2001: A Great Reason to Stay Home and Explore Space

Rating: 10/10 (10 May 2008)

"2001" is a pioneer of science fiction film-making, which inspired a new generation and gave audiences more than just cheap effects with little green men. Kubrick created a film that makes you think, not just about what is happening on the screen, but also what the future holds. In 1968, 2001 seemed like a million years away, and this is what Kubrick thought we would look like  now, in 2008, if he were alive  he could make a film called "2012: A Space Odyssey" and this critic would believe his view of the distant future.
Kubrick opens our film with the power of sound. Like an opera beginning its set, we are left in the dark as our musicians begin their concertos that fill our ears with emotion and the unknown. Beginning in this way, it takes us (in a positive way) out of the feeling of the film, and that we are sitting in the best seats of the house for a performance of the theater of the absurd. With words reminiscent of Beckett, Kubrick brings both a voice and a sound to this film that is difficult to find in today's modern science fiction films. A modern similarity would be the independent film "Primer", but even that is a long shot. What makes "2001" more than just a film is the classical music Kubrick uses. As the film progresses, it feels as if the music was made with this film in mind. The "dawn of man" with the booming overture as our ape ancestors claw at the monolith will, and has, remained a staple in the cinematic world. With this sheet of black metal, Kubrick created a sound and an image that could never be duplicated  while some have tried  the emotion and feeling when the Sun and Earth crest the monolith on Mars can never be reproduced. With a minimal script, language used as a secondary way to complete the story, the sound needed to be perfect  and the full bodied orchestra did better than perfect. It created a sound for a place that is devoid of everything except darkness  space.
With my ogling of sound complete, there were other elements of "2001" that were equally sharp and powerful. By dating a film there is always the risk of arriving to that date without finding any of the predictions true, the film becomes a cultural hick-up and forgotten in the canyons of cinema. What makes Kubrick's film impeccable is its ability to grow outside of the normality of average science fiction. While it holds a date of 2001, it does not mean that the Kubrick's themes become dated. This is difficult to explain, but watching "2001" in 2008 still was impressive. The technological advances, the exploration of the unknown, the questionable ethics of evolution still resonates in today's society and I feel that Kubrick knew this while making this film. Sure, this was his idea (or perhaps Clarke's idea) of the future, but it is still the future. By book marking it with the unspoken birth of humanity and with the rebirth of the "Space Child"  it transcends the 2001-esquire moments. What makes this film go beyond the 2001 pitfall is that rarely is it mentioned the actual date. Outside of the title sequence and the brief moment with HAL, this film could be placed anywhere  and it does. Do not be fooled by the title, this is still a relevant film today as it was yesterday and through the years to come.
One still cannot speak about this film without talking about HAL and that infamous line about the "pod bay doors". It has become more than just cultural chatter, but wine-chatter with film snobs. It is an important and provocative moment of the film, but the events surrounding it contain just as much recognition. In one fell swoop, HAL changes and the dawn of man becomes a page in the history books. The machines have become smarter than their creators, and a new dawn has arrived. Kubrick's scenes surrounding HAL were phenomenally spooky. That looming yellow eye stayed with me long after the film and can be still seen in current cinematic releases. With one fell swoop of the camera, Kubrick created man, developed the monolith, brought fear into technology, and then attempted to explain the meaning of life.
Overall, this film has impressed me completely. The Homer-esquire journey that we, the viewer, take on this film is unparalleled in any other cinematic adventure. No other director could have helmed this project as well as given the darkness, the fear, the hope, and the overall sense of excitement to the screen. Kubrick was a film pioneer, his voice can continue to be heard today with any science fiction film that is released, and it is all due to this one singular film that chose to open with darkness and the score of an opera, and end with the eyes of a child. This is a science fiction film, but it is more than that. This is a history book. It is a page of our life that nobody wants to see. The monolith could represent anything, and there are film classes that spend years discussing it  and that is why this movie will remain firmly rooted in our catalog. I loved the sounds, I loved the technology, I loved the dark vacuum of space, but most importantly, I loved the unknown. This was not a linear story that one could watch and forget about  out of respect to Kubrick  watch this film, watch it again  point out the unknown and keep it fresh in your friend's mind. This is a glowing example of why films are made.
Grade: ***** out of *****