2001: A Space Odyssey

Plot synopsis:
To Richard Strauss' tone poem "Thus Spake Zarathustra," the title sequence shows the sun rising behind the Earth, which is behind the moon.The Dawn of ManIn a sere African landscape, a group of ape-like hominids and some tapirs compete for the meagre green plants. A leopard attacks an ape. While one group of apes is drinking at a waterhole, another group approaches; the two groups scream at each other and one party is driven off. At night the apes huddle in fear among the rocks. In the morning a tall, thin, rectangular black monolith stands among the rocks. The apes are excited but touch the object and calm down. (Soundtrack: György Ligeti's "Requiem.")An ape (Daniel Richter) lifts a femur bone from a skeletal pile and realizes it makes a fine weapon. (Soundtrack: "Thus Spake Zarathustra" again.) The ape realizes that it can destroy other bones with the club. Three turning points in evolution happen simultaneously: proto-humans learn to kill with weapons, to hunt using weapons and eat meat, and to walk upright. Club-carrying apes approach the group that drove them away from their waterhole. The club-carriers bludgeon the other group's alpha male to death and chase off the rest. The victorious alpha male throws his club and it spins into the air.TMA-1, or the Monolith on the Moon(No title card introduces this section of the film)The spinning bone segues to spaceships above Earth. A Pan-Am space shuttle approaches a large spinning space station, its revolutions mirroring those of the ape's spinning bone. As a single passenger dozes in his seat, a flight attendant with Velcro shoes recovers his floating pen. The shuttle pilots carefully match rotation and steer the shuttle into the station's central docking bay. (Soundtrack: Johann Strauss' Blue Danube waltz.)Dr. Heywood Floyd (William Sylvester) meets an old friend in the arrivals lounge. They go through a voiceprint security check in which Floyd identifies his destination: the moon. The men chat; Dr. Floyd has a connecting flight in one hour. Floyd calls home from a video payphone booth and talks to his young daughter (Vivian Kubrick), whose birthday is the next day. He's sorry he'll miss her party but asks her what sort of present she wants; she asks for a bush-baby. The cost of the call is $1.70.In the Hilton lounge, Floyd stops to chat with some Russian scientists on their way back to Earth. When Floyd mentions he is going to Clavius, the Russians say no one has had contact with Clavius for 10 days and there are rumors of an epidemic. Floyd says he cannot discuss the matter and goes on his way.A smaller spaceship approaches the moon. A flight attendant serves food trays that consist of many compartments of liquid nourishment labeled with pictures -- carrots, peas, and so on. Floyd sips his meal, talks briefly with one of the flight officers, then contemplates the long list of instructions for the zero-G toilet. He watches the moon approach. The craft lands in a domed landing pad then descends underground to the main complex, once again to Johann Strauss' stately Viennese waltz.Floyd is introduced to a group of people in a conference room. He congratulates them on their discovery. He tries to explain the need for secrecy and the epidemic cover story. Floyd has come to get more facts and write a report for "the Council."A shuttle skims over the lunar landscape. Inside, Floyd and two scientists enjoy sandwiches and review the findings. A magnetic object was found and excavated. They're not sure what it is, only that it was deliberately buried four million years ago.At the dig site, a tall, thin, black rectangular monolith -- identical to the one the apes encountered -- is examined by six people in spacesuits. (Soundtrack: György Ligeti's "Requiem" again.) As they pose for a photo the object emits a loud, high-pitched noise and the astronauts grab their heads in pain.Jupiter Mission 18 Months LaterA long narrow spacecraft moves through space, its parabolic antennae pointing backwards. In the crew compartment, Dr. Frank Poole (Gary Lockwood) jogs around the artificial gravity wheel. Along the narrow corridor formed by the edge of the wheel, he runs past work stations, communications equipment, and five large, coffin-like life support chambers with glass covers. Two are unoccupied and three hold white, sarcophagus-shaped pods containing hibernating members of the crew.Frank is joined by Commander Dave Bowman (Keir Dullea). The two men have a meal and watch a BBC news video from earlier that day. The news report is about them and their ship, the Discovery, 80 million miles from Earth. The report mentions the three astronauts who are in hibernation to save air and food; they will be needed at the destination for a survey. The sixth member of the crew is the HAL9000 computer, which can talk and mimic the human brain. The newscaster interviews Dave and Frank together and then speaks to Hal (Douglas Rain), who states he is foolproof and incapable of error.Frank catches some UV rays on a tanning bed and watches a video birthday greeting from his parents. Hal also wishes Frank a happy birthday. Frank and Hal play chess -- Hal wins. Dave sketches and shows his artwork to Hal. The