2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)

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2001: A Space Odyssey. Astronaut in space.
2001: A Space odyssey. HAL9000 eye.
Images: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
“Look, Dave, I can see you’re really upset about this.”

Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
Sci-Fi
2h 29minG$

If there has ever been a movie that deserves to be revisited, Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey is that movie.

I first saw 2001 on a CRT television when I was twelve, and after the blockbuster pacing established by Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and The Terminator, I simply could not adjust to 2001’s lingering shots of endless space travel. It takes a long time before the odyssey starts moving at light speed.

Consider the slow pace, factor in the long runtime, then add in a bunch of network television commercial breaks, and you can see why 2001 did not instantly click with tween me, regardless of how open my mind was to sci-fi and how obviously iconic those filmed images were—even on a tiny screen. But somehow I knew I was not done with Kubrick’s puzzle. I just wasn’t quite ready for it.

I’ve seen the movie many times since, several times projected in 70mm, and each time I had a different experience. 2001 doesn’t change, I do. Every decade that passes brings new perspective, understanding, and respect for the film.

It didn’t take long to reach a point where I was aware of the artistry on display, and I’m currently content with my personal interpretation of what it’s all about underneath the drama, humor, and trippy visuals. But who knows? When I see it again on the sixtieth anniversary maybe I’ll realize I knew nothing.

2001: A Space Odyssey has been around for fifty years now, and watching it with older eyes every ten years or so bookmarks the decades like the movie’s mysterious monoliths bookmark the stages of human evolution.

I’m curious to see who I will be next time I see 2001: A Space Odyssey.

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