2001: A Space Odyssey poster & wallpaper
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Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, Daniel Richter, Douglas Rain ... see more see more... , Leonard Rossiter , Margaret Tyzack , Robert Beatty , Sean Sullivan , Glenn Beck , Ed Bishop , Penny Brahms , Edwina Carroll , Simon Davis , Alan Gifford , Ann Gillis , Vivian Kubrick , Frank A Miller , John Ashley , Bill Weston , John Jordan , Terry Duggan , Tony Jackson , David Hines , Frank Miller (II) , Arthur C. Clarke , Dan Richter

A mind-bending sci-fi symphony, Stanley Kubrick's landmark 1968 epic pushed the limits of narrative and special effects toward a meditation on technology and humanity. Based on Arthur C. Clarke's stor... read more read more...y The Sentinel, Kubrick and Clarke's screenplay is structured in four movements. At the "Dawn of Man," a group of hominids encounters a mysterious black monolith alien to their surroundings. To the strains of Strauss's 1896 Also sprach Zarathustra, a hominid invents the first weapon, using a bone to kill prey. As the hominid tosses the bone in the air, Kubrick cuts to a 21st century spacecraft hovering over the Earth, skipping ahead millions of years in technological development. U.S. scientist Dr. Heywood Floyd (William Sylvester) travels to the moon to check out the discovery of a strange object on the moon's surface: a black monolith. As the sun's rays strike the stone, however, it emits a piercing, deafening sound that fills the investigators' headphones and stops them in their path. Cutting ahead 18 months, impassive astronauts David Bowman (Keir Dullea) and Frank Poole (Gary Lockwood) head toward Jupiter on the spaceship Discovery, their only company three hibernating astronauts and the vocal, man-made HAL 9000 computer running the entire ship. When the all-too-human HAL malfunctions, however, he tries to murder the astronauts to cover his error, forcing Bowman to defend himself the only way he can. Free of HAL, and finally informed of the voyage's purpose by a recording from Floyd, Bowman journeys to "Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite," through the psychedelic slit-scan star-gate to an 18th century room, and the completion of the monolith's evolutionary mission.With assistance from special-effects expert Douglas Trumbull, Kubrick spent over two years meticulously creating the most "realistic" depictions of outer space ever seen, greatly advancing cinematic technology for a story expressing grave doubts about technology itself. Despite some initial critical reservations that it was too long and too dull, 2001 became one of the most popular films of 1968, underlining the generation gap between young moviegoers who wanted to see something new and challenging and oldsters who "didn't get it." Provocatively billed as "the ultimate trip," 2001 quickly caught on with a counterculture youth audience open to a contemplative (i.e. chemically enhanced) viewing experience of a film suggesting that the way to enlightenment was to free one's mind of the U.S. military-industrial-technological complex. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi

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86% liked it

252,220 ratings

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96% liked it

57 critics

G, 2 hr. 19 min.

Directed by: Stanley Kubrick

Release Date: January 1, 1968

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DVD Release Date: August 25, 1998

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Stats: 19,529 reviews

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2001: A Space Odyssey 2001: A Space Odyssey Frank Poole 2001: A Space Odyssey 2001: A Space Odyssey 2001: A Space Odyssey Dave Bowman Film Frame HAL 9000 2001: A Space Odyssey 2001: A Space Odyssey 2001: A Space Odyssey 2001: A Space Odyssey 2001: A Space Odyssey 2001: A Space Odyssey Kubrick on the set of '2001' 2001: A Space Odyssey 2001: A Space Odyssey
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Flixster Reviews (19,529)

