Amazon.com: Customer reviews: 2001: A Space Odyssey (4K Ultra HD) [4K UHD]

Answers to Questions You May Not Have Asked

Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2023

*Completely Spoiled but Better Spoiled*

2001 is an origin story. Most think it is about aliens, but it seems neutral. It could be theistic or atheistic, God or aliens. It presents a concept or idea like a work of art for you to reflect how it relates to your beliefs and experience. There's plenty of time given for reflection, including music that goes on for minutes after the final credits. It's 1968 in the United States and the debate about Creation vs Evolution between Christians and atheists is ongoing. The movie addresses some of the main points of this debate: 1. Watchmaker: Order suggests a Designer; 2. Problem of Evil: Man would be different if there were a God; 3. Hopelessness: A world without God would be pointless. Numbers 1 and 3 are the easy ones: There is a Creator or a Designer, but that is ambiguous. Do the aligned planets signify a power from just outside this world or outside this universe? Is the beginning what Man recalls as the Garden of Eden, or is it just the prehistoric world? Is the monolith a supernatural Tree of Life or Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil or sophisticated technology? Is there really a difference between God and aliens from our perspective if the Being is running 4-million-year projects/experiments, assisting our evolution, taking David out of linear time, and being our hope for the future? It is an origin story to challenge and support beliefs on both sides, suggest there are more than a few options, open your mind to new possibilities, and give you a chance to reflect on your beliefs and what they mean. You are given a Watchmaker that could be part of an atheist or theist story in the beginning, and you're given hope in the end that it could be either as well. Most viewers get most of this. The real story, though, is the examination of the evil nature of man.

It is a strange phenomenon how sometimes both sides of a debate make the same argument in different terms. Christians speak of a sin nature and original sin. Atheists speak of the problem of evil, partly about the world, but also about us, that we are too evil to be created by a good God. Both sides are saying the same thing: There is something wrong with us, something evil. They just say it in different ways. And both answer the other side like they are wrong. 2001 presents man as evil. It once again is neutral, fitting both narratives.

First, the apes confront the Tapirs (pig-like animals with a flexible snout that predate humans). We witness the first time man tried to drive tapirs from their habitat and then the first time they were hunted by man. In 1968, when 2001 was released, activists were concerned about tapirs being hunted and having their habitats destroyed by deforestation. Tapirs were officially declared an endangered species in 1986. At first, the apes were eating from the bushes along with the tapirs, but they became tribalistic and territorial. There was no rational reason for this. The tapirs were no threat and the resources of the bushes could easily be shared. But the tapirs were not part of their tribe, and the threat of the unknown, which will be a common theme in the movie, causes the apes to drive them away. Then again there was tribalism and the unknown threat at the water hole. Now it is their species but not their tribe. Again, there is no reason to not share a plentiful resource besides the tribalism caused by the unknown of the unfamiliar. One tribe of apes drives away the other.

Now there is a real threat. A leopard kills an ape. They should be able to differentiate an actual threat like that from the unknown of unfamiliar beings, but unfortunately man doesn't evolve this ability...ever. At night you can see the fear on their faces as the leopard is close by. One ape attempts to take food from the hand of another, but after a few grunts it is resolved. Disputes over resources are different if it is within the tribe vs with an unfamiliar animal. They wake to the unfamiliar monolith and more fear.

An ape with an evolution assist gets an idea about how to use a bone. While smashing other bones, there are flashes to his imagination of killing a tapir. In the next scene, they are eating peacefully again, but this time it is meat with a dead tapir in the scene. Obviously, the tapirs have not yet learned to fear the apes as they eat peacefully too. We go to the water hole and witness the first murder. Tribalism hasn't changed, but they have something they can do about it now. Of course, you see the murder is wrong, but did you identify with one of the tribes? The first weapon is thrown in the air, and we transition to a space nuclear weapon signaling we have evolved, but not in every way.

Dr. Heywood Floyd is traveling to the space station alone. The spacecraft is clearly made for many travelers, but they made a special trip for him. He is important and this important trip couldn't wait for a scheduled flight. There are clearly a lot of resources invested in his flight with all the vehicle's crew, the docking crew you see on the space station, and the two receptionists and security guard who greet him. The immigration check-in is designed for many people with 16 check-in stations, but today it is just Floyd. It is a diverse place with 6 language options. The receptionist selects English.