computer expresses some concern about the mission and secrecy. Hal then announces there is a problem with the AE-35 unit and it will fail with 100% certainty within 72 hours. Dave and Frank discuss the problem with Mission Control; they need to "go EVA" (outside the ship -- extra-vehicular activity) to replace the unit. Dave goes out in a spherical EVA pod to the parabolic dish antennae in the center of the long ship. He leaves the pod and swaps out the black box from a service panel.Later the two astronauts scan the removed AE-35 unit but can't find any defects. Hal suggests putting it back in service to let it fail. Mission Control believes Hal has made an error because their HAL9000 unit, a twin to the one aboard Discovery, finds no flaw in the AE-35. Hal says that similar problems in the past have always proved not to be his fault ("It can only be attributable to human error") and denies any chance of computer error. Dave and Frank go to a pod to have a private chat under the ruse of looking at a communications problem.Dave turns off all the pod's communications switches and the two men share their worries about Hal. If the AE-35 unit doesn't fail as predicted, the astronauts decide to disable Hal's higher functions without disturbing the automatic ship control functions, which Dave says will be tricky to do. Dave also wonders how Hal will react, because no 9000 unit has ever been disconnected before. Hal can see the men through the pod's window and reads their lips.This time Frank goes out in the EVA pod. As Frank approaches the dish assembly the pod sneaks up behind him. Suddenly Frank is spinning off into space fumbling for his air hose, which is disconnected, and the pod is drifting in the other direction. As Frank tumbles away, his voluntary movements slow and stop. Dave goes to the pod bay as Hal says he doesn't know what happened. Dave uses a pod to recover Frank's body. While he's away, a computer malfunction alert goes off and the life signs of the three hibernating astronauts flat-line. A display reads "Life functions terminated." Hal refuses to open the pod bay doors for Dave, explaining that he knows Dave is planning to disconnect him because he was able to read Frank and Dave's lips when they discussed it. He says the mission is too important to allow humans to jeopardize it. Dave says he'll return to the ship through the airlock; Hal replies that Dave will find that difficult without his helmet -- which, indeed, Dave forgot in his hurry to go after Frank. Hal ends the conversation.Dave releases Frank's body and maneuvers the pod to the emergency airlock hatch. He uses the pod's arms to open the door, then lines up the pod's hatch with the opening. Dave holds his breath and jumps over to the ship, where he's tossed around by escaping air before he's able to close the hatch. Now in a helmet, Dave goes to the computer room and climbs into an access compartment. Hal pleads for himself as Dave pulls crystals from the memory center. Hal's voice gets lower and slower as he sings "Daisy Bell" (Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do, I'm half crazy all for the love of you), and fades out as he is completely shut down. (Hal's performance is a nod to a speech synthesis project at Bell Laboratories in which an IBM 704 was programmed to sing the same song.) Suddenly a video screen comes on and plays a recording of Dr. Floyd explaining the secret purpose of the mission: "This is a prerecorded briefing made prior to your departure and which for security reasons of the highest importance has been known on board during the mission only by your HAL9000 computer. Now that you are in Jupiter's space and the entire crew is revived it can be told to you. Eighteen months ago, the first evidence of intelligent life off the Earth was discovered. It was buried 40 feet below the lunar surface near the crater Tycho. Except for a single very powerful radio emission aimed at Jupiter, the four-million-year-old black monolith has remained completely inert. Its origin and purpose are still a total mystery."Jupiter and Beyond the InfiniteClose to Jupiter, another black monolith floats among the many moons. We hear György Ligeti's "Requiem" once again. Bowman leaves the Discovery in another EVA pod. As the monolith and moons align, a psychedelic light show begins and the pod enters a wormhole to the music of Ligeti's "Atmosphères." Dave sees a series of oddly-colored landscapes as if he was flying over them. The pod ends up somewhere in time and space in a bedroom with a luminous white floor and furniture in the style of Louis XVI. Dave gets out, now a trembling grey-haired man. Next door in a similarly styled bathroom, Dave looks at himself in a mirror. Back in the bedroom someone is sitting at a table eating. It's Dave again, now much older and dressed in a dark velour robe. Old Dave has a drink of wine; the glass falls to the floor and breaks. Another man lies sleeping on the bed. It is a still older Dave, who stirs and raises an arm. The black monolith appears in the center of the room. Dave is transformed into a fetus in a sac. Floating in space, the large open-eyed fetus -- the Star Child -- gazes at the nearby Earth. Soundtrack: "Thus Spake Zarathustra."

