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Summary: Probably the best science fiction movie ever made
Review: 2001: A space odyssey is probably the best science fiction film ever made. I saw it shortly after Star Wars: Episode One and realized just how mediocre that film was. Stanley Kubrick made an amazing movie with a small (for today) budget. Usually visual storytelling fails miserably but it's done right here. The cinematography and special effects were great and I still remember the entire film. Okay, the acting isn't exactly "powerful and dramatic," but it wasn't meant to be. It's a shame all the actors went into obscurity after this, though.
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Summary: Brilliantly psychologically twisted.
Review: Clarke and Kubrick work together well in this stunning masterpiece of man, machine, and monolith. When you watch it, you wonder 'What was that light?' or 'Why was the monolith there?'. Every night when I go to bed, I hear this haunting, serenely sick voice "Dave, Dave, I didn't mean to kill Frank. I'm feeling better now. Please don't disconnect me." HAL is scary and makes you wonder if the computer you have downstairs will one day turn against youŠ
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Summary: I never did understand the ending and never will, but...
Review: ...all that don't mean squat. Kubrick may or may not have been trying to be an interplanetary Fellini here, but the thing that took this flick over the top was always its technological plausibilty. Nobody cared in old-line sci-fi whether or not the spaceships or ray guns made any sense--the filmmaker or the viewer. That was even true with "Star Trek" and still is (and I don't regard myself a traitor to my Trekkie identity admitting that). But you look at "2001" hardware and can see where it was just around the corner. A lot of that gear can be built today by any one of half-a-dozen aerospace firms. Like those one-man pods ("open the pod bay doors, HAL"). The only reason they're not built by someone like General Dynamics today is that there's no mother ship like "Discovery" to use them on. Or that video phone call Dr. Floyd makes to his small daughter from the space station. There's software and peripheral hardware with those capabilities available for the computer you're reading this review through now. The way this store/ site keeps adding "departments", you'll be able to buy the stuff here. See what can happen in a generation? That's why I say (read my lips)--"tech-ni-cal plaus-i-bil-i-ty". That's why this flick kicked butt 30 years ago.
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Summary: The best film ever made, and deffinately the most couragous.
Review: A movie that was over two hours long, and had less than forty lines of dialogue. Not only was this an amazing and brilliant film, but also one of the most important films ever made. Untill you have seen this movie, you've have yet to experiance all that film can be.
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Summary: Me gusta
Review: Well, this has to be one of the better examples of love it or hate it movies ever made. I of course loved it. But, those who said that you must understand the ending to love it are wrong. When i first watched this movie, the ending made no sense to me, but i still loved it, it was just such a great shot. Now i believe i understand the film, to some extent, and i like it even more. A great movie to own because you'll want to watch it over and over.
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Summary: Life imitates art?!?!?
Review: Scientists have recently postulated that prehistoric human prototypes somehow accelerated their evolution to become thinking beings who learned how to hunt, thus enabling their brains to grow thanks to the addition of protein to the diet.Was there a black thing nearby??????? This movie is IT! Must read the book after viewing.
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Summary: I Waited Forever to See This Movie . . .
Review: . . .AND BOY WAS I DISAPPOINTED! I watched it twice (a total waste of time) and still could'nt find a stinkin' point to the movie! I know I am not supposed to badmouth the work of a recently deceased movie maker, but I really hated it. I've seen a lot of artsy-fartsy movies, but this is the limit.
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Summary: Pure Genius by Kubrick and Clarke.
Review: This far, I've seen only three movies that I consider as the best movies ever filmed: (Although plain relative, because there's people that believe Armageddon is the best movie ever.) Contact, Pi and 2001 (You can say I'm a science fiction buff). Although I do like the Star Wars series of movies, they are more of a science fantasy story than science fiction. 2001, defies any kind of description. Not because you can't explain it to someone on the street, but because you've got to think abstractly to fully appreciate the genius behind the movie, which is light years, if not parsecs, away from its time. From the dawn of intelligence to the ultimate evolution of man, this movie has anything for anyone who likes to sit for a moment and think about those issues that you most likely will never talk with your everyday friends (usually, people that like and understand these movies (and topics) are surrounded by people that do not appreciate them) See the movie, read the book and say wow!
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Summary: Beautiful, Haunting, and Completely Misunderstood
Review: 2001 is a very intelligent movie. Its asks that those who watch it be able and willing to think about things and symbols presented in the movie, and really enjoy the movie, not for the answers it gives(which are precious few), but for the questions it sets before us. I know that some people don't "GET" this movie. To be honest, those people can't think on the level this movie does. People say its really, really slow. It is, I agree, but in a good way, enabling you to think about things as the movie progresses, to absorbe what your being given and given time to ponder its meaning. Some people say this movie has no plot. That is completely wrong. Totally wrong. This movie lets most of its story be told VISUALY, with images, not words. And those images are striking indeed. Some people don't understand the ending. Well, people, DON"T TAKE IT ALL LITERALLY!!!. The ending is a symbol for the ultimate evolution of mankind, aided by beings who are, for all intensive purposes, gods in their own right. This movie is best seen in widescreen. The story, being told visually, benifits from the widescreen treatment greatly. You see more, and are given a bigger glimpse into the mind of Stanely Kubrick. may he rest in peace. See this movie. If you worry before hand that you won't "get" it, you probably won't. 2001 requires many viewings to fully grasp its message and impact. If you want entertaiment and only entertainment, go see Star Wars, Deep Blue Sea, or any of the other shallow, thoughtless movies Hollywood is cramming down our throats. But if you want to be challenged, see 2001. You won't be disappointed.
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Summary: A Note On the Technical Perfection of the Special Effects
Review: Having recently seen a fully restored 70mm print of this file(one of two in existence) on a restored Cinerama screen, I must saythat the special effects are simply dazling. The level of detail in the models and shots is unsurpased. Don't forget that Kubric was a technical perfectionist, and while special effects shots have become more "fluid" and kinetic, the shots created for 2001 are near perfect. We are taking about art here--digital tools may allow filmakers to have almost complete control to create what can be envisioned, but don't negate taste, labor, and imagination. The matte shots of the landing bay in the lunar base are the most convincing I've ever seen. It's the subtlties that make the effects so realistic--perfectly matched lighting of the models to interior shots, realistic looking wear and tear on on landing struts, super detailed bits of credible looking hardware. Unfortunately, these details are lost on video, and even 35mm does not have the resolution needed to see how truly realistic these effects are. Forget The Phantom Menace, The Matrix, Titanic and all the other fakey, cartoony digital crap out there. 2001: A Space Odessey has the greatest special effects of all time.
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