  • blacksheepboy
    March 12, 2013
    blacksheepboy
    With an extraordinary production design and cinematography - which includes mind-blowing photographic effects - this impressive work of poetic contemplation depicts Nietzsche's philosophical concept of the Übermensch in a truly majestic cinematic experience.
  • skeletonking101
    October 28, 2012
    skeletonking101
    A fantastic film about the meditation of technology and evolution of man with a fantastic villain, fantastic effects for the time and great actors
  • fb7018436
    September 29, 2012
    fb7018436
    Every once in a while a work comes along that's so good that it destroys the genre forever. No Scifi movie can ever top 2001. The obsessive compulsive genus that is Kubrick shows in spectacular form.
  • fb733768972
    September 7, 2012
    fb733768972
    Through time, animals first inhabited the earth, and were much smarter beings than us, but when we became a part of the world, we were ready to explore. Human's do not share the same mind-set as, say, an ape, but with the right amount of fear in their eyes they might. This is the... read more story of how a man is reborn in space and how technology will ruin our lives if we rely on it to keep us going. Stanley Kubrick takes space in the physical sense and in the mental sense, and places you, literally, in his "stage." The visuals are spectacular, the story is unlike anything I have ever seen in my entire life, and the meaning behind everything in this film is absolutely breathtaking. "2001: A Space Odyssey" is easily one of the best Science Fiction films ever made!
  • fb100000293612769
    August 26, 2012
    fb100000293612769
    Another flawless, artistic, iconic piece from Kubrick. Beautiful, ambitious, and, like The Shining, hypnotic.
  • fb1463751009
    July 16, 2012
    fb1463751009
    2001 is a pretty difficult movie to review.
    1) It was made in 1968.
    2) Its storytelling is drastically different from today's contemporary standards.
    3) 2001 is, at its heart, an art-house movie that leaves much to open interpretation.

    I, for one, absolutely dig art-house fi... read morelms but do not tend to enjoy open ended interpretations because, in the end, I want to see why the director placed such an open ended idea there in the first place. "Tree of Life"? Naw, not for me. "The Fountain"? What the hell happened in that? I still don't know. Nevertheless, "2001: A Space Odyssey" is one of those rare movies where it forces viewers into an artistic state of mind with enough interesting narrative twists to draw me into its universe coupled with breathtakingly, extraordinary cinematography.

    Mind you, this was made in 1968. Yes, 1968. And with such age, it still manages to trump many of the contemporary films in terms of storytelling and superb cinematography. Yeah, the pacing is extremely patient and methodical, and it seems to marvel over certain sequences for way too long than it should, but nevertheless, once the pacing seemed unbearable, 2001 threw in a curve ball that drew me back in. For an avid film-goer, even 2001 pushed my patience, and this was mainly due to my familiarity with loud, fast-paced contemporary movies. Regardless of this, I can't help but to imagine how revolutionary "2001: A Space Odyssey" must've been during its time when filmmaking was restrained by technology, the lack of knowledge of the world outside of Earth, innovation, and mind-pondering questions about the roots of man never particularly being shared through a motion picture. And that's why whenever 2001 was brought up in conversation, words like "poetic" and "awe-inspiring" came up. It's not even because that it was revolutionary during its time, is the reason why I enjoyed it. I genuinely enjoyed the film for its narrative turns and artistic storytelling.

    2001 is an ambitious film. Yes, it kinda did annoy me how open-ended it was, not because of the frustration of taking some time to sit down and interpret the movie myself, but simply because I wanna know what makes Stanley Kubrick tick. Regardless of this personal annoyance, "2001: A Space Odyssey" is definitely a poetic motion picture that is entertaining enough to draw me into its world, even though I don't agree with its message. It's fresh. Funny, I thought I would say that about a movie that came out in 2012. Sadly, the innovative films are those from the past, not in the hope of the future of filmmaking, that is, if Hollywood continues down its path that its on now.
  • fb100002535597619
    July 10, 2012
    fb100002535597619
    2001: A Space Odyssey was groundbreaking when it was first released and holds up to today's standards due to its meticulously crafted effects and score. However the film has its slow scenes and some underdeveloped characters. Despite these flaws, 2001 still shines, especially t... read morehanks to Douglas Rain's performance as the computer HAL 9000.
  • fb1710827246
    May 28, 2012
    fb1710827246
    Wondrous movie that leaves with a sense of awe, and something emotionally profound cannot be described with words. It is a realization of our place in the universe, our trivial existence and of what lies out there that is unfathomable to the limits of the human mind, or at least ... read morejust one interpretation of this phenomenally contemplative experience. A masterpiece of film making at its highest form; art.
  • aquateen2
    May 7, 2012
    aquateen2
    [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img]

    Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey is one of the greatest cinematic ahievements in history, outstanding entertainment, with it's use of enthralling imagery and mesmerising music it completely deserv... read morees to take pride in it's simplicity and lack of plot. It was way ahead of it's time upon release, you could easily mistake it for a film released yesterday day but it's ideas are nostalgic and will always be thought provoking as they are mind boggling and mysterious. In my opinion, the point being made is that life is an ascent through material means, the ultimate goal being, essentially, godhood. The aliens themselves never appear because they've evolved beyond the point of requiring any physical manifestation whatsoever (the monoliths are just machines to progress humans through out the evolutionary stage). It's about the advancement of man, evolution, and man's tools. The ending is a resurrection, a new stage in human development, beyond the use of technology.
  • phubbs1
    May 6, 2012
    phubbs1
    Probably the greatest sci-fi (and maybe) actual movie ever made, this movie was the first movie to break the mould with effects and style in sci-fi that everybody else followed. Kubrick's vision is perfect and his movie making a true art and skill, every angle is perfection and m... read moreade to work beautifully from the lighting to the details on the costumes...its lavish. Almost an actual silent movie for the first 30mins, Kubrick has the nerve to not include any dialog making it truely unique, its just visual art accompanied by classical music,
    almost an intergalactic space age opera or ballet for the senses.

