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2001: A Space Odyssey (1968),
Director: Stanley Kubrick, rated G
An epic
drama of adventure and exploration
  Starring:
Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, Daniel Richter,
Leonard Rossiter, Margaret Tyzack, Robert Beatty, Sean Sullivan,
Douglas Rain (voice)
DML Rating:
★★★★★★★★★☆
- near perfect
"Open the pod bay
doors, HAL." -
Dave Bowman
Why watch this?
This slick, conceptual science fiction film influenced the genre
and films that followed.
Plot Summary:
Following the discovery of a mysterious monolith that influenced
prehistoric human evolution, a similar artifact is uncovered on
the Moon, emitting a powerful signal aimed toward Jupiter. A
crew of astronauts, led by David Bowman and aided by the
advanced AI computer HAL 9000, is sent to investigate this alien
signal on the spacecraft Discovery One. As HAL begins to
malfunction and endanger the crew, Bowman must confront the
computer and ultimately face a surreal journey into deepest
space.
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Dad's Preview:
This ground-breaking sci-fi film initially divided audiences and
critics alike. It's easy to see why. There are long,
dialogue-free tracking shots of spaceships and circular
interiors all set to classical music. If you're even the least
bit groggy, it will put you to sleep. Film audiences wanted
action and detested nebulous plots. However, this is more of an
existential journey that toys with man's very reason for being.
Humans are masters of technology, yet trust artificial
intelligence too much. Where did our DNA originate? Where is it
all heading? Upon viewing this film, I immediately felt its hand
on the great space films that followed:
Star Wars
(1977),
Alien (1979), and
Contact
(1997). This is certainly worthy of its title as one of the
most influential science fictions films of all time. |
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Stanley
Kubrick; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
