2001: A Space Odyssey (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)

The top executives at MGM were stunned after viewing the final cut of “2001: A Space Odyssey”. This was going to be one of the biggest bombs of all time, a complete failure with a hefty price tag over four million dollars over its initial six million dollar budget and sixteen months late. Subsequent screenings for industry bigwigs and the New York critics confirmed the notion. Yet this film made Stanley Kubrick, already well known after “Dr. Strangelove”, a superstar and it went on to become one of the most talked about films of 1968 along with “Bonnie and Clyde” and “Rosemary’s Baby”. In language that the executives could truly understand, the film became the second biggest-grossing film of the year, making over fourteen times its budget (and cumulatively is now the #1 box office film of ‘68). You couldn’t blame both the executives or the critics, as Kubrick was making an entirely new kind of film here, a radical departure from nearly everything that had gone before it. The film was mostly silent, with half an hour more or less of dialogue in its 139 minutes, and little of it very notable in itself. There was no narration and the audience was left to figure everything out for itself. The usual science fiction film was a melodrama or action film in fanciful futuristic sets but this film’s long story arc made it seem at times as if nothing was happening at all, a kind of celebration of space hardware over dialog and plot. This was part of the film’s draw, a chance to see remarkably realistic space vehicles in an equally jaw-dropping evocation of space itself on a 70mm Super Panavision screen. Today’s viewers might just think “It looks like “Star Wars” as indeed it does, but this was the film that inspired George Lucas to make “Star Wars”, once he saw the possibilities. One can’t blame the New York critics either. They were mostly raised on films based on Broadway plays where words were everything and everything else was just a setting. They had simply no reference point for a film whose first and last twenty minutes were entirely silent. At least Andrew Sarris retracted his initial negative review and on a second viewing, praised the film. This would become the standard trajectory of all Kubrick’s films: mixed reviews tending toward bewilderment with future reappraisals discovering a masterpiece. The film is more timely today than it was when it was released.The most memorable character is the HAL 9000 computer, a character we now see easily as AI. In 1968 it was a fantasy but now is becoming actually realized. HAL is more complex than the human characters, at least the way he is written. Like current and future AI, no one is sure if HAL actually feels emotion. But he does go on a neurotic trajectory when he finds he has made an error and acts murderously in self defense to avoid disconnection. It seems very prescient when Bowman and Poole need to discuss the situation, they have to retreat to one of the pods to avoid HAL’s all-present surveillance and even then he reads their lips. Today we find ourselves living in a mesh of surveillance and data collection from our phones, computers, televisions and cars. It is disconcerting but not surprising that already, several car manufacturers have submitted patents for lip-reading technology. There is much said about how the film was saved by the youth audience, particularly that segment of the youth audience from the emerging counterculture who were seeing it under the influence of mind altering substances, and this is true. Young people, stoned or not, were ready for something as new as this. But even then, the film would not have been as gigantic an event as it became. Word of mouth brought in the broad movie audience. It was something you simply had to see to believe. It was an astounding advance in visual depictions of technology and space, of remarkably detailed spacecraft and effects that were amazing in their day and still hold up. The film included one of cinema’s great match shots when the hominim tosses the bone into the air and it is suddenly matched by the shot of an orbiting satellite. It was seen as an illustration of how far man had come needing no explanation. (It was even more literal initially as the satellites were originally going to be explained as orbiting atomic weapons, extensions of the original bone, an idea that Kubrick dropped because he wanted nothing in the film that would connect it to “Dr. Strangelove”). Then there’s the Pan Am Orion III shot where the stewardess rotates almost completely to move from one area to another. Kubrick had set out to make “a good science fiction movie” though he had never attempted anything in the genre before (“Dr. Strangelove” is a political satire, not sci-fi as some describe it). This became his standard practice; he always challenged himself with something new, resulting in a small canon of films unlike any other. He co-wrote the screenplay with one of the greatest science fiction writers of the day, Arthur C. Clarke, whose science fiction was very science based yet full of wonder at the cosmos. Using “The Sentinel”, with its monoliths left by aliens letting them know mankind was ready for its next jump in consciousness, as a starting point, they decided to write a novelization first before a screenplay.This way they could let their imaginations run free of considerations of runtime, scene development or budgets. Kubrick had already made the important decision that the film would be visual and not dialog heavy. In fact, the first 25 minutes are completely without dialog. “The Dawn of Man” is very early indeed, and though Kubrick could have shown a scene of food gathering, he instead chose a scenario that illustrated one of the most important facts of life on Earth. The Earth is limited, it is material and obeys general laws of physics. If you have something good like fresh water, someone else will likely want to take it away. The novelization was still being worked on as the film was being shot and it does not follow the film exactly. Clarke explains things literally which are left open in the film, so it’s not to be taken as a final word.The book was to be issued in 1965, before the film’s originally planned 1966 release. This Kubrick switched. He did not want his film to be seen as an adaptation of the novel with all the attendant carping about where it differed, inherently making the film the subordinate form. The novel thus became a novelization of the film, just how the director wanted it. For its visuals, Kubrick turned not to Hollywood, but to people who had worked with NASA, with educational documentaries about space exploration, illustrators of serious magazine space articles and importantly, Graphic Films, which had created “To the Moon and Beyond” for the New York World’s Fair. He wanted to give the audience an experience of what real space exploration not so far into the future would be like, not Hollywood’s usual fanciful Art Deco or Mid Century Modern versions. This team, which launched the career of Douglas Trumbull (“The Andromeda Strain”, “Silent Running”, “Close Encounters”) created the remarkable effects that awed audiences. The Discovery model was 55 feet long and the Werner Von Braun-style space station was 35 feet wide, a far cry from the small models used in earlier sci-fi films. It’s no wonder the film won all the technical awards. Kubrick accepted the award for only himself and not the crew, causing a rift. He tended to see himself as the artist and his assistants as merely functionaries who made his vision possible. While it was previously normal in Hollywood for Oscars to go only to department heads, by 1968 they were mostly shared. The setting also affected the actor choices and acting. They had to approximate the personalities of professional astronauts, not the bunch of dramatic stereotypes that populate most sci-fi films. Critics criticized the actors for being bland and being almost unimportant but they were actually perfect in their roles. Kubrick worked intuitively and each of his films was for him, an immersive experience. Here, his intuition was working at maximum inspiration. He abandoned Alex North’s film score and instead used the placeholder classical music he had used to fill space during production. His wife had discovered the obscure, amorphous music of Gyorgi Ligeti on BBC radio and when Kubrick heard it, he immediately knew it was a perfect fit. The juxtaposition of the familiar nineteenth century “Blue Danube” with the spacecraft and rotating space station made it an instantly relatable, soaring space ballet for the audience. It’s also notable that the film is also without music for very long periods of time. This included even the tensest moments, when most soundtracks would be taut with intense music as when Poole is cut loose and sent soaring into the void. The deafening silence of an uncaring universe could never be better shown. The depths of the black void and the twinkling stars had never been even vaguely approximated before. Even the film’s delayed release due to the director’s perfectionism, worked in its favor. A fall 1966 release date would have been too early. By 1968 so much cultural change had occurred that the audience was ready for a film as unusual as this,“The Ultimate Trip”. EXTRA NOTE: There has always been a lot of grumbling about “2001” not winning the Best Picture Oscar, and it going to “Oliver!” (one of my other favorite films from 1968). Let me clear this up by noting that 2001 was not even nominated for Best Picture. It was nominated for and won some deserved technical awards and one for its adapted score, but that was it. All science fiction was looked down upon by the Academy as a B-movie genre. The top Academy Awards were for prestigious dramas and historical films in their stuffy mindset. Stuck in a received view of film importance, they rarely even nominated comedies, much less sci-fi.

