The Medium is the Message

Rating: 10/10 (21 June 2007)

Stanley Kubrik takes a technically remarkable approach in presenting a purely cinematic experience, and what the medium, itself, has to offer. We observe certain techniques as Kubrik attempts to juxtapose various themes relating to technology and its influence on the environment. From the opening dawn of man sequence to the slow space orbiting, Kubrik engulfs the audience in a manner similar to technology captivating society. As we see the apes playing with the prodigious "tool," Kubrik sequentially cuts to space of a matching image of the spaceship. The juxtaposition of these images signifies the new age of technology and its eventual enormous influence on the environment. Very appropriately, we see how some of the men are put into hybernation during the mission, similar to how in space we feel a sense of confinement, isolation, and detachment from humanity and environment. In order to enhance the theme of technology's effect on humanity, we see how the astronauts use very little dialogue, demonstrating unenthusiastically without displaying any emotions, while the computer, HAL, expresses emotions in a more dramatic manner. Through Kubrik's creative mind, simply stated, he indicates that, HAL reacts in humanistic terms; while the human's actions and reactions are limited and controlled by technology.
During the final stages of the film, we can observe the impressive special effects which may be beyond the viewers comprehension, and still holds its ground today. In the process, the technique serves to challenge the viewer to question his or her own environment and culture. In the final shot, we see the child orbiting in space which signifies that he has been born to another level or possible celestial body, something that the audience finds unimagineable.
Stands as one of the best films ever to emphatically suggest the influence technology has in shaping societal conditions. Surely, there have been other films which dabbled with the same theme and have taken similar techniques, but none to the level of the space odyssey, in which it doesn't just offer numerous techniques, but the fact that the MEDIUM IS THE MESSAGE.