2001: A Space Odyssey

I have a lot of thoughts about this movie. This film is a touchstone for just about anything and everything in modern sci-fi, or even modern cinema. The art of film making was fundamentally changed with the release of this movie.  However, that isn’t to say it has no faults. The first act of this movie serves almost entirely as spectacle over substance. I understand the need to revel and celebrate the technical achievement of this film’s visual effects. But when a ship takes 10 minutes to land, and feels more like a music video for Johann Strauss than a genuine movie, it starts to get frustrating. The opening sequence of “The Dawn of Man” has cemented its legacy in film, and is certainly a well put together section, though it does needlessly drag at times.  Once the Saturn mission properly starts, this film really gets its footing. The sets are outstanding, and the direction kept me guessing at how they accomplished certain effects. The star of this film is undeniably HAL-9000, who dominated every scene he was in. The monotonous delivery of every line, paired with his ominous red eye truly made him feel like such an insidious force. His final scene was moving in a way I can’t quite express, being pitiful, eerie, and certainly uncomfortable, but it struck every beat well.  Despite its iconic soundtrack, this film really strives in silence. When every moment of the first section of the movie is drenched in orchestral swells, the silence of the Saturn mission is much more moving. It truly captures the terrifying isolation of being in such deep, unreachable space. It also served to elevate the suspense and tension of every scene, where the only thing to fill the air is HAL’s chilling drone or the pleas of captive astronauts. This film is technically incredible, and has rightfully earned its place in the history books. While it does have its faults, I understand the hype.