Timeless

Rating: 10/10 (11 January 2007)

I watched 2001 when I was twelve years old and despised it. I held such low regard for the film that I vowed to never watch it again for the rest of my life. I suppose I forgot that promise I made, as curiosity got the better of me and I revisited Kubrick's film this past summer when I was 19. I think two things are critical for viewing this movie, two things which as a twelve year old I did not possess: patience and a willingness to be open to where the story goes. 2001 is the most "different" film you will see in your life. Whenever I talk to someone who has seen it, we both find ourselves at a loss for words as to what the film was ultimately about or what it meant to us. Some might say that indicates a failure on the lack of the filmmaker, but I am inclined to disagree. I think Stanley Kubrick was wholly successful in fostering a sense of wonder and the desire to question our existence in the film, and I believe that he left the other themes as somewhat ambiguous so the audience could decide for themselves what they meant to them. I enjoyed the film on numerous levels. First, it was a brilliant slice of history- I love to watch movies that make an effort to realistically portray the future. No matter how hard they try, they always have a strong contemporary influence that might be unnoticeable at the time, but is very apparent later on. In 2001 this is certainly the case, but it delightful. There is so much optimism with the presentation of the space station, so much hope at what we might accomplish, that one is easily able to overlook the dated brand logos and garish furniture. I found an immense charm to every aspect of the universe presented in this film. It is clear that painstaking thought and detail went into the creation of every set, every prop and every interaction in the film. Which brings me to my next point. Kids will have trouble watching this movie because it is so sparse on dialogue, and plodding in its presentation. One must surrender themselves to the film and accept the fact that the movie is forcing us to view something in a completely new way. Because much of the movie is so quiet, it leaves the viewer a great deal of time to think. And more importantly, it makes the viewer pay close attention to the moments where there are dialogue and action. Because the film forces the viewer to focus in a completely new way, it makes them remember what happened in the film with much greater intensity. All modern filmmakers should remember that economy is an important thing, and that often having less leaves you with more. Truer words could not be ascribed to 2001. It has been more than six months since I last saw it, and yet I remember it with greater clarity than any film I've seen since, and find myself turning back to it and questioning what it was all about, questioning why I felt the way I did. The mark of an excellent film is one that causes you to reference it again and again in your thoughts without the outside stimulation of having to see something that will remind you of it. 2001 is sublime. It transcends what any other film has accomplished. It shows the evolution of mankind and as a result, is a very spiritual journey. This is not just some science fiction film as many would be led to believe by the fragments that popular culture has latched on to, like HAL and the space station. This is a film that documents each stage in the history of mankind, from prehistoric, to contemporary, to the ever distant future. I asks so many questions- what is the meaning of life? why do we value our existence? does one man really matter? why do we feel happy or sad? why do we care about other people? what separates man from machine? is there significance to human life in light of the enormity of the universe? where will we go after death? is there such a thing as regeneration? So many questions, and so many questions that one should ask all the time. An unexamined life is not worth living as PLato (I believe) once said. 2001 wants us to examine our lives. It wants us to think outside of our bodies and question our values and our biases. It is not a preachy film- nowhere, and may I stress this, nowhere does it tell the viewer what to hink, or make any insinuations about what the audience should be interpreting or feeling. This is a film for everyone to possess and call their own. Everyone can have an opinion about what this film is about, and no one would be wrong. It is for each person watching 2001 to decide what it =means to them. This is an experience to be shared and appreciated. I cannot believe that 2001 was made in the studio system, but it was, and it's a credit to a different era that it was made and released. It is an exquisite experience, with truly stunning special effects, all of which hold up today, and in many cases, are superior to cgi. I think it's a good thing when the viewer asks themselves, "How did they do that?" With cgi, this mysterious element disappears, and one can explain it away with computers. The fact that 2001 was made without the assistance of modern film-making tools makes it even more of a marvel.
I love it, and I hope you see it and take the time to think about it too.