A film for the patient and curious

Rating: 7/10 (22 January 2020)

2001: A Space Odyssey is the embodiment of society's craze of the time of the film's release; Space, Technology, and Discovery. Similar to a Tarantino film, 2001 takes on the role of what seems to be separate yet connected stories; A towering black void being the bridging factor between the stories. What the film lacks in dialogue and plot is undoubtedly made up for in special effects and photography. Fifty-two years since its debut, the film has certainly shown its age, especially culturally. For those interested in peeking into the views of the cold-war era and for those who want to be amazed by the seemingly accurate predictions of today's technology (most prominent being FaceTime), 2001: A Space Odyssey dives deep into the realm of the unknown in what can be seen as the most peculiar and provocative, yet marveling movie to date.
In terms of technology, the cinematography by Geoffery Unsworth features some of the most memorable frames ever put to film. With little to no CGI, Unsworth had set the bar for what can be considered as the grandfather and pioneer of today's sci-fi films. Most notable of the film's cinematography is the scene of the ship closing in on the space station. The scene is exceptionally slow to progress, focusing on the synchronized revolution of the two items in space, but is a wonderful and memorable shot that still rivals with photography and cinematics of today's technology. Overall, the film is well-polished with scenery that fails to skip over any details.
The plot, on the other hand, is nothing much to talk about. Seemingly connected and random, the film requires multiple viewings to understand. The pacing is very slow and at times becomes tedious. Being two-and-a-half hours long, this is definitely a film best served for a lazy day or curious to find hidden connections. Some parts of the film come off as disturbing, noting the end during Bowman's transformation into a fetus and the alarming scenes leading to the transformation. At times the film is hard to follow, with little context and minimal dialogue, some argue that the film's progression, or lack-of, detracts from the meaning and leaves audience members disengaged.
With minimal dialogue, it is easy to fall into prying on the actors' failure to make an engaging movie. The acting in the pre-historic era scene is played out well. The emotions and concerns of the apes are still understood by the audience. Even without the dialogue, and more impressively, the natural and chaotic nature of our predecessors are captured alongside their emotions. Fast-forward to 2001 and the acting loses its value. Covered by the shallow small talk considered customary at the time and sub-consciously filled with cultural references, such as the role of women and the greetings of the men at the space station that may be stigmatized by today's cultural perspective. In my opinion, the popular culture-induced into the film only detracts from the meaning, dragging in opinionated emotion to a movie concerned with the basis of topics devoid of emotion and irrationality. The rest of the film is mainly void of fruitful conversation, noted during HALL 9000's supposed malfunction. With what little script to go off of, the performances by Keir Dullea and Douglas Rain as Dave and HALL 9000 are memorable by itself.
Overall, there's no denying that 2001: A Space Odyssey heavily influenced sci-fi films to come, but considering its obscurity, it may take a while for one to appreciate it. Multiple viewings recommended.