Rating: 
Summary: Fantasia meets Sci-Fi
Review: I just saw this movie and it hurts me that anyone would define this movie as lazy. There is a great deal to say about this movie weather one has taken their Prozac or Ritalin pill or not. This movie is a deeply serine movie, that does not have that much action although there are some interesting parts to the movie that are quite suspenseful. The pain staking time it took to conceive of such beautiful visualizations and scenery is amazing. Good movie making can be seen as the ability to show a story not tell a story. These breath taking images tell a thousand times more than any words could possibly capture, combining with such melodious music forming a poetry of visual effects. While I watched this, however, I did whish that I had a fast forward button, and do understand that the plot itself can be summed up in less than three minutes. This movie is not to be watched when your wide awake and want to go play football, this is a movie to substitute for watching the sun set, the waves crashing at the beach, or reading a peaceful book on a warm sunny afternoon. We could criticize the creator for being so simplistic in making the sun rise so boring an non eventful or we can marvel at the spectacular show of light to be seen, a wonderful way to end a day. This movie is like a sun set, it makes you think its not taxing on your soul with killing, blood and sex, its like watching a leaf fall from a tree, getting caught up by the wind, and being wisped away. Something simple and yet the physics behind it are very complex. This film is truly either thus best accomplishment or the worst failure of the film industry but no more so than a sunset, which can be either completely tiresome, slow to the point and boring, or in another instance beautiful timeless and awe-inspiring.
Rating: 
Summary: I did not like this movie
Review: I just got finished watching 2001: A Space Odyssey. I have no idea what the big deal is about this movie. I was confused and not at all entertained. I expected a lot more from this movie, especially since so many people just rave about it. I am not going to say bad things about the people who did like this movie, because hey, to each his or her own, but this movie did nothing but literally make me fall asleep on my couch. I did enjoy the part about HAL, but that was about it. I think I liked that part because HAL was the only thing I could really feel any connection to in the movie. It didn't even really bother me when, I think it was Frank, floated off through space, doomed to die. Keep in mind that I am the sort of person who cries during sitcoms and Hallmark commercials. I really, really, desperately wanted to enjoy this movie, but it was simply not possible. My advice is that if you want to listen to beautiful classical music, put a CD in your stereo. Don't waste your time sitting on your couch trying to understand this truly odd movie.
Rating:
Summary: Very LAZY!!!!!
Review: I have to say i am a huge fan of Sci-Fi and was actually looking forward to seeing what is refered to as one of the best films ever made. BUT in my opinion this IS ONE OF THE LASIEST SCI_FI FILMS EVER!!! For one thing talk about a movie without a plot. There are four somewhat related stories told in this movie. Although the movie makes no effort to coherently connect the four, nope not at all. I was 16 when i saw this when, it was over I had become 71. I'm sorry but the filmakers were obviously so proud of the visual effects they had concocted they felt it was necessary to have 20 minute long scenes of a ship floating through space. If this doesn't suck the years out of your life I don't know what can. This movie would have succeded if the whole thing was about Hal and the problems that he caused and something could have been said interms of theme about technology but NO OF COURSE NOT WE HAVE COOL VISUAL EFFECTS LETS USE THEM!!! Oh and that little thing about human evolution and how the aliens have sent the monalithe to help us do so, but instead of doing this interestingly they just stuck the main charachter (well he isn't exactly the main charachter because he came in half way through the movie) in a room and made him get old. I discussed this with a friend of mine who is a die hard fan of 2001 and she says, "Read the book it helps." I'm sorry but making film adaptations of books is so the reading doesn't have to be done or to help understand the book better or just to see the story on the big screen, Not so you can watch the film then read the book to understand it that defeats the purpose of making the film in the first place. Finally after disscussing with my film teacher he says, "Its just because its overly artsy." NO NO NO NO my friends this movie is just lazy lazy lazy. The whole purpose for it being made was to propel the visual effect industry. Not a bad thing but it could have been done with a better movie a much better movie!!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: "...Its origin and purpose, still a total mystery"
Review: The final human words said in "2001: A Space Odyssey", before the movie reverts to a language told by visuals. These words I chose because they apply the most to this movie. Its origin is well known (Made in England under the direction of the late Stanley Kubrick), but what about its purpose? Is this movie a religious journey? Is it a study of '60's beliefs in the pre-computer and Vietnam era? Or is it a study in the advancement, or decline, of the human race? This movie is all those things but it is also more. It is said that people are always afraid of change and this movie is a perfect example. As many people have so bluntly pointed out, this movie is long and rather difficult to get into. It is widely considered, along with "Citizen Kane", to be the most overrated movie of all time. But is this because you didn't it a chance? Many people who watch this movie (Considered to be THE science fiction movie) probably expect it to action packed, only to find just the opposite. That's because, in my view, "2001" was meant to be this way, as a sort of satire