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2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Rate: 10
Viewed: 1/05, 8/06, 9/11

2001
8/06: 2001: A Space Odyssey is the space journey of a lifetime.

It's a brilliant visionary picture that's abstract, beautiful, complicated, and simple all at once. The general consensus from the public is it's boring, but I beg to differ: 2001: A Space Odyssey is a singular achievement in the history of cinema. Considering the year it was made in—and that's not 1968—but 1963 which is five years of work to make the vision possible. What CGI? There isn't any. Hence, everything looks pure and natural.

What sets Kubrick's masterpiece apart from its sci-fi counterparts is the focus on what it's like to be up there in outer space, allowing the viewers to be part of the journey that they'll never be able to undertake in their lifetime. Interestingly, 2001: A Space Odyssey is an almost wordless picture about the other side that's largely unexplored.

Meanwhile, HAL-9000 is one of the great characters in the history of movies and is a true villain. It represents the struggle between human and artificial intelligence. As powerful as computers are, how much are we willing to sacrifice control to them, and at what cost?

All in all, 2001: A Space Odyssey has no competition.

9/11: Birth, evolution, mankind, age, exploration, universe, and death.

2001: A Space Odyssey...you'll never see anything like it.

All in all, forget Star Wars; 2001: A Space Odyssey is the real deal.