Monday 17 October 2016

2001 A Space Odyssey (1968) Review

(Figure 1) 2001: A Space Odyssey opening sequence [Still]
A review of the movie '2001 A Space Odyssey'(1968) (see fig1)

Produced by Stanley Kubrick(See fig2) in 1968 the film follows a man named "Dave" as he battles the AI aboard his ship, his crew dies and his mission is unclear, then the film becomes extremely avant-garde with twisted, colourful visuals reminiscent of a drug trip.


(Figure 2) Stanley Kubrick [Photograph]
Kubrick stood by his explanation of the film as being something everyone must interpret for themselves, nobody aside from Kubrick has the correct answer but that doesn't stop viewers from preaching their point of view.
Some even came away from the film thinking it was about homosexual relations, stating that HAL 9000(see fig3) was gay, Kubrick has addressed this statement saying that, in his mind "HAL was a 'Straight' Computer" but did not dismiss the idea.

(Figure 3) Hal 9000 [Image]

The simple fact that hundreds of fans are arguing over the sexuality of a computer within a movie speaks volumes for what the movie means to people, what it represents and the amount of weight it holds within the film industry.

Grossing approximately $190 million worldwide at the time of writing and $8.5 million on release, winning 9 awards including 3 Bafta's, the film is loved world-wide.

A sequel was created but fell short of expectations and thus only the original is mentioned when talking about Kubricks greatest movies.

Bibliography:
12 Facts about 2001: A Space Odyssey (2016) [Website article] http://mentalfloss.com/article/78437/12-out-world-facts-about-2001-space-odyssey [Accessed 17/10/16]2001: A Space Odyssey awards [Website Archive] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062622/awards [Accessed 17/10/16]
Stanley Kubrick Explains 2001: A Space Odyssey (2010) [Website article] 
http://kottke.org/10/11/kubrick-explains-2001 [Accessed 17/10/16]
Straight, Gay or Binary. [Website article] http://io9.gizmodo.com/5899656/straight-gay-or-binary-hal-comes-out-of-the-cybernetic-closet [Accessed 17/10/16]

Illustrations:
(Figure1) 2001: A Spacey Odyssey opening sequence [Still]
(Figure2) Stanely Kubrick [Photograph]
(Figure3) Hal 9000 [Image]

3 comments:

  1. Hi David,

    I feel with this review, that you could have gone into a bit more detail regarding the cinematography... apart from the reference to the 'twisted, colourful visuals reminiscent of a drug trip', you have not really discussed how the film looked or how the score was used to convey atmosphere; this is what should make up the bulk of your reviews. You are also asked to support your discussion with 3 quotes, don't forget...
    Have another look at the reference guide and the examples of previous students' reviews that Phil posted here - your bibliography needs a bit of love and attention!
    http://ucarochester-cgartsandanimation.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/fao-caa-yr-1-invisible-cities-2016_17.html

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    Replies
    1. right so focus more on the visual aspect of the films we review, ok i'll change my focus.

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  2. Hi David,

    I just want to echo what Jackie has said, there's a lot to be said of the audio and visual elements of 2001 - even before that trippy sequence at the end. Of course, don't be afraid of touching upon subjects like sexuality within film or any other meaning you see within them, but if you are going to, there's probably ways that you can link discussion of the visuals or sound design with them.

    For instance, There's a film you'll end up watching this year that's rife with psychosexual motifs and phallic shaped objects - a detail like this allows you to talk about the visual aspects and what meaning they convey.

    Either way, get stuck in with the discussion, it'll get clearer as you go on. And remember, if you feel at all stumped with this stuff then don't forget that you can still look at other reviews for inspiration.

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