Friday, December 20, 2013

Movie Review: 2001 A Space Odyssey

2001: A Space Odyssey reviewed by Sergio Ragno



I don’t believe much needs to be said about the ground breaking masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey. Director Stanley Kubrick set out to tell the greatest science fiction story in history, deeply insightful and scientifically accurate, a love letter from humanity to the stars that have fascinated us since we first gazed upon the heavens, and it is hard to deny his victory towards that end.



2001 opens by observing a tribe of early man attempting to survive in its dawn. The tribe is chased away from a watering hole by a hostile tribe and take shelter in a few caves deprived of sustenance essential for their survival. They awake to find a mysterious black monolith looming over them and panic, unable to comprehend what they see, but eventually resume their lives and behave as if it wasn't even there. Eventually a tribe member (called Moon-Watcher in the credits) is out scavenging a carcass and picks up the femur bone, and gives it a few swings. He has discovered weaponry. Armed both figuratively and literally Moon-Watcher leads his tribe back to reclaim their watering hole.

This entire segment is depicted with no dialogue, the narrative being conveyed solely through body language and musical cues. The monolith has haunted the imagination of fiction to this very day and it owes this presence to the film’s astonishing musical score and Kubrick’s ability to find a compelling camera angel and hold it just long enough to become uncomfortable but compelling. Looking at the monolith is like gazing into the abyss, and two people may not see the same thing lurking in the darkness.

2001 is crafted to facilitate this kind of experience. Most of the film is presented similar to the opening “Dawn of Man” segment with dialogue being minimalistic at most. The segment with the most classic form of narrative is in the famous conflict between Dave Bowman and the Hal 9000 computer aboard the Discovery space craft but even this segment emboldens an inner journey for the audience. The segment is almost completely silent, whereas other chapters are usually accompanied by 2001’s famous score of classical masterpieces like The Blue Danube and Thus Sprach Zarathustra, in this chapter the only thing you’ll hear is the sound of Bowman’s breath within his own space suit. Astronauts Bowman and Frank Poole conduct themselves in deadpan monotone, and don’t really display much emotion in contrast to Hal which demonstrates pride, curiosity, and most infamously paranoia and self preservation. Audiences can find themselves reflecting on the vast emptiness of space, how hostile and unwelcoming it is of man and what man has become in order to traverse the vacuum.

2001: A Space Odyssey is a movie that everyone should watch at one point in their lives. The extent to which this move can stimulate your imagination is akin to falling in love with the stars for the first time all over again.

5 Stars