“I am putting myself to the fullest possible use, which is all I think that any conscious entity can ever hope to do.”
Without words…
One of the big – of the many – iconic aspects to this ‘classic’ movie is the opening: twenty minutes of apes – showing the evolution as apes communicate. By finding a black monolith they begin to think and become violent and aggressive. The dawn of man. This has become inspirational to so many filmmakers – namely on There Will Be Blood 
The one thing tying all this together is the unexplained and unanswered questions of the black monolith – recently seen again in those bloody LG adverts.The huge questions this single abstract form begs for answers – to think its compared to a phone. Without going off too much on a tangent, I only recently watched the Oscar winning Logorama short (From Nevermind Popular Film blog)- and if you are interested in the world-of-brands that LG has now turned 2001: A Space Odyssey into then check out this short – because it truly says how destructive and dangerous this world of capitalism and brands truly is.
only recently, it is a similar theme: we can search and crave for all the knowledge in the world; we could know everything. But it is the journey in finding, bit by bit, this knowledge that is the beauty of being human. This constant question-asking is important – the answers not-so-much.Only the Big Questions in Big Space
On a closing note – because again, akin to Apocalypse Now, I will inevitably come back to this film. Hopefully at the cinema on Jo’s – and Barry Normans – recommendation. HAL-9000 has been parodied/spoofed/inspired others so many times – notably in Duncan Jones’ Moon and in Ridley Scotts Alien 
I have never been a huge Sci-Fi fan, but I know from reading about Danny Boyle’s Sunshine that there are two types of science-fiction film: the Star Wars, Star Trek adveture sci-fi and then there is the abstract life-question films – that inevitably ask questions about faith and spirituality. 2001: A Space Odyssey is firmly in the latter – and I question if any other film has come close to portraying such an issue with such brutal scope. Without answering a single question that was raised.
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Great post! 2001: A Space Odysseys is really an influential movie. It contains several messages, but one pervades all : “we are mere puppets of the Universe”.
I think the people who don't rate 2001 as high as others are probably just not big Sci-Fi fans – you can appreciate its quality its just not 'your bag'.
Hey,
I'm sorry this is not about this post. I love your widget at the top where I can select your past review either by title or by director.
Can you tell how to do it or give any link that would help me,
Thanks & Cheers.
Great write up. This is probably the most important science fiction film ever made and I can't wait to watch it again. Not sure I agree that Alien took Mother from 2001, seeing as Mother really didn't do anything like HAL. The android on the ship was, maybe influenced, but it's hard to say. We have evil robots and computers long before 2001 so who knows.
Just a couple of points to add.
What makes this really amazing is that the effects are just incredible. Consider it was made in 1968, it's now over 40 years old and doesn't look dated in the slightest. The spaceships are majestic, the vision of the future and new technology utterly convincing. The apes are perfectly placed between human and animal, scarily well made up/costumed. Kubrick has put in the effort into little details, it feels so clean and fresh with enough realism that you can conceive that all these developments are just around the corner.
With regards to the big questions, the genius is in that it lets each viewer make up their own mind. The lack of answers and indeed of an actual stated question mean the film offers different interpretations to different people. Personally I connected with the concept of evolution and AI and the huge way in which humanity changed in a short space of time and the ways we continue to change. For better or worse is up for debate but we certainly have choice…
@Alfindeol – I think you are supposed to have some distrust in technology in Alien – but it turns out to be Ash, not Mother who should be feared.
@Jo – yeah, the effects are incredible and, another huge film it influenced is not other than THX 1138. Thats a huge deal!
Its a film that will test your comfort zone, especially when it comes movie viewing. But, it is one of the most influential sci-fi films of all-time, and brings up great questions about a universe we may never know about. Check out my review here: http://dtmmr.wordpress.com/2010/06/22/2001-a-space-odyssey-1968/ Nice Review!