I saw this movie when it was first released to the theatres. Loved it. Bought the film on DVD. This 4K print is the best print ever. Great 4K resolution, sharp and clear with great audio sound. Flawless. Worth the money spent. This movie is a true timeless masterpiece.

One of the best 4K transfers ever. 2001: A Space Odyssey has never looked better. And with this restoration, I could say that it looks better than so many new releases in the past few years that look incredibly fake with their heavy use of CGI. 2001's use of practical effects has helped it stand the test of time. It's not just a "good-looking film for its time". It's an excellent-looking film, full stop. A must-have in your 4K collection.

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.

The only way to view this movie.

OVERVIEW: The 1968 science-fiction thriller "2001: A Space Odyssey" was produced, directed, and co-written by Stanley Kubric; Arthur C. Clarke also received co-writing credit for the film as it was inspired by his story "The Sentinel." The screenplay centers around the interactions between humans and extraterrestrials, exploring the fantastical mysteries of technology, artificial intelligence, human evolution, and the elusive black monoliths. Following the 1964 release of "Dr. Strangelove," Kubric set his sights on creating a science-fiction epic that would bridge man and universe. Kubric's approach to the genre was considered non-typical for the time; rather than focus on "monsters and sex," Kubric preferred to explore human vulnerability via man's journey into the unknown--a voyage reminiscent of Homer's "Odyssey," and, thus, lending inspiration for the film's title. Even though this movie is a bit aged, it's one I believe every sci-fi fan should at least see if not own. Not only is it marvelous in its predictions of the future, it's also a film that investigates the fundamental separation between man and computer. In addition, "2001: A Space Odyssey" has been referenced and parodied for decades, further demonstrating the importance this film retains in science fiction as it exists today. RECEPTION: "2001: A Space Odyssey" has received almost a half-century's worth of praise for its impeccable foresight, special effects, scientific accuracy, and minimalistic use of dialogue. The film's original debut spawned mixed opinions from critics and audiences; however, over the years, the movie has become a cult-classic and noted among the most influential pictures of all time. Today, "2001: A Space Odyssey" retains a place in the National Film Registry and continues to bear influence on current film icons such as George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Ridley Scott, among countless others. STARRING ROLES: Danial Richter as Chief Man-Ape, Douglas Rain as voice of HAL 9000, William Sylvester as Dr. Heywood R. Floyd, Keir Dullea as Dr. David Bowman, Gary Lockwood as Dr. Frank Poole, Frank Miller as Mission Controller, Margaret Tyzack as Elena, Leonard Rossiter as Dr. Andrei Smyslov, Sean Sullivan as Dr. Roy Michaels, Edward Bishops as Lunar Shuttle Captain, Robert Beatty as Dr. Ralph Halvorsen, Edwina Carroll as Aries Stewardess, Heather Downham as Stewardess, Penny Brahms as Stewardess, Ann Gillis as Poole's Mother, and Alan Gifford as Poole's Father. VARIATIONS BETWEEN BOOK AND FILM: Kubric, having selected Arthur C. Clarke as his source-material collaborator, chose the short story "The Sentinel" as the film's preliminary basis. The process of transforming a short story into both a full-length novel and screenplay required years of research, brain-storming, and, of course, fantasizing. Despite their intention to finish the novel first, Kubric and Clarke found that, when paying proper respect to each medium, variations between print and screen were inevitable. In a nut-shell, the differences primarily exist in the degree of descriptions offered by book and film; the book explores phenomena more completely than the movie, as Kubric opted for a more cryptic and inexplicit method of detailing. DVD SPECIAL FEATURES: (Released 3-29-11 / 1-disc / G-Rated / 148-min. Run-Time / ASIN: B004L9GMBC) ▪ Languages: English and Français ▪ Subtitles: English, Français, and Español (Bonus features excluded) ▪ Commentary by Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood ▪ Theatrical Trailer SUMMARY: The film is partitioned into four major sections. (1) "The Dawn of Man" (based on Arthur C. Clarke's short story of the same name)--After a leopard attacks a tribe of early herbivorous hominids, the