Top 100 Movies: 2001: A Space Odyssey
Out of the list of the top 100 most important films of all time, I decided to watch "2001: A space odyssey" (1968), directed by Stanley Kubrick. The MGM Studios film was one that I had heard a lot about, whether it be through pop culture references or just through its popularity in the film community. I had been meaning to watch the film for quite some time, so it was nice to finally get around to watching it and seeing why it is remarked as such an influential and important film.
I knew before I even watched the film, that 2001 was particularly impressive due to its extremely realistic depiction of space, an impressive feat considering the 1969 film relies heavily on practical effects, over the industry standard of CGI in these modern times. I found that many space scenes were really striking combined with an incredible soundtrack, and at parts a complete lack of music altogether. Kubrick really manages to capture the vast emptiness of space through the silent scenes where only the heavy breathing of the astronauts can be heard. It really helped me at least to feel immersed in the film, and helped me to imagine the pure terror and silence of space.
Another aspect of the film I really enjoyed was the predictions that Kubrick had for the 21st century. This is reflected through both the set design and the technology used throughout the film. HAL, the artificial intelligence robot, had some really innovative ideas that, while wasn't quite functional in 2001, is certainly present in our modern day technology. This includes facial recognition from human drawings, the ability to lip read, video calling and in flight entertainment systems. The set design is also something I really enjoyed, while it was definitely trying to predict and emulate styles of the future, with hindsight its easy to see the interior and architectural influence of the 1960s, with mainly white and gray scale walls with hits of colour. Rounded furniture and hallways and rooms also add to the older feel of the film, but still seems to come off as something innovative and original.
Another thing that surprised me was Kubrick's choice to direct a film that relied heavily on visuals and other forms of story telling, with very little dialogue throughout the film. The first 25 minutes follows early man and its progression, with no dialogue whatsoever. Throughout the film I often felt confused as to what was really going on, but that only added to the mystery and suspense of the film, and what direction it would take. The sound was again, used very effectively especially including the eerie tracks that accompanied shots with the monolith, that tended to go on an on, and gives you an eerie and unsettled feeling. Kubrick seems to really want his audience to experience what his characters experience, as quite often very long, extended shots will be used to draw out the tension, this seen when the moon crew first walk up to the monolith, and again when the main character, David Bowman, experiences the lights as he travels past Jupiter.
The ambiguous ending to the film is still something that really stuck with me, as Kubrick makes his audience think about the many terrifying and philosophical things that we as hum,ans tend to. Are we the only ones out there? How does time really work? What else remains in the vast, unexplored space? Personally, I love when movies manage to wrap up everything neatly in a conclusion, but sometimes an ambiguous ending can be good, and can stick in your mind and have a much greater effect on an audience rather than a simple "everyone lived happily ever after." From a technical standpoint, I can definitely see why this movie is so widely regarded as one of the greats. The eerily accurate predictions of technology, and especially its detrimental effects was well before its time, and I can definitely see why many people seem to praise Kubrick as a visionary. The way 2001 approached storytelling is also something that stands out from other films, and probably helps towards the 2001's status as an iconic and massively influential film.
I knew before I even watched the film, that 2001 was particularly impressive due to its extremely realistic depiction of space, an impressive feat considering the 1969 film relies heavily on practical effects, over the industry standard of CGI in these modern times. I found that many space scenes were really striking combined with an incredible soundtrack, and at parts a complete lack of music altogether. Kubrick really manages to capture the vast emptiness of space through the silent scenes where only the heavy breathing of the astronauts can be heard. It really helped me at least to feel immersed in the film, and helped me to imagine the pure terror and silence of space.
Another aspect of the film I really enjoyed was the predictions that Kubrick had for the 21st century. This is reflected through both the set design and the technology used throughout the film. HAL, the artificial intelligence robot, had some really innovative ideas that, while wasn't quite functional in 2001, is certainly present in our modern day technology. This includes facial recognition from human drawings, the ability to lip read, video calling and in flight entertainment systems. The set design is also something I really enjoyed, while it was definitely trying to predict and emulate styles of the future, with hindsight its easy to see the interior and architectural influence of the 1960s, with mainly white and gray scale walls with hits of colour. Rounded furniture and hallways and rooms also add to the older feel of the film, but still seems to come off as something innovative and original.
Another thing that surprised me was Kubrick's choice to direct a film that relied heavily on visuals and other forms of story telling, with very little dialogue throughout the film. The first 25 minutes follows early man and its progression, with no dialogue whatsoever. Throughout the film I often felt confused as to what was really going on, but that only added to the mystery and suspense of the film, and what direction it would take. The sound was again, used very effectively especially including the eerie tracks that accompanied shots with the monolith, that tended to go on an on, and gives you an eerie and unsettled feeling. Kubrick seems to really want his audience to experience what his characters experience, as quite often very long, extended shots will be used to draw out the tension, this seen when the moon crew first walk up to the monolith, and again when the main character, David Bowman, experiences the lights as he travels past Jupiter.
The ambiguous ending to the film is still something that really stuck with me, as Kubrick makes his audience think about the many terrifying and philosophical things that we as hum,ans tend to. Are we the only ones out there? How does time really work? What else remains in the vast, unexplored space? Personally, I love when movies manage to wrap up everything neatly in a conclusion, but sometimes an ambiguous ending can be good, and can stick in your mind and have a much greater effect on an audience rather than a simple "everyone lived happily ever after." From a technical standpoint, I can definitely see why this movie is so widely regarded as one of the greats. The eerily accurate predictions of technology, and especially its detrimental effects was well before its time, and I can definitely see why many people seem to praise Kubrick as a visionary. The way 2001 approached storytelling is also something that stands out from other films, and probably helps towards the 2001's status as an iconic and massively influential film.
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