Review: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Kubrick's 2001 is a masterpiece that lives behind a locked door. To access it, one must open themselves up to the journey, the mystery, and the purpose of the challenging film. Especially by the nature of today's increasingly inattentive and unfocused, the incomparable potential of 2001 may be lost or missed by some viewers. However, for those that are willing to embrace Kubrick's unparalleled sci-fi vision, there is currently no other - and may never be another - like 2001: A Space Odyssey.

The behind-the-scenes of 2001 is almost as interesting as the film itself - but I will not deep-dive into that here. What I will briefly mention is that Kubrick teamed up with sci-fi writer, Arthur C. Clarke, to help develop the story. Remarkably, while Kubrick was filming his movie, Clarke was simultaneously writing a novel that was also based on the story he and Kubrick came up with. The intersections and divergences between the two still remain a popular topic of examination. Jump to April 2, 1968, and what many people do not know is that 2001 (like a number of Kubrick films) was not well received upon its release. For many years, the film was known mainly as a roughly three-hour psychedelic trip for stoner youth with more 'highbrow' viewers seeing it as an over-indulgent, boring and unintelligible film that many would walk out of during its initial theatrical run.

Jumping ahead many decades again (not unlike what occurs in the film) and 2001 is now regarded almost universally as a true masterpiece of cinema. It is the pinnacle exhibition of Kubrick's signature style (which has since been an influence on countless filmmakers), and its story and meaning is one that is consistently discussed and examined to-this-day. The story of the evolution of human being from the discovery of its first tool to its discovery [sic] creation of artificial life followed by extraterrestrial life is one that demands multiple viewings, with each subsequent, itself, a voyage of discovery and enlightenment.

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