"2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968)

When lists of the greatest science fiction movies are being discussed, there is one film that seems to appear on just about every list. Some people like it, some people find it insufferably boring, some people are indifferent to it and other regard as possibly the greatest movie ever made. However, no matter what opinion people may hold on 2001, there is no denying it deserves an important place in any history of science fiction.

One of the many reasons that this became such a highly respected movie is the pedigree of the people who made it. It was based on a short story "The Sentinel" by Arthur C. Clarke, one of the most prolific and influential sci-fi writers of the last century. It was directed by Stanley Kubrick, regarded by many cinema experts as one of the most talented filmmakers to have ever picked up a movie camera. The influence of both of them can be seen in the film - unlike most other sci-fi films it is difficult to quibble with any of the science shown in the film. Clarke has a reputation for writing believable, possible, science fiction and this carries over into the film. Kubrick's influence shows in the always impressive and frequently beautiful cinematography, which still includes some of the most dazzling and convincing space scenes ever shot. Despite thirty years of progress in special effects this film’s visuals don’t look at all dated for most of the film, only some of the interior scenes on the space station look like a Sixties view of the future.

The plot of the film is not difficult to summarise. A giant black monolith of unknown origin has been found on the Moon. It is impervious to every tool humanity possesses and it seems to be transmitting signals to somewhere in the vicinity of Jupiter. A spaceship, the "Discovery” is despatched with a small crew to investigate what is receiving the signals in Jupiter’s orbit. Their mission is made more hazardous when the ship’s artificially intelligent computer – HAL – starts to believe it could perform the mission better without its crew.

The plot is interesting enough, but one of this movie’s features is that for long periods of it nothing much happens. Music plays, spaceships slowly fly across the screen, psychedelic colours and patterns flash on screen. For large portions of the film, there is not a word of dialogue. This is the likely reason many people dislike the film, if you do not appreciate the artistic effect it could quickly get tedious. This is a film where the overall experience is more important than the plot and dialogue; although the plot is interesting and what dialogue there is tends to be memorable. The characters are largely overshadowed by the rest of the film but in HAL, the movie has a memorable antagonist.

Whether the concentration on artistic effect is a good thing or not is ultimately a matter of personal preference. It is certainly true that many people love this film for its breathtaking visuals and the perfectly appropriate soundtrack that goes with them.

Love it or hate it, this is a groundbreaking, and memorable piece of science fiction and in terms of sheer artistic ambition few films have ever matched this.

Rating : 8 / 10

DVD Review (Region 2)

On the basic region 2 DVD release there is a complete lack of extras. The picture and sound are both excellent for such an old film, and considering over 30 years have passed since its release it's perhaps not surprising that this release is lacking special features.

DVD Rating : 6 / 10

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All content ©2003 William Marnoch.

Comments? Agree/Disagree with the Reviews? Suggestions? Random Ramblings? Whatever you might want to say, feel free to e-mail me at william@wmarnoch.freeserve.co.uk .