My #1 film

Rating: 10/10 (7 March 2001)

As you can probably tell from my identity (2001ASOfan) "2001: A Space Odyssey" is my number 1 film on my personal Top 10 list. I saw it at the age of 14, and it was the first film that fully engaged my imagination and tapped into thoughts I had previously had about life after death, the universe, eternity, and, on a slightly more mundane level, space travel. ;-) My knees were literally shaking when I got up to leave the movie theatre after viewing it, and I wasn't even on any of the recreational drugs so many of my fellow theatregoers were on! I didn't need them--it gave me a natural "high" that touched me at the deepest of emotional and intellectual levels. I have seen "2001" many times since that first riveting, obviously unforgettable, experience, and I marvel at how the film holds up, even in terms of its special effects, especially considering its 1968 birth. I have to admit the initial "ape" scenes have paled a bit, but they are thankfully a brief intro to the film, and the film still soars for me from the moment the final "ape" throws the bone into the air and it turns into a space ship, floating in the heavens. For new viewers, though, keep in mind that director Stanley Kubrick intended "2001" to be a VERY visual experience, and it is a much lesser experience on a small TV screen (or even a big-screen TV, for that matter). Try to make your first experience one in a movie theatre--keep in mind that it is being re-released this fall of 2001 in theatres around the world. I encourage you to make the effort to see it on a big theatre screen--you won't be disappointed. "2001" turned me on to film as an art form, and film as a potentially life-changing experience, and I've been hooked ever since. Kubrick continued to fascinate me with his films through the years right up to his death, mesmerizing me with "Eyes Wide Shut" just before his passing. I am wary that the project he was working on at his death, "AI," is being made by Steven Spielberg, as I would've loved to have seen Kubrick's interpretation of it. I will undoubtedly see the Spielberg version, but will be thinking of Kubrick while watching. I have always thought of Kubrick's films as an acquired taste, and was careful who I recommended them to, so it always amazed me when any of them were commercially successful. It's especially heartening to see "2001" embraced now continuously through the years as one of the best films of all time--since many of us felt pretty lonely back then defending it. It was a love/hate reaction for many back then. In closing: Thanks, Mr. Kubrick, wherever you are! In the spirit of "2001," I hope you're a peaceful and all-knowing "Star Child" now that you've passed on to whatever's next.