group takes night's refuge in a rocky crater. They awaken to the presence of a frightening black monolith. The instinct of fear drives the Chief Man-Ape to improvise his resources; he turns a discarded bone into a weapon as a means of protection. Upon success of the bone's use as a tool, the hominids become slaves to innovation as a means of survival in the competition between tribes. (2) "TMA-1" [Fast-forward approximately 4-million years from Act I]--En route to Clavius Base, a U.S. outpost located on Earth's moon, Dr. Heywood R. Floyd stops for a layover on an Earth-orbiting space station (apparently, with the commercialization of space travel, Pan Am no longer offers direct flights). On the space station, Floyd meets up with two colleague scientists, Elena and Smyslov, each of whom expresses concerned curiosity over the rumor of an epidemic on Clavius Base; Floyd declines to comment on the situation. Once he reaches the Lunar outpost, Floyd reiterates the confidential nature of the supposed `epidemic'--a cover for the mission which unearths a deliberately planted black monolith (dating back 4-million years). The artifact-recovery team treats the finding of the "Tycho Magnetic Anomaly One" as an intriguing discovery, but is primarily ignorant of its importance... that is, until the TMA-1 begins to transmit a very strong and mysterious segment of radio signals.... (3) "Jupiter Mission" [18 months after Act II]--"Discovery One," a U.S. spacecraft piloted by Dr. David Bowman, Dr. Frank Poole, and the ship's artificially intelligent computer, the HAL 9000, is tasked to carry three cryogenically hibernated research scientists to Jupiter (presumably to investigate the source of the radio signals emitted by the black monolith found at Clavius Base). Dave and Frank appear to be `in-the-dark' concerning the objective of the Jupiter Mission, but distract from their ignorance of the mission's specifications by speculating on the extent of HAL's A.I. abilities; HAL insists he is perfect and incapable of error. While discussing the nature of the mission with Bowman, HAL quickly redirects attention to a glitch he has detected to affect the ship's main antenna. The astronauts determine that there is no malfunction with the part; their assessment is seconded when Mission Control reports that HAL's initial detection of `fault' was made in error. HAL, insistent that his system is immaculate, demands the `faulty' part be reinstalled so that he may prove the "human error" via impending malfunction. As Dave and Frank grow weary of HAL's "ego," they attempt to conceal their suspicions from HAL by holding conversation in one of the EVA pods--a place in which the ship's computer cannot detect sound. The astronauts proceed to replace the `faulty' unit, as per HAL's recommendation, but agree that if HAL is found in error, he must be disconnected; unbenounced to Bowman and Poole, HAL can "hear" their scheme by reading lips. In the process of replacing the `malfunctioning' unit, HAL disengages the oxygen hose to Poole's EVA pod. Bowman immediately sets out in the other pod to retrieve Poole, but during his absence, HAL terminates all life-support to the three cryogenically hibernated scientists. HAL then refuses to permit Dave to reenter the ship, stating that his intention to disconnect HAL is contrary to the interests of the mission. Dave's ability to manually enter the ship via the emergency airlock represents the separation between man and computer. As he makes his way into HAL's processor core, HAL attempts to defend his actions and change Bowman's mind by using psychology; HAL's pleas quickly turn from rational to emotional. While disconnecting the processor modules, HAL's voice is continuously heard--signifying his descent into death. Once the computer goes completely inert, a hidden video from Floyd comes on-screen, revealing the actual purpose of the Jupiter Mission: after uncovering the Moon's mysterious black monolith, it emitted a single, powerful radio signal directed at Jupiter... but has since remained completely dormant. (4) "Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite"--Dave, the only member of "Discovery One's" crew to make it to Jupiter, rendezvous with another black monolith in orbit about the planet. As he nears the monolith, he and his EVA pod are sucked into a `wormhole' of sorts that takes him on a high-speed journey through space and time. [The movie's final sequence of events is far better seen than described; every individual will interpret the ending scene differently.]

