A Unique Film Which Has Reached 'Classic' Status

Rating: 9/10 (17 February 2008)

This has really become a classic film, not just a sci-fi classic. "2001"was a ground-breaking event, visually-speaking, that had people talking big-time when it was released. In my college-age crowd at the time, all anyone could talk about was the famous "light show scene" late in the film on the trip to Jupiter.
Admittedly, there are a few things that make this film less than appealing to some, and I've always found that understandable: mainly, the slowness of many scenes and the secular agenda. I've never let either one bother me. First-time viewers are warned: don't expect a fast-moving film. And don't worry about figuring out the ending. I don't know if anyone has an answer to that.
The visuals - the "light show," modern furniture, immense space craft, the ending bedroom scene, the apes learning to use weapons to fight each other, etc - are all fascinating aspects of this movie, but there is more. The soundtrack, the more one hears it, is extremely impressive especially as technology improves and he we hear it on a good DVD and surround system. (The Blu-Ray is fantastic.)
Now that's the way to hear classical music! Strauss' "Blue Danube" never sounded better! Played during many of the slower parts of the film, the dramatic music enhances the feel of the immensity of space itself. Then, audibly, we hear these eerie chants whenever the mysterious monolith appears, whether its on earth, out in space, or in Jupiter. In other words, this film offers a fantastic assortment of visual and audio "trips" for the senses.
Story-wise, it's all about HAL, the computer, and two astronauts who are under his leadership. The spacemen - played by Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood - are good, but HAL steals the show. His "voice" is mesmerizing, a haunting monotone. In fact, Douglas Rain is the unsung "hero" of this movie, with his voice-work of "Hal." The more one sees this movie, the more cold and evil HAL becomes.
All in all, this is a movie - like the controversial "A Clockwork Orange" - that is so unique that I would think it would have be part of any movie fan's collection of the memorable films of the 20th century.