A pinnacle of science fiction cinema

Rating: 10/10 (6 June 2007)

It's amazing that a film like this is from 1968. Even comparing it to the other sci-fi classic of that year, Planet of the Apes, it feels decades ahead in its visuals, its story, and its style. While Apes is fantastic, it feels like a film of the '60s, with the cheesy effects, melodramatic acting, and obvious use of soundstages. It is very much a film of its time. This one, on the other hand, could just have easily been made today. The panoramic shots of massive spaceships are breathtaking, almost a decade before Star Wars accomplished the same thing, and the amazingly accurate future inventions shown in this film reveal Kubrick's incredible vision. Undoubtedly one of the best science fiction films of all-time, and certainly a major influence upon the genre for years to come.
It's certainly not an overtly entertaining or enjoyable film to watch - the long stretches without dialogue and the exceptional patience with which each scene is granted make the audience feel every one of its two and a half hours. It obviously doesn't appeal to everyone. For someone who is in awe of the care present in each scene, though, it's a breeze to sit through. The fact that the film is bookended by twenty minute-long segments of dialogue-free film doesn't bother me at all, as the images and visuals are so strong and so interesting that it makes no difference to me at all if there's dialogue or not. Plus, the dialogue that is present in the film is so purposefully inane and harmless that one is forced to focus on the visuals. Almost the entire story is presented through images; I think there's only one speech directly related to the plot.
The first time I watched it, my favourite act was the third one, with HAL. That was probably due to the fact that it contained the most dialogue, had the most plot, and had that creepy robot with the eloquent speech. I thought everything else in the movie was unneeded and just dragged it down - especially that psychedelic ending. Now, I can appreciate the contribution that each act makes to the whole; how the entire story is told throughout the film. I haven't yet read the novel, but I'm interested to see just how similar it is, because this story really is quite incredible. And, though I still don't understand the ending, I can appreciate just how brilliant it is. I think I don't understand it (wholly) because we're not meant to; our first contact with extra-terrestrial will not be as linear and straight-forward as Hollywood makes it out to be, and this film reflects that.
The acting is good, the dialogue is fine, and the sets are kinda dated, but this film is all about the images. From the iconic shot of the ape throwing the bone that morphs into a spaceship, to the classic appearance of HAL, to Dave's final journey to the alien intelligence, it is the visuals of this film, much more than the script, that tell the story. And, though it's nearly forty years old, it's not nearly as dated as every other film from its era. That, in itself, is an incredible accomplishment. The fact that this is a terrific film is even more amazing.