Tags: avant garde, mystery, murder, boring, realism, paranormal, cult, atmospheric, flashback, psychedelic, philosophical, sci-fi

Review:
For anybody to dismiss 2001: A Space Odyssey as "boring" they must have no interest in science, technology, philosophy, history or the art of film-making.
It is our shame that the year 2001 did not look like the film 2001, not Kubrick's.Besides the incredible special effects, camera work and set design, Kubrick also presents the viewer with a lot of food for thought about what it means to be human, and where the human race is going.
The music played, all classical, compliment what the eyes are seeing and make you feel the significance of man's journey through his evolution from ape to space traveler.The story, while seemingly simple, is profound.
Instead of writing a paragraph, I'll give four good reasons why 2001 is  the greatest cinema experience of all time:  1) It is a visual Odyssey that could only be told on the big screen.
The silence that fills the space  scenes not only serves its purpose as accurate science, but also adds  to the mood of the film (to be discussed in a later point with HAL).
I can think of no other movie  that has such amazing visuals for its time and even of all time (sorry  Phantom Menace fans!)  2) Kubrick's directing style is terrific.
As in all his films, Kubrick  likes to use his camera as means to delve into the psychology of his  characters and plots.
Like classic movies, such as M  and Touch of Evil, Kubrick focuses on the characters' faces to give the  audience a psychological view-point.
Instead of  trying to give my opinion of the what it means and what my idea of  2001's meaning in general is, I'd like to discuss the fact that the  ending serves to leave the movie open-ended.
By respecting the audience's intelligence, Kubrick  allowed his movie to be the beginning, not the end, of a meaningful  discussion on man's past, present, and future.
The beauty of 2001 is  that the ending need not mean anything deep, it can just be a purely  plot driven explanation and the entire movie can be viewed as an  entertaining journey through space.
It's a great loss, and I write about 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, because I feel it is the consummate Kubrick film, the one he will be most remembered for.
It was probably America's first 'art' film and has inspired the likes of George Lucas and countless other writers and directors.Aside from its visual greatness, the reason the film spawns so much discussion and analysis is because so many people have so many different interpretations of it.
But the impression was great enough to make me fall for entire genre of science fiction.The day I learned '2001' got only special effects Oscar and was not even nominated for the Best Picture was the day when 'Academy Award' completely became two words meaning nothing to me..
It is a philosophical journey to the infinite and beyond, a masterpiece of it's genre and still after 32 years technically quite impressive all the way to the powerful musical soundtrack featuring 'Also spracht Zarathustra' by Richard Strauss and 'Blue Danube' by Johann Strauss.Take all the time you want, but eventually you are going to have to see this film.
Beyond that, there is nothing the least bit interesting about the human characters (trite dialogue and no personality or warmth to any of the individuals), the pace is unbelievably slow (so the intellectually gifted can philosophize on the mysteries of space), and the payoff at the end leaves you either breathless with enlightenment or convinced that you have watched three hours of nothingness.I had the same letdown feeling when I watched THE CLOCKWORK ORANGE, so your like or dislike of this movie is purely dependent on personal taste.
Intellectuals will take the position that you are a mentally challenged clod if you dare disagree with their elevated opinion of the movie--so be aware that this is not conventional story-telling in any sense whatsoever and only for those who admire Stanley Kubrick's way with unlikely cinematic material..
That's fine I wouldn't want to rob you of your monkey action or your ship docking sequences but I swear you could do this movie in a short and not lose the message.Maybe that was the point, To do a movie with space imagery and a ton of sunrise images that you can play you're enigma CD with the lights dimmed low as you try and woe some woman with your impressive movie watching resume.
And I have to hand it to him for remaining so tight-lipped that nobody ever knew what his personal feelings were on the matter.The film starts in prehistoric times with a tribe of moribund ape-like creatures on the edge of either extinction or excellence.
I bet that Stanley Kubrick spent the last thirty years of his life laughing his tuckus off that of all of his works, this one most profoundly affected the cultural consciousness which he consistently satirizes.Evidence of this abounds: witness the instantly recognizable creations of the computer HAL, and its synthetic voice; the character "Dave" and the line "What are you doing, Dave?"; and the stylized score based on Strauss' "Also Sprach Zarathustra."There is no doubt that this is a beautiful, confounding picture that says something about the dehumanizing effects of technology.
Of course, works that are incomprehensible are often deemed to be profound, and Kubrick seems to have understood that; in fact, the emergence of drug culture and middle-class spiritual yearnings during the late 60s allowed him to create something really huge and really vague, and pass it off as something really deep.The film opens with "The Dawn of Man," where it is implied that man's evolution was directed by either a) an alien life-force, or b) a God-like creature, represented by a huge black monolith.The former interpretation would be the less mundane, more sci-fi expression, but the relationship between man and alien is never developed.