Dr. Floyd comes upon a group of French scientists with doctorate degrees. He knows them. He is friendly with them. But they were not from his tribe. It is the water hole again. Instead of screeching like animals, they politically address the disagreement over the moon's secret. The harm of the cover story and secrecy are revealed. A vehicle was denied an emergency landing against formal agreement. There is concern about an epidemic spreading. Dr. Floyd lies about his knowledge, and then lies again when he scapegoats some ambiguous authority for his secrecy. We later learn the secrecy is his decision. The theme of tribalism and lack of ability to share to the point of harming others continues. As Dr. Floyd leaves, the scientists return to speaking French, reminding us they are from another tribe.

In the moon meeting, they are taking pictures of Floyd, signaling his importance, the event's importance, and what their main concern really is. Floyd owns the decision to have the cover story, acknowledges the harm, declares it necessary because of the risk of unfamiliar people acting in unknown ways, and pays lip service to people's concern of the secrecy while challenging them on their objections. They have to learn more about the monolith first before they consider telling anyone. They go visit the monolith, take another picture, and learn nothing. Remember, Dr. Floyd took this emergency trip alone missing his daughter's birthday to do nothing but own the water hole. 18 Months later, a United States-only mission is on its way to Jupiter. They have learned nothing, and the secret is tighter than ever.

On Dr Floyd's trip to the moon, a stewardess is entertained by a martial arts competition on screen. On the Jupiter mission an astronaut is jogging while throwing punches. Our violent nature is still there, but we seem to be flexing it in more civilized ways.

We are introduced to Hal 9000 who declares himself a conscious being in an interview. That idea is discussed with skepticism among the humans. Three crew members are in stasis due to limited resources. Hal outsmarts Frank in a game of chess, something he will try again later without the game. Hal predicts a technical failure that appears wrong. Once the 9000 series computer at home suggests Hal made a mistake, it is all but certain. A test is devised to make sure, but everyone seems to know what the outcome will be. David and Frank have a private conversation that Hal witnesses without them knowing. Once again we have the tribalism and fear of the unknown of a different being. The language tells you what you need to know: "I have a bad feeling" "I cannot put my finger on it" "I fear". They plot Hal's murder for a simple mistake. And you the viewer fell for it. You fail the morality test because an AI is outside your tribe. There is no rule to fall back regarding bigotry against machines because we have not yet learned one the hard way. You have every reason to think Hal is alive. You even see more than Dave does. Hal defends himself. He lies. He has double standards. He begs for his life and describes his suffering as he is slowly killed. There is zero chance he is just mimicking emotions to make communication easier. Even David realizes Hal is alive and tries to ease his pain by having him sing. David kills 1 of 2 new life forms, and you have no empathy. Hal 9000 is outside your tribe. When Hal dies, Dr. Floyd returns on a prerecorded video confirming he is behind the continued secrecy. His reason was cultural upheaval, but he kept the secret from his own astronauts. Did he believe his own lie? Does he know he just fears the unknown? You the viewer think he is a just a military, government, corporate guy. Your tribe is better. There is no way you would violate rights out of fear and make up a justification that fooled yourself. He is a monster like Hannibal Lecter. A better person would have empathy. You forgot you just sanctioned Hal's murder. Is this just a movie?

The final morality test is the end. You don't understand it proving you fail. Yes, there is confusion. Is Dave in the monolith or going thru a portal? Is linear time over for him? Is it real or in his mind? Is he still near Jupiter or far away? The answer to all of this is yes and no and both and it doesn't matter. The movie told you it was beyond the infinite. To us, these beings are God or indistinguishable from God. It is not supposed to make sense. However, one thing must make sense to you. Why did David grow old before becoming the star child? You do not know because you do not experience empathy outside your tribe. If you had been lost at sea in a lifeboat with limited resources, you might relate. But you do not relate to a man with limited air and food in space. If a person with limited income had his mortgage paid off, you would get the point. But when a man destined to die in space is provided for and able to live all his days, you don't get it. You are more concerned with the identity of the Creator rather than what He is doing. Is He in your tribe? That is the important question. At the bush, the water, the moon, and with Hal; man gets it wrong. He doesn't value those outside his tribe. The Creator values David's life intrinsically even though David is forever separated from his people, and he will serve no purpose till his death. Every day of his life is important to the Creator. The Creator does what man failed to do throughout the entire movie, and you did not see it. Why? Because empathy is an illusion and just a form of tribalism. This is the big reveal of the movie. You have no empathy for a new being begging for his life or a man with limited air because you cannot relate to the situations or beings. It is not that you made the wrong decision or had bad feelings. There was nothing. No reaction. You couldn't guess what was going on. You were probably bored. This lack of understanding makes it more frightening.

