I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that.

Rating: 10/10 (17 September 2018)

A half-century later, "2001: A Space Odyssey" remains a remarkable achievement for its visionary producer / director Stanley Kubrick, who wrote the screenplay with noted author Arthur C. Clarke. Its visuals were state-of-the-art at the time, and they are still impressive all these years later. It depicts the contact that mankind has with aliens over thousands of years, beginning in the "Dawn of Man" when various ape-men puzzle over a strange new artifact in their world. It then makes a hard cut to the early 21st century, when space has been colonized and something amazing has been discovered beneath the surface of the moon. Then, we jump ahead again to a mission to Jupiter, commandeered by astronauts Dave Bowman (Keir Dullea) and Frank Poole (Gary Lockwood). They will have their hands full, dealing with a problematic artificial intelligence named HAL (voiced by an eerily calm Douglas Rain), after which Dave is taken on a truly startling final journey.
It's breathtaking to see the results of an obviously huge amount of work. Due to its widescreen photography (by Geoffrey Unsworth and John Alcott) and its sound design, this is one picture that would really rock on a big screen. Kubrick is quite daring in his approach, crafting a film that moves so slowly that it could bore people with short attention spans. But this does help in portraying a certain monotonous and empty feeling when people are working in deep space. Other elements lending "2001" distinction are Kubricks' use of many classic compositions, from the "Blue Danube" to (most memorably) "Also Sprach Zarathustra". The script by Kubrick and Clarke offers a stately, intelligent approach to the idea of working in outer space, complete with colourful but rather antiseptic environments. Described by some as basically a tale about evolution, and the role that these extraterrestrials played in it, it offers no easy, clear-cut answers, but instead leaves details (including the ending) open to discussion, which has kept viewers pondering it for decades. Provocative stories like this, that fire our imaginations and intellects, are often the ones with true staying power.
The performances (the cast also includes William Sylvester, Daniel Richter, Leonard Rossiter, Margaret Tyzack, Robert Beatty, and Sean Sullivan) do not blow a viewer away, but are perfectly low key and do suit the material. Rain deserves a lot of credit for creating a legendary "villain" through just the sheer relaxed tone of his voice.
Sadly, this is NOT going to suit all tastes, but audiences who favour sci-fi pictures that stress the "science" aspect, and attempt to appeal to adult intellects, will find it richly rewarding, no matter the run time.
Originally screened at two hours and 41 minutes; later cut by about 19 minutes. The version on the Blu-ray runs two hours and 29 minutes, complete with an overture, intermission, and exit music.
This delivers the kind of movie experience that discerning viewers don't easily forget.
10 out of 10.