Masterful and influential epic film - and boring to those with inactive minds

Rating: 10/10 (27 November 2006)

Sadly it appears that younger generations of filmgoers don't appreciate this film. Having been raised on frenetic, action-packed "science fiction" films like the Star Wars and Matrix series, and having spent too much time immersed in the chaotic frenzy of video games, they finally sit down to "2001" and are bored and frustrated by it. Well, naturally, if you're used to films in which every three seconds there is a crash, a special effect, a sex joke, an explosion or a killing - then you attempt to watch a slow, ponderous film like "2001" you're going to get bored. For those people, this is an education in what cinema can be. Science fiction doesn't have to be horror, comedy or martial arts. It can be literature and philosophy. "2001" dares to ask meaningful questions of the viewer, for example, "What is mankind's place and purpose in the universe?" And it doesn't provide all the answers. It challenges the viewer to come up with his/her own answers. Other issues, such as man vs. machines of man's invention, and the possibility of higher "intelligence" than man existing, are also also addressed but not given pat or preachy answers. The ambiguity is part of the appeal of this film, in addition to the spectacular visuals. The slow pace and long scenes give the viewer a chance to digest and contemplate what he/she has just seen and heard, while the film is still in progress. The long scene of the spacewalk with the only sound being the astronaut's breathing is intended to make the viewer a little uncomfortable. The extended special effects sequence near the end is almost like taking a hallucinogenic drug, but without the need to actually take one. This film, like other wide-screen epics (Lawrence of Arabia et. al.) really needs to be seen in a theater with a large screen and good sound system, or at least on a large, high-quality video screen with good sound. I was lucky to get to see it at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood in 1973, and it was shown with an intermission - and the soundtrack included an "overture" which was played before the curtain even went up, and also at the end of the intermission, to help set the mood. Of course the cinematography is masterful - space travel never looked this elegant or beautiful, in any other film save possibly "Apollo 13." Beyond that, it is the intellectual challenge that the film presents to the viewer that makes this film so memorable.