Rating: 
Summary: 2001 in 2003
Review: I've been waiting for this on DVD and have not been disappointed. A very good transfer and very good audio. The packaging is terrible with a flipper-type case with a cardboard cover. As for the film itself, it is definitely a landmark. I first saw this as a child in the theater and have admired it since then. The cinematography is fantastic and modern directors should examine it closely to learn how to do a long camera shot which seems to be a lost art. Fabulous soundtrack and score which might have served as many person's introduction to classical music. Many people do not understand this film, for those I heartily recommend that you first read the novel. There are so many films that would have not been possible without this film coming first, the Star Wars films are a good example. It was groundbreaking in its time and has aged very well. Most of the predictions for space travel introduced by this film have never been realized, showing just how advanced it was. It is my opinion that this film was made at the peak of Kubrick's career and is a visual festival with very little dialogue. Even now, I still lust for one of those pods!
Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece, but why have an intermission on a DVD?
Review: Enough has probably been written elsewhere about this phenomenal film. All I'll add is that considering this was made in 1968, the (model-based) special effects are still astonishing and put a lot of contemporary computer graphics to shame.
One annoyance - if I recall correctly the original cinema release did have an intermission, but why was it necessary to include this in the DVD transfer and then - even more annoyingly - not put index points around it so you can skip it?
By the way, 2010 - the so-called 'sequel' to this film - is an utter crock and a disgrace to Kubrick's legacy. It should be burnt along with the rest of Peter Hyam's execrable body of work.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't miss the epic excitement of the FBI copyright warning
Review: If you are looking for entertainment from this movie, you have looked in the wrong place. In a two hour movie there is maybe 10 minutes of action and 10 minutes of dialogue. You will be riveted to your seat by the dull corporate meeting. Watch the 15 minute display of colors as the astronaut lands on Jupiter. Listen as the background orchestra plays every of music it can find--just killing time, I suppose--until the actors decide to mumble some pointless line again. You will love the old couple singing "Happy Birthday" to their son. It's brainless works like this that send me back to '50's and '60's era movies when writer had creativity and a grip on life.
Rating:
Summary: Beyond Category!
Review: 2001 A Space Odyssey, is one of the most important films ever made. Made in 1968 by the genius Stanley Kubrick, in collaboration with the top minds in aerospace (Arthur Clarke et al.), has inspired generations of science-fiction fans, filmmakers, visual-effects specialists and more! Every time I've seen it (about 4 times now), it always sheds a new light on Artificial Intelligence and man's evolution. Space Odyssey was the first of it's kind, and is still highly relevant to this day (not to mention the totally psychedelic special effects that still astound). If you can find it, also check out "2001 and beyond." This excellent one hour documentary looks at the production and impact of `2001: A Space Odyssey.' A must for any afficionado.
Rating:
Summary: Space, the Final Frontier
Review: In space, no one can hear you scream. This movie is a jam-packed circus party of apes, aliens and super computers. It's like a buddy-picture set on the high seas, except that it is in deep space rather than the high seas. A classic of genre, this movie will be with us well itno 2001.
Rating:
Summary: A cinematic classic
Review: 2001 is a film of subtlety. The meanings of what transpires are not straightforward, and everyone will find something different from the movie's themes. While this may be the case, the questions that arise are some of the most interesting questions that could possibly be asked. The obvious centerpoint of these questions is a black monolith which is in several pivotal scenes. There is no clear understanding of what the monolith is; some people claim it is merely a symbol of evolution, while others claim it is instead symbolic of an alien race or of God. An essay I once read by a professor of film actually purported that the monolith is in fact God Himself. The truth is that Kubrick and Clarke were not looking to force an answer on us, but rather wanted us to find an answer for ourselves, much like other works of art. It is up to us to interpret what the various symbols of the movie mean. Another thing you should notice while watching is that the film is essentially divided into four parts: the beginning of man; man at the year 2001; man as he ventures out into space to find the meaning of the monolith; and man as he enters some form of parallel universe, be it the afterlife or the realm of aliens. It is interesting to note that three of these sections are titled: the first, third, and fourth sections. Kubrick is clearly saying something here about how we have evolved. You'll notice as the first sequence cuts to the second that one "tool" of man becomes another, more complicated tool. Yet, there is no new title to this sequence, for perhaps we have not really evolved as people from our ancient roots. Technology is not given a favorable view in 2001, which is Kubrick's way of saying that technology does not make us "better" people. For all we have accomplished, we still kill each other by the boatload. Notice carefully what the first tool is used for. Also, pay attention to how much of a subject birth is in the film. I didn't notice the first time I watched, but there are five times when birth is directly or indirectly referenced. It should be mentioned that the film is not fast-paced, nor is there much dialogue. In fact, it is perhaps thirty minutes before any words are spoken. Be prepared for a long, artistic, beautiful journey into the nature of man, and our beliefs of a higher being.
Rating: 
Summary: It's an influential movie, but it's got its flaws.
