The Masterpiece of Science-Fiction
It's taken me a while, but I've finall gotten around to see this movie. It is the ultimate science-fiction movie, its influence can be seen in literally every movie since then. It combines so many aspects of science-fiction, and the result is one of the most important movies ever made. It deals with everything from human nature, man vs. machine, evolution, space travel, extraterrestrial life and in the infinite void of space... and human capacity. This movie will confuse a lot of people, and they'll tell you they don't understand it. While it is confusing, one can understand it simply by thinking.
This is a hard movie to review, since the plot is complicated. The plot really doesn't get going until about 40 minutes in, and the real meat of the plot is even longer than that. It is Stanley Kubrick's vision of the year 2001, where space travel is as normal as taking a train or bus. In fact, there is a "picture phone booth" in the shuttle with a Bell logo on it. Most of the plot revolves around Dave Bowman and HAL, a computer program aboard the shuttle. These are some of the finest and astounding scenes in the history of cinema. It is man versus machine, but in a far more important sense than The Terminator or The Matrix. The ending sequence is brilliant, but only if you've been paying attention.
The music is beyond anything I was expecting. It is dramatic when we see the final revelation, and the sun peaking over the monolith. It is almost like a ballet recital when seeing the spaceships floating around the screen. And of course, it is ominous when a group of explorers approach the monolith. Sound is used quite effectively. Because of the vaccum in space, there is no sound. The only thing you hear is the steady breathing of the astronaut.
The movie brings you through a wide range of emotions. Awe, shock, excitement, fear, curiosity... the list goes on. As I said, the influences of this movie can be seen in just about all science-fiction movies. It dares to explore more than just the limits out of outer space, but the limits of humanity as well. This is what separates this from many other science-fiction movies. Stanley Kubrick has indeed created a masterpiece.