Highly divisive classic (2001: A Space Odyssey (DVD))

Member Name: shaneo632

Product:	2001: A Space Odyssey (DVD)
Date:	11/09/09 (4 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Visuals and ideas

Disadvantages: Slow pace

note: also appears on The Student Room and Flixster in part

2001: A Space Odyssey is one of the most divisive films of all time - it is hailed by some as an artistic, philosophical triumph, and by others as an art farty piece of pretentious twaddle. I don't sit on either side of the argument massively - it has its plusses and its minusses, but this is an artistically realised film with impressive direction, an almost hypnotic pace, and some intriguing philosophical questions about humanity.

It's a film that's not particularly easy to summarise, because it's more an experience than anything else - it's got some entrancing visuals and expert use of music. The plot concerns evolution of the apes to humans, with the film opening with the apes discovering a monolith, and then flashing forward a huge amount of time to the present, where things take place onboard a spaceship and a crew are forced to contend with a computer named HAL that seems to have taken on a "mind" of its own, and perhaps hints towards the latest step in evolution. Meanwhile, the humans attempt to both stay alive and keep the definitions of what it means to be human by stopping this monstrosity.

What I cannot deny despite its slow pace and inaccessible approach, it is extremely well made - the visuals are astounding, and the cinematography is amazing. It has also stood the test of time extremely well, given it's now over 40 years old, and has a very classic feel that's rarely evoked in modern science fiction.

It's a real mixed bag - there's a LOT to like, but you need a lot of patience to stick with it on the first viewing, and it tends to be something I watch as a background film rather than something to watch with a few mates and a few beers. More an "experience" than a film, 2001 is a challenging film, but patient viewers will be rewarded with fantastical imagery and food-for-thought.

Summary: Sluggishly paced but artistically realised