2001: A Space Odyssey

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Jordan, Amberly

It's quite the jump from Apollo 18 to this. So good to watch on a big screen from the bluray. Still, I'd love to see a real 70mm print one day.

I always remember the Jupiter mission section of the film the best, as that section feels the most like a contemporary film. It has characters, dialogue, conflict, action, that sort of thing. It's always a surprise when it starts and I remember there's the whole dawn of man and the moon trip first. And with the roadshow overture, entr'acte and intermission (which we utilised) on the bluray you really feel the epic scope of the story that is told so impressionistically.

I have to admit, I always feel slightly fatigued by the end of that trippyness going beyond the infinite. It really does go on for what feels like forever.

The effects in this film are still stunning today. And I'm still creeped out by the silence in space, especially when HAL is going homicidal. There's something very eerie about so much of this. Always the feeling that something terrible or great is lurking just beneath the surface and you're not sure which but you have to be prepared for either.

When dealing with such huge concepts as this, I really appreciate the interpretive approach. It's like a Rorschach blot with an awesome soundtrack. I'm pretty sure that trailer explains more than the film ever does. This is a movie for special occasions. I usually can't watch it more than once a year or so, but I always love it when I do.

I wish we had a Hilton space station we could stay at now though. With awesome retro pink couches.