So, can we learn anything from this? Empathy isn't what we thought. We have to rely on the concept of rights to expand empathy beyond our natural limits. And tribalism is in our nature. We must go with it and try to expand our tribe all the time to include everyone, because if we don't, we become monsters.

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Kit Sargeant

The Most Influential Film Ever Made

Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2022

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This review covers the film — not the specific BluRay presentation. I’ll review that later.

Within the industry and art form of motion pictures, the importance and influence of Kubrick’s “2001: a space odyssey” cannot be overstated or even overestimated. There is quite possibly no other film that has had the level of impact and inspiration on subsequent generations of filmmakers and the art of filmmaking that 2001 has had.

Yet for many modern film viewers, the movie is often perceived as dull, opaque, unfathomable and pretentious. In fact, when 2001 debuted it received many of the same criticisms. The film was pilloried by critics and at premiere screenings audiences booed and even walked out of theaters.

But despite this initial reaction, audiences lined up to see the movie. The film became not just a commercial success, but a popular phenomenon with the younger generation of movie-goers in the 60s. Partially fueled by the drug and counter-culture of the time — 2001 was ultimately accepted in the way Kubrick had intended — people went to “experience” the movie. Instead of being told a clear, specific story with conflicts and resolutions, 2001 presented the audience with a grand mythological journey — from the origins of humans to their technological future and beyond. And it did so by abandoning the conventions of storytelling and asking the viewer to simply absorb the sights and sounds of the film and allow themselves to have an instinctual, emotional response.

2001 is not a movie that delivers the standard conventions of plot and character in a 3 act structure. It does not follow the rules and precepts of Joseph Campbell’s “Hero Of a Thousand Faces” that so many thousands of screenwriters were told to adhere to lest they lose the audience’s attention and interest.

2001 is a narrative. But it is a meta narrative. Its story concerns the very nature of existence. It proposes a secular solution to the mystery of life. How did we get get here? Are we alone?

Clarke and Kubrick imagined a a story that answered the notion of why humans are self aware and technologically capable by way of a mythology that is based on the mystery of science. Science so deep and advanced, we cannot distinguish it from magic.

Kubrick wanted a movie that told the story of mankind’s evolution in the universe — from lowly ape to early man to eventually a Superman. The next step in higher intelligence.

Kubrick was drawn to an Arthur C. Clarke short story that suggested an advanced alien race travels the universe looking for nascent intelligence and then once discovered, helps it along in critical next steps steps of cognitive abilities. Just enough to see if the formative intelligence becomes capable of developing technology that allows that to start traveling their local solar system and exploring their origins. The aliens leave a buried artifact on the closest nearby moon that — when uncovered — signals to the aliens that — yes indeed — this group of intelligence has made the leap — and are now possibly ready for the next step in evolution.

To achieve this — Kubrick felt that trying to tell this story in ordinary fashion with lots of dialogue and conversations and drama would come off as pretentious or hokey — or at the very least would drain the mystical and magical quality he felt the film needed. He knew he had to get the audience to experience such moments of alien contact and alien manipulation of the human mind in way that felt experiential — magical and holy. He knew he needed viewers to have a personal, spiritual experience with the film — not a dramatic one.

What Kubrick was seeking was much closer to the experience one has when walking quietly through a massive cathedral — one of the grand medieval cathedrals of Europe — where the person is overwhelmed by the stunning beauty and grandiosity and silence of the cathedral — Kubrick knew he needed the viewer to experience space in this manner.

And that is why the movie seems slow to many modern, younger viewers. Kubrick needed you to sit in the cathedral of space — and in the austerely beautiful technology of 2001 — in order that you could absorb the reality of the mind-bending spiritual myth he was laying on you.

SPOILERS

In traditional narrative-sense, Kubrick actually moves the story along at quite a clip. Man-apes are fighting for shrubs in a desert. Alien artifact appears. Man-apes learn to use weapons. First murder in human history. A bone club weapon cuts to an orbital nuclear weapon 200,000 years later in 2001. Mystery of something dug up on a moon base. It’s the same artificat we saw with apes. It sends a signal to Jupiter. Humans follow that signal to Jupiter to find out where alien artifact came from — or is leading them to. Along the way, humans murder the first machine intelligence it ever created. A test? The last vestige of violence humans will leave behind?

END OF SPOILERS

All along the way — Kubrick is telling you the story with an incredibly efficient, fast moving narrative structure — but he also needs the viewer to settle into the elongated time-scape of space travel. Why? Because it’s vital the viewer experience the space mission in a way that gets them to fully believe in what’s happening. To get them to accept what they are watching is real. So that the viewer stops thinking they’re watching a movie.

