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 , David Hines , Bill Weston , John Jordan , Terry Duggan , Tony Jackson , 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

Critics

96% liked it

56 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: 18,837 reviews

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2001: A Space Odyssey 2001: A Space Odyssey Dave Bowman 2001: A Space Odyssey 2001: A Space Odyssey Film Frame 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 2001: A Space Odyssey 2001: A Space Odyssey HAL 9000 2001: A Space Odyssey 2001: A Space Odyssey from "2001"
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Flixster Reviews (18,837)

  • 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.
  • fb1710827246
    March 26, 2012
    fb1710827246
    A very wondrous movie that leaves you with a sense of awe, and something emotionally profound I cannot describe 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 ... read moreat least just one interpretation of this phenomenally contemplative experience. A masterpiece of film making at its highest form; film being art.
  • tolkienfan101
    March 19, 2012
    tolkienfan101
    Not that I need to say much on the works of Stanley Kubrick, but this film is the visual manifestation of a magnificent space opera in which it flows like the score, changing with each note. Supplying some of the greatest practical effects ever put on film, a vast range of interp... read moreretations, and a viewing experience that can hardly be equaled, it makes us look into ourselves as well as the future of our species in equal measure. In addition to all of the landmarks that this film breaks in the realms of sic-fi, fantasy, character study, and filmmaking as a whole, it creates one of the greatest and most iconic film villains ever to grace the screen, HAL 9000. Not only serving as the film's antagonist, but also as a commentary on what humanity is racing toward, technological perfection, logical superiority and supersession by what we have created. Science fiction films after 1968 owe much of what they are to "2001", and to the film master Stanley Kubrick.
  • garyX
    February 20, 2012
    garyX
    2001 is a film that does not concern anything so trite as human relationships. 2001 is a film of a scale so epic as to never have been conceived before. Up until 1968, sci-fi was all about flying saucers, death rays and theramins. Kubrick set about making a film themed around the... read more history of the human species, from the dawn of man through to space exploration and beyond. The first thing that strikes you about this film is its sheer visual spectacle; Kubrick's juxtaposition of classical music with the elegance of space travel shows technology not as clunky and ugly, but a thing of beauty. His use of colour is breathtaking, from the cold blues of outer space, to the vivid reds of the ship's systems and the stunning pure whites and primary colours of the still brilliant looking retro future styling of the space station's interiors. He takes pains to show the logistics of space travel, mixing the mundane with the surreal images of an existence without the influence of gravity. But it is the stargate sequence that is the truly jaw dropping part of this film, and it is still one of the most visually stunning scenes ever committed to celluloid. The main criticism levelled at this film is its infamous obtuseness, Kubrick deliberately leaving the implications of the themes he is exploring for the viewer to conclude for themselves. I would seriously suggest to anyone having trouble coming to grips with it to read the book, as it does explain all. Kubrick was an artist, and this is his masterpiece; only he could even have attempted to sum up the entire history of humanity in a single cut. Amazing.
  • rjayhutchinson
    February 12, 2012
    rjayhutchinson
    Visually stunning, emotionally powerful, and scary as hell, 2001: A Space Odyssey is widely considered to be the best science fiction film ever made. But does it even belong in that category? Well, it's certainly not comparable to other famed science fiction films such as Star Wa... read morers and Blade Runner. No, 2001 is in a class of its own. Yeah, its premise fits into the genre, but unlike its possible peers, 2001 isn't made to entertain. It's a work of art more than anything, a true example of film's potential. Its sole downfall, if it could even be considered a negative, is its ambiguity. I can't even begin to speculate on what Kubrick meant in creating this film. I guess its meaning is up to the individual viewer, which isn't a bad thing. It just means the first viewing is necessarily unsatisfying in this regard, needing additional understanding in order to appreciate the film.

    Nevertheless, one does not need to see the film multiple times to appreciate the superb visual effects present in 2001. Though it's old enough that its premiere occurred during my father's first month of life, its visual effects, which won an Oscar so long ago, would still undoubtedly be nominated for and possibly win the award if it were released in this modern day. It's pretty impressive. Not hard to see why this is a classic of American cinema.
  • fb100002090596996
    November 5, 2011
    fb100002090596996
    Incredible. This masterpiece of a motion picture is astonishing from the Dawn of Man to the End of the Universe. Remember able Special effects litter this Stanley Kubrick classic. Incredible acting and use of sound is also a very nice touch to this masterpiece. Based of the book ... read morewith the same name by Arthur C. Clark, only in the book everything is viewed from a different perspective. The book; clear. The movie; mind blowing. This very bizarre piece of work is just what I wanted.
  • paulkoh110
    October 31, 2011
    paulkoh110
    Sci-fi genius! This film has inspired science and culture with its mystic and ambiguous plot; in other words, its a classic!
  • fb1664868775
    October 27, 2011
    fb1664868775
    This may be the most grand movie experience ever created. Beautiful, hypnotic and horrifying.
  • fb100002384654145
    October 21, 2011
    fb100002384654145
    This is my favorite movie of all time. The visuals look just as stunning now as they did in 1968. The music is iconic and epically beautiful. The story is deep and very complex, dealing themes from man's place in the universe, how far human's have come and how far we need to g... read moreo. Although the movie is science fiction, it is also a big budget art house film. The movie holds something new to discover with each viewing, making the re-watch value very high. Stanley Kubrick crafted a masterpiece that has endured even past the year 2001, and will continue to endure for many years to come.

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Critic Reviews

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

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

Scott Rosenberg
January 1, 2000
Scott Rosenberg, Salon.com

I assumed that this was what all movies ought to be: treasures for moral and aesthetic contemplation that did not provide all their answers on first contact. Full Review

Renata Adler
January 1, 2000
Renata Adler, New York Times

Somewhere between hypnotic and immensely boring. Full Review

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Facts

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    • HAL 9000: I have just picked up a fault in the AE-35 unit.
    • HAL 9000: I am afraid I can't do that Dave.
    • Mission Controller: [last Lines] Eighteen months ago the first evidence of intelligent life off the Earth was discovered. It was buried 40 feet below the lunar surface near the crater Tycho. Except for a single very powerful radio emission aimed at Jupiter the four-million year old black monolith has remained completely inert. It's origin and purpose are still a total mystery...
    • HAL 9000: I am afraid I can't do that Dave.
    • Bowman: Open the pod bay doors HAL.
    • HAL 9000: I am afraid I can't do that Dave.
    • Bowman: My God, it's full of stars.
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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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