    The plot is also very good yet kinda minimalistic. Adapted from the Arthur C. Clarke novel, with his input, assistance and help from NASA this really put the film into the realms of pure reality and technological advancement to which no other films have bettered to this day.
    It takes a good few viewings to catch everything and understand the plot fully, as you do the film grows on you emotionally.
    Many don't understand the story and find it boring thus not enjoying the experience which is a shame, the same happened when it was first released, all I can say is read the book, read about the film, watch and learn.

    Epic in scope and unbeatable in most every department even to this day, the effects are tremendous despite being viewed in total silence for the most part. Add to that one of the greatest scores ever devised and you really can understand how this rates so high.

    What dissapoints me is we are now beyond this date and not up to the technology shown, even 2010 has been and gone and we're nowhere near Europa :( oh well.

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Critic Reviews

Penelope Gilliatt
January 14, 2013
Penelope Gilliatt, New Yorker

Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey is some sort of great film, and an unforgettable endeavor. Technically and imaginatively, what he put into it is staggering.

Jonathan Rosenbaum
May 8, 2007
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

The film's projections of the cold war and antiquated product placements may look quaint now, but the poetry is as hard-edged and full of wonder as ever. Full Review

Dave Kehr
May 8, 2007
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

It was a freshening attitude then, though its long-term effects haven't been all to the good. Full Review

Geoff Andrew
June 24, 2006
Geoff Andrew, Time Out

For all the essential coldness of Kubrick's vision, it demands attention as superior sci-fi, simply because it's more concerned with ideas than with Boy's Own-style pyrotechnics. Full Review

Michael Wilmington
July 20, 2002
Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune

It is an extraordinary, obsessive, beautiful work of art. Full Review

Glenn Lovell
November 21, 2001
Glenn Lovell, San Jose Mercury News

Yup, you guessed it -- a religious experience. Full Review

Stephen Hunter
November 2, 2001
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post

Now, seen in the actual 2001, it's less a visionary masterpiece than a crackpot Looney Tune, pretentious, abysmally slow, amateurishly acted and, above all, wrong.

Desson Thomson
November 2, 2001
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

[Retains] its artistic magnificence after more than 30 years.

Robert B. Frederick
February 13, 2001
Robert B. Frederick, Variety

2001 compares with, but does not best, previous efforts at science fiction. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The film creates its effects essentially out of visuals and music. It is meditative. It does not cater to us, but wants to inspire us, enlarge us. Full Review

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Facts

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    • Bowman: Open the pod bay doors please, HAL.
    • HAL 9000: [as he is being shut down] Good afternoon... gentlemen. I am a HAL 9000... computer. I became operational at the H.A.L. plant [voice becomes lower & slower] in Urbana, Illinois... on the 12th of January 1992. [voice becomes even more lower & slower] My instructor was Mr. Langley... and he taught me to sing a song. If you'd like to hear it I can sing it for you.
    • HAL 9000: [to Dave] This mission is too important for me to allow you to jeopardize it.
    • Dr. Heywood Floyd: I'm really not at liberty to discuss this.
    • Poole: I've got a bad feeling about it.
    • Bowman: Open the pod bay doors, HAL.
    • HAL 9000: I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that.
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2001: A Space Odyssey Trivia

  • The first line of dialogue isn't spoken until 25 minutes into this Stanley Kubrick movie.  Answer »
  • "Just what do you think you're doing Dave?" Is a quote from which classic film?   Answer »
  • After the hard work in making 2001: A Space Odyssey, Kubrick decided to make his next film as simple as possible, small budget, crew and lighting equipment. It was the the fastest film Kubrick shot, edited and released.  Answer »
  • This amazing Stanley Kubrick film was so realistic in its depiction of outer space, despite no one having ever been there at the time, that it had a great deal of influence on the proceedings of the American Space Program in the following years.  Answer »
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