In spite of this (or maybe because of it), many viewers have hailed the film as a religious experience; many more time their drug hits in order to be stoned during the psychedelic final scenes.2001 does have something going for it - its special effects are masterfully done and may be forever unsurpassed in terms of the visual spectacle they produce.
(Kubrick garnered his one and only Oscar for this film, for Best Visual Effects.)Also, this is a lesson in how to tell a story through images and sounds.
I urge anyone who disliked this film to give it at least one more chance - I can honestly say that the film was way too far off the wall for me to appreciate it the first time I watched it.2001 is overflowing with iconic images, from the opening scene accompanied by Richard Strauss' "Thus Spoke Zarathustra", to the bone being tossed into the air by the ape.
Although Kubrick continued to direct amazing movies like The Shining, A Clockwork Orange and Full Metal Jacket (which were all far more accessible movies) after 2001, he couldn't top this: his crowning achievement.It's easy to see how viewers may be put off by 2001 - it doesn't follow the usual movie formula where the plot comes to a conclusion at the end.
I won't go into the point of 2001 since I haven't read the book and I think it is up to each viewer to decide for himself what it all means.The movie jumps from the very dawn of man's use of weapons to a time when space is heavily trafficked, and continues to show us the fate of some unlucky astronauts at the hands of a super-intelligent computer called HAL-9000.
I won't spoil what happens in the end but I will say that if you could see it coming, you must be some kind of super genius; as far as I'm concerned it is the single least predictable ending for a movie, ever.Kubrick is the only director that I know of who has portrayed space in the most realistic way possible: vast, endless, dark, empty, and soundless.
It's admirable that a director goes out of his way to make sure no sounds are heard in space, but rather than let this make the movie dreary and dull, Kubrick uses this to his advantage: the chilling silence of some scenes actually help build up the atmosphere in a way that no movie has done before.
If you're open minded, this is for you, if Pirates of the Caribbean is your favourite movie of all time, it's not - and I don't say this to insult fans of Pirates, I'm just saying that this film might not be up your alley.I hope I don't sound too pretentious because I know how horrible many of 2001's rabid fans can be.
The meaning of this movie can also be interpreted as you wish yourself, even though I think there are some clear points concerning humanity (also true Kubrick style).
But before you can jump to those conclusions, think about why Kubrick spends time with calm music and a spaceship in the middle of space for several minutes.
I've been wanting to see this film for years and after building my new home theater I deemed that this would be the film I would use for its opening.Wow.I found myself fast forwarding (Something I've never done in a film) through many of the so called 'visual masterpiece's' If it wasn't for HAL I would have broke this garbage into a thousand pieces.
Half of it feels like happy show tunes when the visuals are either somber or nothing (i.e. a space ship flying through space for ten minutes).The ending had the feel that Kubrick was trying to do something artsy and creative...but failed miserably and created only something that was a boring culmination to a boring movie.Avoid this one at all costs...unless you want to take a 2 1/2 hour nap..
One of Stanley Kubrick's greatest works - which is saying something - and still considered by a great many people to be the greatest science fiction film ever made.It is a film that takes us from the very beginning to the very end.
Scenes that created high drama in 1968 are now sadly obvious fantasy that prevented me from enjoying the film.The ending is so obscure that, if you plan to watch the movie, I'd recommend reading the book first.This movie joins a list of others that I never wish to see again, and in fact, I regret having spent time on it this time around.
I think if you were in a Cinerama theatre and had the experience that Kubrick intended, there would be no doubt that you had just seen one of the great films of all time.
I'd love to know what they were on when this film was being made.Its also the most historically-inaccurate film in existence; 2001 has come and gone without any of the events or predictions taking place.Characters are unlikeable, design is simplistic and everything just rambles on without any sense or logic to it.And the ending is probably the worst of it: its supposed to be thought-provoking but the only thought that entered my mind is "What the F$*K is going on?!" I'd say for anyone looking for serious entertainment purposes, AVOID this film at all cost and choose a sci-fi movie that ISN'T stuck up its own @$$..
There is not much new I can say that hasn't alredy been said in regards to the plot points and themes of Kubrick's magnum opus, so I won't even try.What I will say is that I saw this film at a cinema in Belfast where it is being screened to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its original theatrical release.I have seen 2001 many times on a TV screen and always enjoyed it.
The love all of Kubrick's other work, but sorry A space odyssey doesnt come near my list of great movies..