on the future of the human race. Kubrick strips humans of any emotions, making the "advanced" people of the future as dull as the apes they came from (Yes, I do believe in Darwinism). The movie moves at super slow speed and has no major excitement until near the very end. The establishing scenes in the film (Apart from the "Dawn of Man" prologue) also show that despite the advancements in comfort and safety, space travel is no more exhilarating than regular air travel. It is as routine and uneventful as anything else. But is every single movie supposed to be a two-hour video game? A common theme throughout Kubrick's films was the relationship of man and machines. Kubrick suggests that the dullness of the humans is due to the advancement of technology, to the point where anything can be done at the press of a button. The "Hal 9000" computer is a very good example of man letting its technological development going too far. Hal, like the doomsday machine in "Dr. Strangelove", fulfills its mission at the cost of human life. Indeed, he was correct when it said it was "The fault of human error". "2001" also shows that though we have immensely evolved intellectually and physically, humans are still only apes in disguise when it comes to social skills and survival skills. The conversations on the spacestation (Mostly with standard phrases and words and not with much emotion or enthusiasm) and the actions of David Bowman after Frank Poole's murder (Leaving the ship to Hal's control and forgetting his space helmet) are all good examples. So, if you plan to watch this movie for the first time, try not to expect as much excitement as the "Star Wars" movies combined. Rather, give it a chance and watch it from a different perspective. Open up your mind and allow the movie to unfold before you. It will take more than one viewing before you fully appreciate the movie. However, if you feel you need help, read Arthur C. Clarke's novel. Not only is it the film's Cliffs Notes, but it's also a great read. "2001" is a movie that will still be standing tall and influencing people for generations to come. Some of its hardware and ideals, I admit, look dated by our standards. But, as my dad pointed out, this film's predictions might have been correct in one way. Onboard the Discovery spacecraft, David Bowman and Frank Poole watch a news broadcast on a flat panel television screen, which (According to the novel) can display any sort of visual and printed material. If that isn't the Internet, than I don't know what it is.
Rating:
Summary: A MIND-BLOWING MASTERPIECE
Review: This has to be THE MOST mind-blowing, intellectual, awesome movie I've ever seen. 2001: A Space Odyssey was and still is a pioneer not only in the science-fiction genre, but in movie-making itself. This film proved that you don't need dialogue or action-packed sequences to get your point across on film. The opening has to be one of the most creative ever. A science fiction movie beginning in prehistoric times. We see ape-men striving to survive in the hostile, pre-technological world. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, a huge, rectangular black monolith (put on earth by alien, intelligent forces) is discovered by the ape-men. (I would also like to take this moment to praise Kubrick and Clark for not relying on the typical "man meets alien face-to-face" approach. The aliens are never seen in the entire movie.) The monolith inspires the apes to make the first discovery. Jump ahead 3 or 4 million years into the future. In the year 2000, a similar monolith is discovered on the moon. This one beams a "trail" to Jupiter, which man follows in the Discovery voyage in the year 2001. Now, since other reviews on this site have already given you a summary of the rest of the plot (HAL's breakdown, the Star Gate (or "light show") segment, and the surrealistic, dialogue-less end sequence of Dave Bowman's eventual evolution into the Star Child), I don't need to go into any more detail. Now, don't be fooled by reviews denouncing Kubrick's masterpiece. I'm 15, and I understood this movie to a degree (you're not supposed to completely understand it). Reviewers complaining that the ending is vague and ambiguous are correct: this movie IS vague and ambiguous, but many people miss a crucial point. Kubrick meant 2001: A Space Odyssey to be mysterious and enigmatic. The evolution of man himself from ape to man to Star Child is not simple; the answers aren't always laid down in stone. And as for those who complain about the slow pace of the movie are missing yet another key element: if the movie was fast and action-packed like other sci-fi films, there wouldn't be enough time to experience and actually THINK ABOUT what you're watching. Movies ARE art, and anyone who criticizes art just because it is "arty" doesn't truly appreciate cinema. Oh, and one more thing to clear up: I have read countless reviews saying that the effects were great for their time, but are no longer great. In this world where we rely on computers to give us special effects, it is hard to appreciate the "old techniques" such as models and painted backdrops. Think, everyone: this movie was made in '68. Do you really expect it to live up to today's computer-generated standards? Of course it's a little corny, but special effects don't make a movie: plot (even at a deliberately slow pace) and theme (though hard to understand) do. Overall, I would highly suggest 2001: A Space Odyssey to anyone. Some people will love it, some will hate it. But at least give it a chance. It's a brilliant masterpiece and an original plot explaining (well, almost) the evolution - and meaning - of mankind.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic... but few DVD features
Review: Beautifully remastered with incredible sound, but I was a bit disappointed that there weren't any behind-the-scenes featurettes. They could have included interviews with Kubrick or Clarke and maybe explored the impact of the film on sci-fi and filmmaking. This is a great gift for Kubrick and sci-fi fans, but it could have been even greater with those featurettes.
