew daily. After a series of events in which Hal attempts to cease communication with Earth, the crew decides to disconnect Hal fearing their isolation from Earth. Sensing the emerging disdain of the crew, Hal attempts to cause the death of the crew to protect its own operating system. A fight between man and machine ensues and the battle can only be won by willpower, and endurance, and which party can overcome the crippling fear of isolation.
I was glad I was forewarned about the need to "stick with" this film. It opens with a 20 minute plus sequence that felt like I had strapped in for a Nat. Geo. documentary. The audience is 25 minutes into the film before there is any dialogue, which was an incredible feat for a modern film. The sound completely takes over the film overwhelming the audience with its ever presence. The sound acts as an independent character revealing the slow deterioration of the crew involved in the mission. So incredible was the sound that it is almost enough to drive the audience crazy, akin to the characters who are mentally declining as the film progresses. When there was more than hollow noise and high, shrill moans, there was an overabundance of Strauss music, adding to the out of this world experience of the mission. The acting in this film was wonderful, with the strongest performance being the unseen Hal 9000 who commands the picture. The cinematography is nothing short of masterful, and I realized quickly why Stanley Kubrick's direction is so oft cited as brilliance. The sets were so intricate and grandiose that they added to the mysticism and realism of a space ship flying through the galaxy. The colors are also spectacular adding to the brilliance of the plot. Kubrick, in a display of his directorial prowess, utilizes the most inventive camera angles I have ever seen, creating an unimaginative level of depth to his film. Kubrick is certainly an auteur and one that I can't wait to explore more of.
Isolation is a force in which can bring the most intense human behavior. Silence and being alone can lead to the mental decomposition in even the strongest of individuals. The intensity of isolation was fully explored in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Hal 900 seeks dominance, and the overtaking of humans by artificial intelligence has been a fear of humanity since the Industrial Revolution. The battle between Hal and the human members of the crew was waged over the overwhelming isolation and fear of being replaced by the other. The evolution of humanity has injected new fears into our psyche, and few directors could have brought that war and vision to life; thankfully, Stanley Kubrick took the task, and left audiences with nothing less than film mastery.