Tools don't need to breathe in space...

Rating: 10/10 (25 June 2005)

2001 A Space Odyssey contains in two hours and twenty minutes what has happened to the evolution of humans in the past million years. You start with apes, whose primary function (in the movie) is the discovery of tools, albeit simple ones at that. You then move to humans, who, driven by their curiosity and scientific nature, venture into unknown territories after seemingly becoming the masters of their own planet.
However, man, just like the apes, needs tools in order to function. Instead of the simple 'bone' for the apes, man creates computers, which become the backbone for this journey. Herein lies one of Kubrick's main points. Man invents tools; tools so great that they no longer need humans in order to function. Astronauts hibernating on the journey while the two awake struggle with boredom (i.e. sun-tanning scene). By this point, man has made tools so great that the thirst for knowledge depletes and is replaced with mild content. Hal 9000, the leader of all tools, does virtually everything now while man now becomes the tool. Man's function is now to observe Hal 9000, and fix it when needed. So the human is now used strictly for maintenance, while Hal9000 does the work.
Kubrick's other main point in this fascinating work of art is that man, while being a master of his own planet, is just a baby in space. The astronauts eat baby food and have to be 'toilet-trained' (instructions on how to use the toilet). Earth holds no weight in space; man still needs to breathe to survive in a place where breath is hard to come by: back to the tools. Man uses his tools again to be able to breathe in this environment. Now it is man who is completely dependent on the tools he invented. Now without these tools, man faces certain death. Tools don't need to breathe in space...
This film is both universal and timeless, perhaps more than any movie I have seen to date. It leaves room for discussion with its subtle nuances and reminds the viewer of where mankind stands in the evolutionary spectrum.
10/10