In Space, No One Can Hear You Yawn

Rating: 7/10 (7 May 2002)

I like 2001-A Space Odyssey. It's the first sci-fi film that made people think seriously about our Earth future, and not about how you could easily see the zipper running up the back of the Martian monster costume.

Regrettably, 2001 runs a little too long for my personal taste, with a small group of astronauts spending much of their time conducting ordinary, routine tasks that, when you really consider it, would be truly boring and tedious. In this respect, this movie tells us not to expect too much in the future.

Apart from the fact that it doesn't lie to the viewer how boring space travel really is, Kubrick's classic space opera also tells us that we are way-too-concerned about finding answers in outer space, instead of trying to salvage what precious little there's still left on Earth.
Like comedic-auteur Woody Allen once said about this one (he didn't like it the first time he saw it), '2001' tells us something more each time we view it... and it is rarely the same story the next time around.

So take a few 'No-Doze' before you decide to watch it. It lasts a long time, but we are nonetheless enlightened after making this unique round trip.