Rewatch: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

★★★★★

There’s a case to be made that we are currently living through the golden age of science fiction cinema. I’d credit The Matrix as ushering in this golden age, with the likes of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Inception, Ex_Machina, Mad Max: Fury Road, and Everything Everywhere All at Once being just a few of the many films that shows the breadth and maturity of films being made in the genre today. This is in part thanks to the audience appetite for such stories, but also because it’s the genre that can best use the open-ended possibilities of cutting-edge film technology.

The state of science fiction today seems unfathomable without the visionary that was Stanley Kubrick. His epic 2001: A Space Odyssey not only revolutionised how films could be made but brought an uncompromising vision of what a science fiction film could be. Unlike the space operas that came after that wowed audiences, this film is not an easy watch. The first and last half hour has no dialogue at all, relying wholly on visuals and the score to convey the story. The imagery at the end is cryptic and left without explanation. I get why people find this film boring. I get why people think it’s a masterpiece. My opinion leans more towards the latter than the former, but I sympathise with those who may be bored or frustrated by it.

The film is the story of humanity’s journey from ape to the stars, guided by a mysterious intelligence. Somewhere in Africa some four million years ago, our ancestors come across a mysterious monolith, and by touching it have their cognitive abilities enhanced. Fast forward 4 million years to our species’ first forays into space and we discover a similar monolith on the moon. Cut to a manned voyage to Jupiter, with all life on board kept together by a powerful artificial intelligence. When it appears to malfunction, the human crew are left wondering whether they should entrust their lives to it.

In hindsight, it’s easy to point at 2001 as a landmark in sci-fi, but what really stands out about it is that there was nothing remotely like it preceding it. It eschews conventional storytelling, relying on the action onscreen to convey what’s going on. The techniques recall silent films, but I can’t think of any silent film that comes even close to using the medium in this way. Its narrative is most ambitious and grand, with few films before or after that even dare to try such an epic scope. The visuals being paired with some of the great works of music fits better than a bespoke score* ever could.

What 2001 does best is that it gives the audience the chance to think. In many ways, the film demands its audience think given the lack of explanatory narrative and its heavy use of symbolism. This means, like The Shining, people will bring their own interpretations, but to do that effectively means to engage with the material. It’s not a puzzle to be solved, but one to contemplate. For the kinds of questions the film raises – What does it mean to be human? What is our place in the universe? What is intelligent life? Is there life elsewhere in the universe? Can we transcend our earthy limitations? – it would be conceited on the part of the filmmakers to try to give answers. After all, these questions are perennial favourites of our species to debate because there are no readily satisfying answers for them.

The most impressive thing about the film is how well its effects hold up. Nothing looks clunky or hampered by the limitations of 1960s filmmaking. What dates it to its time are things like the clunky plastic controls of its futuristic technology. Kubrick’s reputation as a perfectionist may seem like damning with faint praise, but when his films hold up to scrutiny decades later, the reputation demonstrates his directorial prowess. If any film deserves being designated sui generis, it’s this one** as what came before it doesn’t come close to foreshadowing it it whereas what came after stands upon its shoulders.

If you liked 2001: A Space Odyssey, try: Interstellar, Contact, Sunshine

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* I do like the idea of a score by Pink Floyd.
** Being original, it didn’t even warrant a nomination for Best Picture.