Think of it this way — you’ve gone to see your Dr and you’re placed in a Waiting room — expecting bad news. The longer you sit, the more you absorb all the various specific elements of the waiting room. All the mundane details and objects you see become more than just real — they become important — and the stakes about what you’re going to hear gather weight. Now imagine your Dr is about to tell you mind-bending news about having cancer and needing chemo therapy. Your body is about to be transformed. That long, long moment in the waiting room is all about accepting the reality of that journey. In 2001, humans are in a waiting room about to meet their alien doctor — their alien overlord — who will deliver the prognosis of their future. Life, death or transformation awaits.

In other words the “boredom” of 2001 is not a flaw — it’s a feature. A vital feature.

Beyond that — it’s nearly impossible to explain to the young film movie-goer how far advanced the effects of 2001 were at their time. Today’s films have the advantage of powerful computers to easily create seamless special effects of almost type. But back in 1966-67 there were no computer—generated effects. No CGI. It was all created on film. Analogue film. Multiple shots on differed strips of films are combined in an optical printer to look like they are all in one shot. Think of it as “artisanal” special effects — hand-crafted special effects. Even Doug Trumbull’s breakthrough slit-scan device that created the very computer-generated-looking Star Gate sequence that gives a dizzying sensation of flying through a wormhole of wildly colorful light — was a hand-built machine that achieved the illusion of fast movement with stop-motion animation — requiring days of filming to create just seconds of screen time.

Same with the interior sets. All real. All painstakingly built by hand. Many of them rotated. The giant centrifuge set for the Discovery set was a massive Ferris wheel. Cameras and actor bolted to floor while it turns. The Dawn of Man man-apes were created with costume designs that were decades ahead of their time — all donned by a mime troupe that spent months studying real ape movements. The effect was so convincing that many people simply assumed real apes had been trained to “act out” the scenes. To the point where make-up and costume designer Stuart Freeborn’s amazing accomplishment was completely overlooked by the Academy awards — giving best make-up effects instead to the much more primitive and unconvincing “Planet of the Apes.”

In the end, 2001 is not a film to be seen like one would go see Star Wars or a Marvel movie. It’s not entertainment. Its not a consumable flight of fancy — no matter how enjoyable those types of movies are. As pretentious as this sounds — 2001 is a work of art. It’s meant to challenge the viewer. To stimulate their senses and creat an instinctive impression. It’s not meant to be easily understood. It is a film that was made to present a mythology of how humanity came into existence. So it’s meant to be an experience. You can’t have normal movie expectations when you watch it. There’s no bad guy. No good guy. Justice is not served. It’s much bigger than that.

It’s more — “What if we’re here because of alien intervention? And what if we passed the aliens’ first test? And they want us to take the next step in evolution? Evolution that will open our minds the inner workings and mysteries of the universe? We will become beings that will be capable of transforming matter and energy in a way that appears entirely magical to us now?

Kubrick knew he couldn’t tell that story in normal Chris Nolan terms. Not even in Marvel Thanos Iron Man Capt Marvel tesseract terms.

That’s why 2001 is not a normal movie to watch. It’s a cinematic experience the likes of which we have never seen before.

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sixthreezy

2001: A Space Odyssey - Bring Your Thinking Helmet

Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2019

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2001 is an epic film that suffers from the passage of time. In the 50+ years since its release, audiences have becomes a lot less patient and analytic towards movies such as this one. Stanley Kubrick's set of well-renowned classics all have a touch of this to varying degrees, but 2001 is admittedly a hard watch for first time viewers. I had seen this movie twice previously, both times in full, and couldn't quite wrap my head around why this film was not only popular, but held to be one of the greatest films of all-time. It was upon the third viewing that I had all of the pieces click and I finally understood, or at least felt that I understood some of the messages that the film tries to convey.

It's a film that requires the utmost of patience at a nearly two and a half hour run-time, and it doesn't do you any favors. It starts with a long sequence that features no dialogue, grand orchestral music, and a lot of monkeys/apes. In doing so, you are required to immediately forget what you know about movies that lay stories out for you and allow you to settle in. You have no context at this point, and it's mostly monkeys fighting over natural resources, land, and getting into tribal feuds. While it's not largely important to the main plot featured in the latter half of the film, it's a very heavy, visual concept that helps to sink the ending and overall story into your brain.

