What was that about???

Rating: 9/10 (28 July 1999)

Technically brilliant, and the "Dawn of Man" scene is truly moving, but I find the last 30-35 minutes rather harrowing. Clarke said somewhere that "if you got 2001 first time around, we failed" - isn't that a little elitist? Still, Kubrick must be credited with having realised his true artistic vision. The scene of Bowman unplugging Hal9000 said a lot to me: after eating tasteless paste and bland sandwiches, and living in the most sanitised environment ever created, man comes to grips with the monster machine he has created. Kubrick's vision is cold, and some may say distant, but it is a brilliant vision also. However, the light show at the end, culminating in a strange return to some strange room (are there any windows?) was fairly harrowing, and the crescendo of music and bright baby eyes gives little coherence to the film as a whole, rendering it more as a series of short stories. Still, a brilliant film, and one that dares to be different in a way that no film can ever dream to again. Great music, too. Thumbs up, Stan!