Rating:
Summary: A trip
Review: This movie is definately a trip, and a must see for any cinematic fan. Kubrick's at it again, with his theories of conspiracy, art in motion, and use of conflict.
Rating:
Summary: The Movie That Changed My Life
Review: In 1968, an excellent year for movies all around, (The Lion In Winter, The Planet Of The Apes, numerous others,) I finally decided to see the movie I had been reading about since the New York World's Fair of 1964-65..."2001: A Space Odyssey". It was to be directed by Stanley Kubrick, the same man who had directed "Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love The Bomb", a groundbreaking comedy of the same period as the fair. Aside from "2001", the only other work I had seen of Kubrick's was "Spartacus", so I had no real pre-conceived notions as to what to expect from Kubrick. And then I saw "2001"....MAN, what a movie!! The general aesthetics, music, cinematography, casting, attention to detail and realism were without parallel up to this point in my moviegoing experience, and just the music ALONE would have been enough to hold my attention! "2001" immediately became one of the few movies up to that point that I saw, voluntarily, more than once. The concepts Arthur C. Clarke, the author of the short story "2001" was based on and the book that sprang from it, and Kubrick tried to get across in the movie don't quite become totally clear until you read the book, but the imagery in the film goes a long way toward reaching into your subconscious and relaying the message on a subliminal level anyway, helping you to better realize the concepts when they're made clear by the book. To this day, this incredible movie has no visual or conceptual equal in the world of film. I highly recommend you see it if you haven't and buy it if you've gone without for all these years after having seen it!
Rating:
Summary: "2001" has come and gone...
Review: Very few directors have created as many culturally paradigmatic movies as Stanley Kubrick. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY is a film which redefined the parameters of moviemaking. Short on characterization and on dialogue (the film features Keir Dullea mostly alone, and a half hour of dialogue in its two and a half hour length) from the standpoint of typical Hollywood entertainment, the movie is a slow-moving, boring bomb. If a viewer comes here seeking "Star Trek: The First Generation" that viewer will be profoundly disappointed. And the special effects seem a little dated now, though for 1968 they were literally beyond the cutting edge. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY is cinema. It engages and enraptures the viewer, inviting thought about where we came from and where we are going, and what the limits of the human mind are. If any. The ubiquitous computer HAL 9000 is more emotionally revealing than the humans, if rather more omnipotent, and is ultimately less logical and accepting of the unknown than his human counterparts. But we humans, despite our frailties, manage to evolve throughout the picture, whereas our technologies become more and more obsolescent, and effectively meaningless. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY is a heavy-handed metaphysical voyage, but one worth taking, and one which, it is to be hoped, we can't avoid but taking.
Rating:
Summary: "A haunting and beautiful movie."
Review: A magnificent symphony of silence and beauty, this is undoubtedly Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece. Combining elements of drama, action, horror, and even a dash of wit, the film is a cinematic marvel, and every shot is gorgeous while full of meaning. It's a tough movie, puzzling as it is mezmerizing, and while the end sequences with the light show and "star child" might put some people off, it's all left for you to make your own conclusions. Kubrick's painstaking and marvelously realized special effects provide for the most realistic vision of space ever put on film, and while a bit crude, are far and away more believable when compared to the more glossy and flashy space movies of today. Kubrick's inspired use of classical music, which was not his original intention, including the "Blue Danube Waltz", are there as a more background effect, and not to play against the action, but make for a superb effect. It's unlike any movie I've ever seen, and it's an incomparable achievement. A haunting and beautiful movie, that challenges and provokes your imagination, yet is nothing short of perfection.
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