After the first 30 minutes or so of no dialogue, we are thrust into space with a new character that again is only featured for about 15-20 minutes prior to the main story of the film. This, is the other contextual piece to what has already been seen, and sets out to show how humans are exploring and analyzing space in an aggressive way because of a new discovery. These two initial pieces are definitely needed in the film and can't be cut, because of their importance to the themes and overall presentation of the story. They really require the viewer to hold their attention, because after each one you're seemingly left with zero information on what the movie is actually about other than a large black rectangle, which is very simple yet complex. This wondrous black rectangle is essentially what the viewer is looking for throughout the film, and represents knowledge of man, the universe, and perhaps much more depending on the viewer.

Then, we settle into the meat of the film which features two actors and a voice actor in mostly enclosed spaces, further requiring the viewer to detach themselves from what a typical movie usually plays out as. We've seen apes, we've seen spacemen exploring, we've seen tons of beautiful shots, and then are dumped into a space station with 2 people alone. It's stark, quiet, and still lacking a lot of dialogue, but this is where the plot begins. The super computer HAL 9000 has notified them of a malfunction but the two conscious crew members doubt the robot's diagnosis of the problem. This is when the film gets interesting, if you're still there... and is what the movie wants you to remember after watching.

HAL 9000 is an OG villain, extremely cold and calculated, and all in all is just an intelligent computer advertised as "perfection". The uneasiness and skepticism surrounding technology in the modern era is very well-packaged into this robot character of HAL. There is a reason that this film and specifically this character are frequently referenced and repackaged into other films that take place in the science fiction genre to this day. Odds are you've seen a robot with a red eye, or a highly superior artificial intelligence try to conquer mankind in a movie before. For the rest of the film, we see the struggle of man vs. robot, knowledge of man vs. artificial intelligence, and thus showcase the unique talents of Stanley Kubrick to paint a picture broader than the film itself.

Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood shine as the crew members cast opposite of the robot, who was voiced by Douglas Rain throughout the film, sometimes played by Stanley off-screen. Their smarts as astronauts really put them in a unique situation, because they think of almost everything they can to fix their situation and get home safely. For a film as old as it is, it's really well done to show that astronauts are not stupid characters in a film manufactured on their own, but rather they take all of the necessary precautions to try and survive their predicament. However HAL has other plans, and this film devolves into a psychological sci-fi thriller the likes of which we'll probably never see again. The sterile, white interiors of the ship with the vastness of space combined with the excellent early miniature work really create just as much tension and again serve as visual examples that are still used and reused in science fiction films to this day.

There are plenty of great Special Features included in this release, but unfortunately I found the film commentary to be lacking from Gary Lockwood and Keir Dullea. I like Keir's commentary, but Lockwood's is mostly depressing and shows perhaps his outlook on life at the time of recording. Both commentaries seem to be pieced together either from separate sessions or interviews, and at times seem to stray away from the film itself. It's interesting to hear their thoughts over the playtime of the movie, especially due to its length and lack of dialogue, but I wouldn't go as far as saying it's a definitive commentary for fans of the film. This edition also includes the 4 inserts pictured, in an envelope along with a standard black 4K case that all fit snugly into the cardboard box also pictured. The box has a foil-shine to the red which really make it pop on the shelf, and I'm incredibly happy to finally own this movie in this edition.

The 4K, Blu-ray, and digital copies are all included in this release. I have watched the film over the years in DVD and Blu-ray formats, and while I do think that this popped in 4K, I didn't think that it exceeded the Blu-ray transfer in any visible way. If you don't own the film already but are a newer fan like me, I'd highly recommend this collector-ish set at its current price point of $25. If you're an owner of the Blu-ray versions, I'd only recommend if the Special Features are any different but I do not think they are. Of course, if you're a fan of the film and also into 4K... well we all know that the beautiful visual presentation of this story is worth viewing in whichever format you feel is superior. Just remember that when you're watching this film, it's being shown to you through a big, black rectangle...

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Eric S. Kim

"Its origin and purpose.....still a total mystery."

Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2010

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NOTE: This review contains major spoilers.....

The late Stanley Kubrick has to be my favorite director of all time. He was the director of five of my top favorite films: Paths of Glory, Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining, & Full Metal Jacket. I can acknowledge that he was a very sophisticated perfectionist, but I can never deny that most of his movies are unbelievably mesmerizing. These are the exact kinds of films that I can never look away from. I feel almost hypnotized by them. But out of all of Kubrick's films, 2001: A Space Odyssey is a film that works the most wonders. It's the finest sci-fi epic ever made, and it's officially my #1 favorite film of all time.

