2001: A Space Odyssey - Thoughts

2001: A Space Odyssey is easily one of the most acclaimed Sci-Fi movies of all time. Owing to its release in 1968, I didn't have the opportunity to watch it at the time, but it has been on my watch-list forever. I finally got around to it sometime during the first half of 2014. With the recent release of Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar, there is talk of the elements it draws for the 2001: A Space Odyssey, and the similarities they share. I've even heard people talking about going back and watching the Stanley Kubrick masterpiece, to better understand the genre.

To me, 2001: A Space Odyssey was perhaps a different animal of sorts. While the intelligent artificial intelligence in the form of the H.A.L. 9000, and the memorable score of 2001: A Space Odyssey is nothing short of legendary, be aware that though iconic, it is a relic from a different era. It took quite a bit of patience to sit through its seemingly never-ending 160 minute runtime. There were extremely long scenes that showed sequences that we are perhaps used to seeing in lesser detail, such as the ship docking for eons. While I believe that intent here is art, if you have a fairly limited attention span, expect to be getting frustrated. What perhaps bothered me the most was the metaphorical plot aspect of the movie. While it’s interesting to have twisted plots to analyze, crack, and figure out, here it felt like there was no real plot at all. I would recommend 2001: A Space Odyssey to hardcore sci-fi movie buffs, who perhaps want to understand the roots of the genre, and also analyze movies as a whole. But outside of that, if you’re in it more for the entertainment, and the modern/futuristic element, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll enjoy it. 

I watched it on DVD, which was a Region 1 US release. My understanding is that the DVD featured digitally restored content that perhaps improved the video transfer quality. That said, the overall look and feel was truly dated, but thankfully not poor as a result of the restoration. The score was iconic; so hearing it blaring on 5.1 surround has a very commanding presence to it. The presentation was good overall, and if you do choose to check it out, you’ll do well with the DVD; though a Bluray version is also available now.

My Recommendation: Dicey (An Sci-Fi epic from a different era)