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...

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+

Film culte

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As a film, 2001: A Space Odyssey is simply spectacular. Ground-breaking barely seems a strong enough word for what Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick achieved. Between them, they completely broke the mould and, in my opinion, revolutionised the science-fiction genre in both literature and filmmaking. The influence of 2001 can be seen everywhere. So many of the science-fiction books, films and television series that followed owe something to this masterpiece. Even decades later, its scale, visual imagination and sheer ambition remain extraordinary. It is one of those rare films that didn't simply succeed within its genre; it helped redefine what the genre could be. I've seen 2001 many, many times over the years, mostly through television broadcasts and various home releases, so I obviously knew the film extremely well before buying this 4K UHD Blu-ray. What I wasn't quite prepared for was just how much the ultra-high-resolution presentation would add to the experience. The visual impact is genuinely stunning. The detail, clarity and sheer scale of the imagery give the film a renewed sense of presence. Kubrick's extraordinary compositions and the groundbreaking effects work benefit enormously from the 4K presentation. There were moments in a film I've watched countless times where I found myself simply staring at the screen and appreciating details and textures I'd never really noticed before. For a film so dependent on its visual language, seeing 2001 presented with this level of quality makes an already superb film even more impactful. It doesn't feel like watching an old science-fiction film that has been cleaned up for a modern television; it feels like being given the opportunity to properly appreciate the extraordinary craftsmanship that was there all along. If you're already a fan of 2001: A Space Odyssey and have the equipment to watch 4K UHD properly, this is an absolutely worthwhile upgrade. A cinematic masterpiece, presented in a way that reminds you just how far ahead of its time it really was.

This 4k remastering of this movie is a must have especially at the $25 price point. I first saw the movie when released in 1968. The 4k colours are fantastic and there is a blue Ray and DVD. The cassette it came in is also worth mentioning due to its top notch presentation.

Excelente Pelicula, calidad estandar en paquete, buena opción para colección Digital.