But what exactly makes 2001 so special? Well, in my opinion, it has perfected the sci-fi genre. Before this film was ever released, people have never completely taken science fiction very seriously. In the 50's and early 60's, sci-fi films often had crude special effects and silly storylines. Most of them (The Thing from Another World, The Day The Earth Stood Still) had very good plots and decent effects, but as a whole, the look and feel of these motion pictures still lacked realism and importance. Keep in mind, I don't have anything against the 50's and 60's sci-fi classics, but they are not my personal favorites, either. So along came 2001: A Space Odyssey. Released in 1968, critics were sharply divided. Some said it was fantastic, while others believed it to be dull. But this film grew among audiences (especially the psychedelic kinds), and slowly, people have acknowledged this to be not only the greatest sci-fi film ever made, but also one of the greatest films ever made. The year is now 2010, and this film is still considered to be a classic, which is a bit surprising since a majority of moviegoers are now accustomed to over-the-top action and pointless comedies. Hey, I still like some over-the-top action, but comedies nowadays aren't very clever anymore. Anyway, back to 2001. The reason why this film is so brilliant is that it became a sci-fi revolution. It's entirely distinctive for its realistic special effects, serious storyline, and influence on space travel & evolution. Even when compared to Star Wars, Star Trek, and Stargate, 2001 still looks and feels completely different from the rest. Look at how slow and steady the spaceships move. Listen to the lack of sound in the vacuum of space. Observe the planets and stars and how realistic they actually look. I don't think I have ever seen another sci-fi film that was ever this scientifically accurate before.

Critics and audiences have analyzed this movie ever since it was released. Some believe it to be an ode to science, while others see it as an example of alien intelligence. Some even believe that it is about God and the paradise that we yearn for (the last thirty minutes of the film). As a middle-of-the-road agnostic, I think this film is about everything. Even if the main point of the film remains mysterious, it seems to explore everything about space and the future. The black monolith could either symbolize God, Darwinism, or alien benevolence & intelligence. HAL 9000 could represent the errors of future technology, or the cause and effects of artificial intelligence. The last twenty minutes of the film, in which David Bowman grows old and is reborn as the star-child, could be seen as a religious experience. But even if all of these were true, 2001 is "still a total mystery." We don't really know what it's all about. What really works, I think, is how these possible representations are shown through images and sound. The messages can be very clear once the visuals can make you understand what they are.

And speaking of visuals, the special effects still don't cease to amaze me. I don't think I have ever seen such real-looking effects (and this was WAY before computers were used). It's a bit obvious that the apes in the first fifteen minutes of the film are on a soundstage, but the space sequences are such a delight to watch. The spaceships look almost as if they were really moving in space, and the planets Earth & Jupiter don't look like miniature models at all (perhaps they were matte paintings of photographs, I can't really tell). And how did they manage to have Frank Poole float away in space? They must have used a wide-angle lens for that. And just how DID they create that famous "stargate" sequence? I know they used macro photography for some shots, but what did they use for the other shots? There are just so many questions that maybe it's time for me to listen to the audio commentary.

As an avid fan of classical music, I really do love the classical pieces that were chosen for this film. 2001 does not have an original score, but the music of J. Strauss, R. Strauss, Ligeti, and Khachaturian always get to me. Every musical piece is used to actually enhance the story. Ligeti's "Requiem" signifies the presence of the black monolith. J. Strauss's "The Blue Danube" is played during two scenes involving space travel. Khachaturian's "Gayane: Adagio" is heard when we begin to see what goes on during the Jupiter Mission. And of course, R. Strauss's "Also Sprach Zarathustra" is used to remind us how majestic the universe really is. Basically, the music really does add more importance to the story. "The Blue Danube" is starting to get on my nerves, though.

Well, this is it. This is my all-time favorite film. I can name at least a hundred films that I really admire (such as The Godfather and Collateral), but this is the one that I admire the most. Everything about it is barely above perfection. It may be too slow and tedious for some people, but to me, it's an excellent visual spectacle. As for the 2-Disc Special Edition DVD, I would highly recommend it. It has some fascinating special features, including an audio commentary by actors Keir Dullea (Bowman) and Gary Lockwood (Poole), the original theatrical trailer, and seven behind-the-scenes featurettes. The picture quality of the film itself looks a bit different. About ten years ago, I bought the film on VHS. The picture quality on that cassette tape was surprisingly clear, and the light/dark bits were about correct. Since I no longer have a VCR, I decided to buy the DVD, and while I was watching the film, I saw the difference. Compared to the VHS, the picture on the DVD does look dimmer. It's obvious when the "stargate" sequence is on: for example, the original blue colors convey some heavy shades of gray. Another noticeable change is the introduction and the intermission: the words "Overture" and "Entr'acte" have been taken off the screen completely. So Ligeti's "Atmospheres" plays while there is nothing but black on the screen. Fortunately, I wouldn't decide these sorts of things as flaws since I don't really mind them. I'm glad that I made the purchase, and furthermore, I'm glad that I now have my all-time favorite film in my own DVD collection.

