The film that asks YOU for the meaning.

Rating: Null/10 (4 January 2001)

A few years ago now, I went to the video shop with my brother (who is much older than me) to rent a good movie to watch. There was nothing much that we liked in the new releases, so my brother went to the Sci Fi section. He picked up '2001 - A space Odyssey', saying he had watched that back in the 1970's for school and he felt like watching it again. On the car ride home, he said to me that I might find it a bit boring. My reply was "No, I like sci fi films. Is it like Star Wars or Thunderbirds?" "Not quite..." he replied.
We arrived home and started watching it. We laughed at the start because the opening scene was taken off in an episode of 'The Simpsons'! We kept watching - the dawn of time - a group of gorillas, or apes, or whatever, before they evolved into man. I enjoyed this sequence more because my brother was explaining it to me as it went - how they became intelligent, how they invented tools - my brother just said it was a group of actors in gorilla suits, but I actually found it compelling viewing!
Fast forward to 2001 - and you can see how much the world has advanced. its scary! From the dawn of time, to when (as the film seems to portray) spiritual beings produce a landmark that feeds on intelligence, to the extent in which that knowledge expands through the centuries... to the modern world that is not too far off today. Sure, the dates are mixed up, like some of the advanced gadgets we are still dreaming about now being invented in so called '1997', but boy, it really makes you think.
When I went to bed that night I was posed with all sorts of questions, from 'How were we created?', 'Where did we come from?', to 'Is technology taking over', 'Are we ever going to find things we were never supposed to see?'. So, I must admit, with me, the film succeeded, and I quite enjoyed it, to the surprise of my brother.
While I can understand that it would be a bore to most people now, imagine if it was 1968 in which you watched it? Now that it IS 2001, I wouldn't mind going to rent it and watch it again. And I'm sure most other people (even first timers) would find it interesting watching this portrayal of the human race and technology today.