A must-see for any really movie lover

Rating: 8/10 (4 April 2016)

Truly, it was a revolutionary piece for the film industry. It opened the door back up to space, one that had essentially been shut since the short "A Trip to the Moon," which in its own right was a masterpiece. Although this movie has influenced countless others, it lacked in many areas. Kubrick has made this story's theme in a manner that philosopher Martin Heidegger would be proud of, trying to push the audience to a point that they are incapable of understanding it. I won't spoil what it is, so don't worry, but Kubrick has made it nigh unattainable. Another complaint that I have of this movie was it seemed to rely heavily on the spectacle. So much was focused on camera tricks and special effects (which were absolutely amazing). However, special tricks do not make a movie. It is a similar complaint that I had with "Interstellar." There were so many shots of drifting in space. I don't mind having long cuts, in fact, I believe those to be incredibly artistic and beautiful, able to portray what quick cuts cannot. Sadly though, there were so many of them that these lot cuts lost a bit of their magic by the end. The psychedelic color trip at the end of the movie was... long. If it were to be just a tad shorter, it would have worked, but I believe that the point of it was lost within the first 3 minutes of random colors and patterns. In conclusion, it is a movie that's impact will forever be felt, but most won't appreciate now. It is a must watch for anyone who really appreciates movies and classics, but will leave you kind of thinking, "what?" Pros: It changed the film industry. The acting was great and so was the sound design. The focus on breathing to increase the dramatic effect, the icy tone of voice by HAL, and the music are just to name a few. I am not sure that we will ever have a movie revolutionize special effects like this one did. Cons: The cuts were a bit long. This left me as a viewer a little exasperated. There wasn't much character development nor continuity in character at all.