| Product: |
2001: A Space Odyssey (DVD) |
| Date: |
19/12/07 (59 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Great story, great special effects
Disadvantages: It is very slow-moving for some viewers
In the mid-1960s Stanley Kubrick wanted to make a science-fiction movie which would deal with the space exploration and the prospect of the existence of extra-terrestrials. He had previously made the satirical DR. STRANGELOVE, which with its theme of nuclear destruction skirted the genre. Here however, working with the acclaimed science-fiction author Arthur C. Clarke, Kubrick came up with the science-fiction classic 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. The film divides audiences, with some viewers believing it is the greatest science-fiction film ever made, whereas others end up baffled and bored.
The movie is divided up into four episodes. The first is set millions of years in the past. The second is set at the start of the 21st Century and follows a journey to the moon during which Dr Heywood Floyd visits an excavation which has uncovered an alien artefact which has been buried for a very long time. The third episode moves the story forward by 18 months and follows a journey to Jupiter when astronauts Frank Poole and Dave Bowman are stuck with a malfunctioning computer HAL 9000. The 4th and final episode sees Bowman discover his secret orders, reach Jupiter and achieve the next stage in human evolution.
The common link between each of these sections is a mysterious monolith, and throughout the film Kubrick refuses to answer the obvious question of what exactly the monolith is and where it came from. More clarity is provided in Clarke's novel (not novelisation, as it is not an adaptation of the film but is instead simply a different version of the story), and indeed Clarke then went on to write a further 3 sequels which expanded upon the story - one of which was adapted into a movie (2010), although Kubrick was not involved in the adaptation. It is also worth noting that the original idea for the film comes from Clarke's original short story, THE SENTINEL.
Kubrick allows for a great deal of viewer interpretation, and it is no bad thing to watch a film that demands so much of the audience. In this modern age of movies some viewers take this ambiguity as a negative point, as we are so often 'handed everything on a plate' in the movies we devour. However in the late 1960s and 1970s it was more common for Hollywood films to feature ambiguity and I think that it is something that is sorely missing from much of today's Hollywood product.
As well as providing the viewer with a great deal to think about Kubrick also provides us with a great deal to look at as well. The special effects are fantastic, and there are some fantastic uses of film conventions. For example, the transition between man's first weapon (at the end of the first episode) to the twirling space station at the beginning of the second episode draws clear parallels betweem the two, and provides an unspoken commentary on man's progress. The visual effects in the final sequence as Bowman begins his evolutionary process are remarkable, but do seem to go on for a very long time, which when watched on DVD can lead to boredom, no matter how one loves the film.
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY is a hugely influential movie and is a must-see for anyone with an interest in science-fiction cinema. I would not recommend it however if your tendencies in this genre are more along the lines of shoot-em-up violent action sci-fi movies. It is a shame that there has not been a DVD release as yet which does justice to 2001's place in the science fiction world - the version I have has no special features at all. I very much hope that there is a 40th anniversary release planned for next year (2008) which will rectify this situation.
Summary: An influential classic
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