THE Majestic Modern Silent Masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (4 May 2000)

I get asked many question to why I like this movie, but one of the most frequently questions I get asked is `Why do you like that boring movie?' my response is always `Because it's good'. I first saw this movie when I was in the 3rd grade. At the time I felt as if I didn't understand the plot. The thing I enjoyed the most out of the movie was it's spectacular space visuals and the highly popular psychedelic ending sequence. I must have scene this movie once every 3 years. Each time I saw it I hoped to try to understand the plot of the film even more. After seeing the movie over an over again I think I finally realized that the movie did not rely on plot but on visual story telling. This is more of an experimental movie. It tried to do something that was never done before in the history of filmmaking.

The movie starts off with `The Dawn of Man' based on the scientific theory of man evolving from apes. As the movie progresses we jump to the year 2001 in outer space and we are revealed how far man has evolved from once being an ape. This is a time where man depends on technology and the widely influential computer.
What makes this movie even more unique is the use of hidden symbolism. Another question I get asked is `Okay so if you like this movie so much and it's one of your favorites, what is the meaning of that big pole?' My response to this question could be extremely debatable and might seem offensive to some people. To me the black bar represents God. The pole first reveals itself to the apes. One of them stands out of the pack and fears it. After a minute of analyzing the pole it finally has the courage to touch it. In a later scene the ape is shown near a pile of bones. The ape grabs one of the bones and is for the first time filled with knowledge. This represents how the animal has learned the ability to reason and uses the bone as a weapon. The scene with the two rival packs explains how the one with the greatest technological achievements will triumph over others. The second appearance of the Pole is on the moon. Scientist go to the moon and try to determine what it is. One of the main things I noticed is how modern man treated the pole in comparison to the apes. The apes feared it and praised it, while modern man disrespected it by taking pictures of it as some sort of prize. The scientists are punished by the high pitched sound produced by the pole. The third appearance of the pole is when Dave deserts the mother ship and ventures to reach Jupiter. The pole is scene floating around near Jupiter's atmosphere, meaning God is watching over you, or God is everywhere. Finally the pole is in the final scene with where Dave is shown in his bed as an elderly man. The pole stands in front of Dave's final moments of life, this shows us how God never stops watching over us. The ending shows a baby in the womb, a perfect depiction of death and rebirth. Quite possibly this is the most accurate space movie based on scientific fact, unlike Star Wars and Star Trek.
Final note, 2001: A Space Odyssey is my all time favorite movie. It's made by my idol, Stanley Kubrick. 2001 defined the standard to what silent cinema is today. It doesn't rely much on dialogue but on visuals to tell a story. The movie does move quite slowly, and to many it's like `the most boring movie' ever made. But to a person that likes film and appreciates all the strange and original aspect of this art called film, 2001 will be a real treat. If you like 2001 check out another movie called Koyaanisqatsi, it's as equally impressive.