Brilliant Kubrick

Rating: 9/10 (17 July 2005)

One thing I have to get out of the way is that I did not like the first half of 2001. I know that's blasphemy to many, but I'm an avid Star Wars fan who's heard nothing but complaints about Star Wars, so give me this one. I dislike the Blue Danube Waltz. It's the classical music equivalent of bubblegum pop. All the ship movements and people walking on the ceiling is just gratuitous special effects, ironic since most hold 2001 up as sci-fi movies that does not rely on pointless fx.
But it's the second half where the movie comes alive. We get to know these characters, the humans and HAL the computer. The scene where HAL watches the astronauts talk about its mistakes is haunting. The machine is suffering from human paranoia, and as in any psycho movie, we see the frail character act out violently.
It is as David is sneaking back unto the ship to shut down HAL that Kubrick's slow pace works perfectly. David must be meticulous, the slightest mistake and he will die. His breathing and his careful actions make up one of the most intense scenes ever.
Then the finale, going through the stargate. If you didn't know this was a 1960's movie before, you would know it from this scene. It is haunting and beautiful. No, like most people, I don't quite get the scenes of David as an old man on another planet, eating dinner. But there's always been something interesting to me about people in the far reaches of space doing very normal things in normal-looking, places. I can't quite put it into words. The loneliness of the scene is a fascinating thing.
I could analyze the ending, 'the Star Baby represents the id' but that kind of thing has never been important to me as a viewer. It's the dramatic resonance of 2001, and the glorious music finale, that leaves me with something positive, a plot that starts out simply enough and veers into something larger, a regular human in the midst of a grand universe.