Review: 2001: A Space Odyssey is worth seeing, because you'll understand references and be able to make conversation about it. However, you might not enjoy watching it. There were a few things I really liked about it, but I wouldn't say that I had a good time watching the film. That's not to say that I particularly regret spending the time (it is a bit lengthy) to watch it. Afterwards it is interesting to mull over some of the themes, and develop your own take on it. I won't be so pompous as to try to feed you my interpretation of the meaning, because there are too many ways you could explain each thing. However, as vague as the metaphors are, I feel that Kubrick beats the viewer over the head with them. The phallic object(s), the question of whether or not man is special, "man's first instinct," and so on: I don't know about everyone else, but I felt like Kubrick tried a bit too hard to make his themes clear. I didn't know anything about the film beforehand, so I wasn't primed to come in and analyze everything. However, when the message and substance are so blatant (even if you can't be sure quite what they are), you are forced to self-consciously think about the movie while watching it. "Ugh, I've been watching birth imagery for the last five minutes," you think, and it detracts from the experience. Even if you realize you might be wrong. The themes are certainly interesting questions, interesting things to think about. And I'm not saying that they're presented in a shock-value sort of way. Without dialogue, action, and dynamic camera work, though, when the artistic parts come up and come on so strong, it's just overkill. The ending sequence is particularly guilty of this. Everything is metaphor, and Kubrick chose some rather mundane ways to represent the grandiose, almost as if he thinks no one will have any clue what's going on otherwise. "Oh, come on, a bathtub?" you may find yourself griping. As for the claims that the movie is boring, they may go a bit too far, but there is some validity to them. Certainly some scenes are most effective when they're stretched out longer than you'd expect. At least for me, Kubrick stretched them out far longer than was necessary. Given the flavor of the film, long sit-back-and-enjoy-the-beauty scenes seem out of place while you're trying to discover out what's going on, and they end long after you've taken it all in. In all, if you enjoy your thought-provoking experiences coming in story form, you'll be disappointed. If you like to change how you view the world slowly, and don't take well to things that try to blow your mind, you'll be disappointed. If you're not interested in an experiment in film pace, you'll be disappointed. If you'd rather have fun watching a movie, and do the deep thinking later, you'll be disappointed. See the movie I suppose, but there will be many things that will make you want to roll your eyes.
Rating:
Summary: Best movie of all time
Review: 2001 bores some people, while I see incredible complexity of multiple stories overlaid: the origin of man's critical thinking, an optimistic view of the future, a version of how man's first contact would take place, as well as the failure of man to be able to control his machines. Any of these stories alone would be interesting; that they can all be drawn together remarkable. Classic Kubrick is the man/machine element as HAL takes over the ship, an element he explored in Dr. Strangelove also, and again with disasterous results. The vision of the sublime future (Ho Jo's and ATT on the space station) has always been the biggest lure to me, the wonderment of what could be if we would put more money in space than we do in military. The details of Kubrick movies are always immense, no part is accidental or unintentioned. Watch 2001 20 times, you will see things you never saw before. This is the best movie of all time in my book. It also is sad for several reasons, some profound: Kubrick is gone and so is his magic, the future he foresaw will probably never happen (at least for Pan Am it won't!), and unfortunately we will never be able to see this in Cinerama again. Enjoy the DVD, it's the best you will be able to do! One note to those who don't get it: read the book too, watch the movie again, and it will be a revelation.
Rating:
Summary: Historical, Futuristic, Cinematic Art...
Review: 2001: A Space Odyssey is a piece of cinematic art that projects human evolution in a sublime manner that enchants the audience with cinematographic magic. The film begins with the beginning of man, where a group of primates has claimed an area that provides water and food for them. This area is being fought over with a different group of primates that arrives to the area, but the current inhabitants stand strong and protect it. One morning when these primates wake up they find a black, smooth monolith being set in their ground. Soon after the discovery of the monolith, the primates discover the use of tools and how tools can be used as weapons. As a result, the primates become carnivores and later learn a lesson in war. This brings the audience to the future where humans still divided themselves over lands and rather than war, humans exercise tactful diplomacy. Similar to what happened in the beginning of man, the American's have found a monolith that generates some odd, but strong energy. Consequently, a mission to Jupiter is possible where the majority of the crew is put into a cryogenic sleep where they are closely monitored by two crew members and a super computer with human intellect, but without the human error, called HAL. Soon it seems like something is about to go wrong when HAL reports an upcoming malfunction of the communication system. 2001: A Space Odyssey forces cerebral activity, as art does when viewed through multiple perspectives, and this provides an opportunity for the audience to make what they want out of the film. However, the film is developed with direct intention by Kubrick, causing the audience to ponder the outcome of the film. This is the true gem of the film. At the end, the audience is left with an outmost brilliant cinematic experience that is like no other which exists.
Rating: 
Summary: Great visual effects but, needs more excitment in the story
Review: As I explained in the title, the special effects are top notch and they stand the test time by outclassing the slacker computer generated effects we have today. The story however, could have had more excitement instead of Kubrick choosing to highlite the visual artistry to be the basis by which the brilliance of this film should be judged. I enjoyed the methodically detailed sequences to which each piece of technology was shown. Obviously great thought were put into every scene however, I felt this movie lacked a sense of drama and thrilling suspense. Even though this movie is more then two in a half hours long, its apparent that a lot of that time went to the slow paced space sequences instead of a broad plot.
Regardless of what I said, I recognize this movie to be revolutionary for its visual effects which Kubric subtley used to articulate the story and it will be classic for that.
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