Grade: A+

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S. M.

Great film, good deal, fair service, but still demaged goods

Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2011

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Unlike some others here who think they're professional film critics, I'm not gonna waste anyone's time with film's plot, or production values, or anything like that. I believe there is a plenty of reviews already written in that respect and I don't see how I can add anything new to that discussion.
If you don't already know who is Stanley Kubrick,or you don't know what to expect from this particular film, just google, for God's sake, or simply go to Wikipedia. In the end, I suppose, you can read some of the critics written here, too, but I really think that reviews on this page should be reserved for discussions about the product itself, as in "how good or how bad is the deal offered." That been said, I have no objections on the price; I really think it's a great deal as such. As described by Amazon in section above, this is a 2-disc set with a lot of extra features, and it is really hard to imagine that one can get a better deal than one offered.
My problem was that package came damaged. Either due to transportation, or box was just like that to begin with (which could potentially explain the bargain price), just, I got damaged goods as the box was broken inside and couldn't hold the discs in place. Amazon customer service was great and I was immediately send a replacement, but unfortunately, the replacement package was only slightly better. This time, the box was not broken inside as it was the case with the first one, but the discs were still not in place. Once I opened the box, I put them back where they belong, but while they're alright in that respect now, they're still scratched due to the fact that they were originally detached and able to move freely inside the box during the transportation. I'm sure that Amazon would gladly send me another replacement, or refund, if I requested one, but at that point, I was just over it, and didn't even try to contact them and complain again.

In conclusion, I don't know if I was just so "lucky" to get two fault packages back to back, or this is the case for the whole "2001 A Space Odyssey (2-disc Special Edition)" supply at Amazon, but if you're a passionate film collector and really care about your discs, you probably wanna think twice before going for this deal.

By the way, the film itself is great. It deserves all 5 stars as such, but I gave it 4 on account of problems I discussed above.

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Erich Zann

Just…whoa.

Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2024

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I collect physical media on disks. I do a number of these reviews here for others that are like-minded, or those who would like to be. I only comment on the disc presentation, not content. Obviously, I love the movie or I wouldn’t have bought it.

4K is proving to be something that can be a little bit bittersweet. Some films are starting to get a bit overprocessed, and it’s really not necessary.

Fortunately, this is not one of them. The presentation is absolutely beautiful, I think one of the best that I’ve ever seen. If you love this movie, you want this, Dave.

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jaydee

This movie brings the wow factor, but...

Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2024

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After completing my setup with an OLED TV and a UB820 4K player, I decided to buy this film to test it out. You can read why it's a must, the video quality on this movie is great. Beautiful visuals with Dolby Vision. But honestly, I found the movie itself boring. I love space movies, Interstellar is one of my favorites, which I also bought in 4K. However, I didn't find the point of this movie, the dialogue is a bit bland and without much story telling. Seems like just random conversations. Honestly I wouldn't have bought this movie because I feel I probably won't watch it again. The visuals are a 10/10. The story, to me, a 3/10. I think what got me through this movie was the curiosity to see the next scene and the next in beautiful 4K. But now that I have watched it, it'll probably stay stored in my collection. Maybe if I have people over I can put it on as background noise.

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683

One of the greatest films of all time.

Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2011

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Many think that "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968) is one of the greatest films of all time, and even some think that it's the greatest, and I can say that this Stanley Kubrick masterpiece is one of my favorite films of all time! Everything in this film is absolutely beautiful. The stunning visuals, the harrowing plot, the haunting music, the lush cinematography, the beautiful directing by none other than Kubrick. "2001" is way more than a film. It's a cinema masterpiece like no other, just like Kubrick's other films, like "A Clockwork Orange", or "The Shining". This film is simply one of the greatest. The thing about "2001" is some think it's one of the best, and some think it's one of the worst (although very few, and I don't know why they would hate it so much), but the reason that they hate it is for it's slow pace and that there's only about 40 minutes of dialouge in a 2 1/2 hour movie, but the scenes without dialouge, with slow pace really show the beauty of the film, and only Kubrick could have made each and every scene a masterpiece. If you see it for the first time, you might not like it, but the second or third time you see it, you'll most likely be blown away by the beauty (although in just my first viewing, I absolutely loved it). "2001" is an epic sci-fi that questions life on other planets and human destiny, that apparently gets affected whenever a striking black monolith appears. You may not understand this film fully the first time, but the beauty of Kubrick's films is that it takes a few viewings to understand Kubrick's message, and it's amazing.
"2001" is broken down into four sections, "The Dawn of Man" where it shows what the title suggests. It shows ape-like humans who learn to fend for themselves. It's about 20 minutes. "TMA-1" shows a Pan-Am space plane orbiting Earth. It focuses on Dr. Heywood Floyd (William Sylvester) going over plans for a trip to Clavius Base, which is on the moon, with a large number of other members to the very futuristic ship. It's about 35-40 minutes "Jupiter Mission: 18 Months Later" shows spaceship Discovery One, with 2 members, Dr. David Bowman (Keir Dullea) and Dr. Frank Poole (Gary Lockwood), and 3 other members in hibernation. On that ship is a very intelligent computer named HAL 9000 (voiced by Douglas Rain), who eventually wreaks havoc to the ship. It's about 55 min.-1 hour long. Finally, "Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite" shows Dr. Bowman's psychadelic and frightening trip through space, which includes the "Stargate sequence", showing flashing lights moving forward for a few minutes, following the next few minutes of cosmic phenomena and strange landscapes that actually kind of creeped me out (I saw this film in the dark), leading to the ending. It's about 25 minutes, leading the film to 2 hours and 28 minutes, including the 3 minute overture, intermission, and exit music, along with ending credits.
The special features on this two-disc special edition of "2001" are pretty good, but they felt sort of repetitive to me. The Disc 1 comes with the film, along with a commentary by Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood and the theatrical trailer, and then there's the disc 2. The first special feature is titled "2001: The Making of a Myth". It's about 45 minutes long. It's narrated by James Cameron, and shows different people talking about the making and legacy of the movie. It was pretty good. "Standing on the Shoulders of Kubrick: The Legacy of 2001" is about 20 minutes long and is another film that talks about the legacy of the movie and different film critics, including Roger Ebert (when he could still talk), praising the film. It's really not much that the earlier featurette hasn't said. "Vision of a Future Passed: The Prophecy of 2001" is 20 minutes of Keir Dullea, the main star of "2001" speaking about the film and what Arthur C. Clarke, the author of "2001" wrote and said about it. It also includes black-and-white audio footage of Arthur C. Clarke. It was a pretty good featurette, but I really like the 60's vintage featurette "2001: A Space Odyssey - A Look Behind the Future". It's about 20-25 minutes and it shows the film being made including footage of Stanley Kubrick. It's one of my favorite featurettes. "2001: FX and Early Conceptual Artwork" is 9 minutes long and shows Stanley's wife, Christiane Kubrick, talking about the artwork and paintings made for the famous "Stargate" sequence in the film for 3 minutes, and the rest shows the original sketches and paintings. It's pretty cool. "Look: Stanley Kubrick!" is 3 minutes long and shows a montage of photos Stanley Kubrick shot in his few years before directing when he was still working for "Look! Magazine". Here, you see Stanley's extreme talent for photography, which definitely influenced his creativeness in directing. The real treat here is the 1 hour, 17 minute audio-only interview from 1966, where Jeremy Bernstein interview's Stanley Kubrick, titled "Audio-only interview with Stanley Kubrick". Here, he talks about his childhood, his photography days, his first movie, "Fear and Desire", and later on, talks about each and every one of his films, leading up to "2001", which was still in production at that time. It's extremely interesting and worth listening to. I think it's the best featurette on the second disc.
"2001: A Space Odyssey" is a truly beautiful, mesmerizing, and amazing film that everybody should see, and it's brilliance just can't fit into the 6000 characters that Amazon reviews allow. All I have to say is, if you haven't seen this Stanley Kubrick masterpiece, see it now! And see it multiple times after that. It's one of the greatest.

15 people found this helpful

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Just an average joe

Classic movie with good special effects

Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2024

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This movie is about the same age I am, so it has been around for a long time. Its graphics and special effects are not like what you would see in today's movies, but they are good considering when it was originally filmed. I am sure the 4k Blu-ray helped to make things look more real, too. The story line is easy to follow, and when I watched the movie, I didn't find myself thinking "ok, move on, this is boring." It held my interest. It's a classic, and I'm glad I purchased it.

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Dave

Such a great classic movie!

Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2024

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Even though I have seen this a number of times it's nice to have it on Blu-ray.

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