'2001: A Space Odyssey' (1968): #4 Favorite Movie

When you look at the special effects in '2001: A Space Odyssey', I'll bet you would think that the movie is only ten years old, instead of over forty. That is just one of the many outstanding and breathtaking aspects about this masterpiece from director Stanley Kubrick. Just look at how smoothly the camera pans across the surface of the moon as a spacecraft flies overhead. Or how a man in a spacesuit appears to be floating in midair, without the requirement of a harness or strings of any kind. Or how a spaceship, that is almost a mile long, looks like a speck of dust in the background while an asteroid comes flying over the camera, just barely missing us. When you think of how limited filmmakers were back in the day, with what they could do with a camera or a special effect, you only can wonder how they could have achieved such a feat like this one. This film was ahead of it's time. Not even the greatest CGI of our generation could create such detail and realism as '2001' has.

Stanley Kubrick, possibly the greatest filmmaker who has ever come to pass, has significantly created probably the greatest science-fiction film of all time. And that is saying a lot, considering the many other great ones. The ironic fact about that statement though is this. Before this film came along, science-fiction was a genre strictly considered B-movie material, with low-budget thrills that only appealed to a limited audience. It was not until the release of '2001' when audiences started to realize a difference in what the genre, and film itself, can achieve. Less than ten years later, one big influence from this film would be realized from another science-fiction classic. A little movie called 'Star Wars'.

From the dawn of man, to the present time, a mysterious black monolith has appeared with an apparent way of transporting intellect into it's nearest individual. An ape who could not figure out how to defend itself from an opponent in the first place, now seems to understand completely, after having encountered the black monolith. Millions of years later, the black monolith has appeared once again, this time on the surface of the moon. Once it is discovered by mankind, the monolith sends a transmission in the direction of Jupiter. In order to find out what this means, astronauts embark on an odyssey unlike any man has ever achieved, through space and possibly time.

Now, we have already passed the year 2001, yes. But does that make this movie all the more insignificant? No. Look at all of the achievements technology has made to this day. Almost half of those achievements were an inspiration from '2001: A Space Odyssey' itself. Look at the videophone used by the businessman on the space station to call his daughter, home on Earth. Now, we are able to have face-to-face conversations with our friends and loved ones through our very own cell phones.

Like what 'The Abyss' did for the deepest parts of the ocean, '2001: A Space Odyssey' does for the farthest corners of the universe. And with both, we are able to ponder the greatest mystery of all time: Our own existence, where we came from and where we will go next. Arthur C. Clarke, the author of the novel which this film is based from, said, "Since the dawn of time, there have been one hundred billion human beings to walk the Earth. There are also one hundred billion stars in our Milky Way Galaxy... For everyone who has ever lived, there could be a star, with planets circling around them... Enough land in space for everyone to have a whole world." When you watch the ending of '2001: A Space Odyssey', keep that theory in mind and see what you have to say for yourself.

The first time I watched this movie, it was on a hot August day. I viewed it from my tiny portable DVD player. And yet, during the film's final twenty minutes, I literally almost felt like I had just stepped inside a freezer and that the brightness of the sun through the windows had diminished. As corny as it sounds, I felt like I had just travelled through space. If I could feel something like that from a small, seven inch screen and on a bright sunny day, I can only imagine what it could have been like, seeing this in a dark, cold movie theatre. That is how affective this film was, and still is to this day.

This is a film experience unlike any other you may ever have in your lifetime. This film is a meditation, a poem and a treasure. You may love it, or you may loathe it. It may test your patience, or you may be wanting more from it. Whatever it may be, just know that what you get from this film is something unique. Unique, bold and, above all, special.

4/4