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2001: A Space Odyssey (2 Disc Special Edition) [1968]


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A monolith of a movie
Review date: 2008-11-21 Rating: 10 out of 10

This is not just a movie. This is a mind-altering experience. I saw 2001 as a fifteen year old when it was re-released in the winter of '76 and I remember leaving the theater not quite sure what to think of it but convinced it would have a tremendous impact on my life. And, indeed, as with the reappearing monolith, each time I watch the film (unfortunately, not in the spacious, magical dark of the theater - why don't they show it there at least once a year?), I discover yet another aspect of its deep content. Kubrick takes you on a journey that leaves you entranced; a slow, Zen-like, visually stunning trip through a timeless universe where man gets a glimpse of his true objective. A hopeful message. From 1976 on I dreamed of the year 2001, hoping that it would bring us all the wonderful things shown in what I now consider to be Kubrick's greatest achievement. How sad we got 9/11 instead. 2001, A Space Odyssey is perhaps the most important movie ever made, a perfect combination of images, motion, sound (silence!), and music, with an awesome message. Kubrick is a genius who creates personal works of art which grow more fascinating with each additional viewing. He sure has secured his place among the greats: Mozart, Stravinsky, Bartók, Shakespeare, Joyce, Michelangelo, Gaudi, Dali, Picasso, Eisenstein, Welles... What more can an artist wish for? Five stars, definitely, although this film deserves as many as there are in the galaxy.

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Reviews


SLEEP INDUCING
Review date: 2008-07-09 Rating: 10 out of 10

This slow, boring at times, movie is a classic. It gets played on my dvd player during bouts of insomnia or drunkeness or when i smokeweed. It has a Terrence Malick feel to it in my opinion; it is a visual tone poem much like Malick movies eg Days of Heaven where there is little dialogue. 2001: A Space Odyssey has barely 40 minutes of dialogue in a 145-minute film.


Regarding the plot, we move across centuries, from the birth of man with apes fighting it out to sociopathic Computer Hal taking a crew to Jupiter in a quest to understand a mysterious black monolith that may hold the key to God. Phew.


It also follows the adventures of a few astronauts in space and their motivations to mature and reflect on the situation in which they find themselves. The anti-hero is the malfunctioning super computer HAL900 ("I'm afraid, Dave. Dave, my mind is going. I can feel it.), but ultimately this movie is about Keir Dullea's Bowman who is reborn in a strange but comforting home environmet after enduring a hypnotic, if not hallucinogenic kaleidoscope of images on his journey to Jupiter. The definitive Kubrick movie is his best work and is also the high point of science fiction cinema. This is simply one of the greatest movies ever made.
Dr BeeClarke 10/10.


In space no one can hear you...
Review date: 2008-05-27 Rating: 10 out of 10

I saw this when it came out. In Cinerama I believe. I was 8. Even today the special effects have not been bettered. The technology predictions are only now coming true eg small camcorders and flat screen TVs. Oh, and it is still the only space film that respects the laws of physics. There is no air in space. No air = no noise. No whoosh, no bang, no nothing. Brilliant. It is a Space Opera. Beautiful on a big, big screen.

A Milestone for Cinema
Review date: 2008-04-06 Rating: 10 out of 10

One needs reminding him/herself that this movie was filmed prior to the Apollo 11 Lunar Landing. Thers is the Orbital station, the lunar station and spaceshifts ( with IBM computer navigation screens with 3D graphics, the AI system HAL ( named after one letter prior to I.B.M.) , playing chess, watching, thinking, killing and ultimately begging for its existence, the Alien's Monolith and the absolutley visually stunning trip inside it and the last few minutes ( Dave's rebirth ) making this ( in my opinion ) a true masterpiece and a milestone for cinema.

Not that far off from the Lost Worlds of 2001 book, the idea of an Alien intelligence guiding our evolution is without doubt breathtaking and surely has references to religion and philoshophy and is portrayed in the movie. On the other hand the evolution of technology and the birth of AI and logial probable consequences are also portrayed in a chilling fashion. Cryogenic sleep/space travel, telephones with handsfree and live video are also portrayed making this surely a rather ' way ahead of its time ' movie in 1968. The Blue Ray version does justice to the stunning visual effects and its a movie/ BR disc worth having

A Short Story Overstretched
Review date: 2008-04-05 Rating: 4 out of 10

This film was made before men had walked on the moon and for its time the special effects were (forgive the pun) out of this world. Post Star Wars and CGI they remain good but not enough to carry the film - at least not on a TV screen. After that the story line's pretty thin but very drawn out, with an ending that leaves most people baffled.

I suspect that the film's original success was based on the combination of ground breaking visuals and music - on a cinema sized screen with six channel sound (still new and unusual in those days), plus a couple of novel ideas. Now that the novelty's worn off there's not enough left for the small screen to make the DVD a good investment. Wait for it to come round on television.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Robert Beatty
William Sylvester
Keir Dullea
Gary Lockwood
Daniel Richter

Creators:
Keir Dullea (Primary Contributor)
Gary Lockwood (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
EAN: 7321900791915
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 2
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2008-03-03
Audience rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 136 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1968
Language: English (Unknown)

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