Out of the 16 films that Stanley Kubrick has directed this is the fifth one that I've seen and I can safely say that it's by far the worst of the bunch; it's hard to believe that this bloated bore of a film came from the same man that directed such great films as The Shining, A Clockwork Orange and Full Metal Jacket, but hang on folks I have my own theory...Everyone comments on how this film is a ground breaking piece of science fiction and I must concede on those comments; 2001's visuals are astonishing, the special effects are mind-blowing and still hold up well today, the set designs are also authentic and impressive.
It felt to me like Kubrick was more concerned with creating a 'Concorde' moment in the world of cinema rather than creating a film with an interesting story that will actually involve the audience.
In fact, it got to the point where the score became more irritating than anything and there were long stretches when it was used at the expense of both character development and plot development.The only mildly interesting part of this film was when the crew started to have problems with HAL, but this aspect of the plot was short-lived and the resolution to this aspect of the story was far too formulaic.2001: A Space Odyssey really does seem to be a 'marmite' film whereby you either love it or you hate.
None of it really comes together though as there is no sense of collision between these two sections of the film, and hence no cohesion to hold it together other than the appearance of the monolith, which for no discernible reason emits a high-pitched scream at Sylvester and his team of astronauts.The highly touted sequence involving HAL, the ultra-intelligent super-computer who terrorizes a deep-space exploration mission to Jupiter, seems kind of a side note to the greater story, and doesn't really fit in at all with the whole monolith/human intelligence theme.
2001: A Space Odyssey is a film that definitely hasn't stood the test of time, and will do little more than bore its audience during the year it was meant to depict..
I thought it would be boring and plotless, but I was completely wrong.2001: A Space Odyssey is the best film I've ever watched, Sci-Fi or not.
But that's not really the point of this film.In fact, 2001 isn't really a science fiction movie at all.
Kubrick made a film that was made for people to THINK about, not a movie for quick thrills.
Zack Snyder's shots in Batman V Superman made me interested in knowing more about Stanley Kubrick's Space Odyssey and Yes I was Blown for days after watching this film.Usually before watching any film I spend some time on knowing facts and trivia about it and I knew that way before scientist have reached any other planets, Stanley kubrick had shown everyone how any other planet/world would have looked like.I loved the transitions from era to era, and how well he had made use of what ever resources he had in 1968.
What Stanley Kubrick has created is a work of beauty, insight, and wonder unlike any movie at the time.
This movie is incredible, I have never seen such an amazing film in a long time, amazing soundtrack, great acting, stunning visuals, etc...
That said, I don't think this movie deserves less than 3 stars, simply for the fact that it is a beautifully shot film.
It is a beautiful work of art, and even if you didn't like it (which is perfectly understandable), you should REALLY still appreciate the special effects in this film.
It changed science fiction film history, and just film history in general.I mean, if the Academy hadn't given the Oscar to Kubrick for best visual effects, it'd probably be the biggest Oscar snub of all time!
The film clearly wants the viewers to interpret and analyze it, and that is what makes it even more interesting.Kubrick is clearly one of the greatest filmmakers of all time.
2001 A space odyssey is quite possibly the greatest science fiction film (and book) of all time.
When people mention the notion of space travel in film this movie arguably one of the greatest of the 20th century always springs to mind.
Also we must remember this film was released before the days of flashy CGI style special effects yet the way Kubrick gave you the sensation of being in outer space was just awe inspiring.
People may say that in film everything does not have to be about plot, that some how you can just have pretty images on the screen and it is thus a good movie.
But 2001: A Space Odyssey is no Tarkovsky, it is just an awful and boring slow movie.I have to admit that the visuals are great considering that this movie was made in 1968 and I actually think that this is the reason why it got so popular.
But if you take away the awesome visual effects there's nothing left.2001: A Space Odyssey is an extremely overrated and boring movie.
2001: A Space Odyssey, was without a doubt, the lamest, most boring, most unentertaining, poor excuse for a film, waste of time, I've ever seen!
2001: A Space Odyssey is among one of the GREATEST sci-fi movies of all time and has remained a masterpiece for many decades and for so many reasons!
A movie that comments on evolution, technology, time and space.
2001: A Space Odyssey truly is one of the best science fiction films ever and one of the greatest films of all time..
Does it, at times, seem more like an impressive art gallery than a film?
I especially liked the ending of that piece, when the music set in, fading into the space part of the film incredibly well.
In the 1 hour and 40 minutes to come there would be numerous overlong scenes of space ballet that added nothing to the plot and became quite boring over time, as did the whole film.