2001 (1968)

I finally watched this classic and it lived up to the  hype. The movie is essential 4 different videos:

1. man-apes discover domestication and tools (anthropological recreation)
   
2. trip to the moon lounge (dry comedy)
   
3. Hitchcockian 'killer computer' scenario
   
4. full-bore acid trip finale
   

Each part is somewhat boring but so gorgeously shot that you can lost yourself in the visual feast. The special effects are the best I've ever seen, great model ships, great ape acting and costumes and great astro-psychedelic imagery. One reason for the great space effects is that Kubrick went to the National Film Board of Canada and got the man who did the effects for 'Universe' (1960).


How to watch it: Watch each of the four parts separately, don't rush it. The first and the last sequences are the true stand-outs. There was a constant sound of oxygen hissing out in the third sequence that drove me crazy so I replaced it with my own music and the movie didn't suffer.

Double-feature: Either Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) or The Black Hole (1980) and just sit back and enjoy the great space-ship models. Watch them in parts like 2001 so you can just bask in the gothic beauty of outer space without feeling impatient.


The Black Hole (1980)


Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)


2001 (1968)