2001: A Space Odyssey was on

[wonderwes]

Ok I have never watched this film in its entirety. It was on TCM last night and I watched the 2nd half. I am wondering if I could get a quick OOT summary on what happens with this movie.

So the HAL 9000 went nuts because he knew the truth right? Hence why he tried to kill the crew. About the monolyth? which has existed since the begining of the earth? What is it anyways? Somehow that ties with the existence of the human race? So explain the last 20 min of the film with the lights, the room, and then the ending. I bet its simple, but I am looking for the quick answer.

I also saw the sequel 2010 (also only saw the 2nd half of the film). That was an interesting sequel, certainly directed by a different guy.

[diebitter]

Watch it all the way through, then ask.

[MelK]

The space stuff is filler.

Just concentrate on what the apes are doing in their scenes.

[Mason Hellmuth]

[ QUOTE ]
The space stuff is filler.

Just concentrate on what the apes are doing in their scenes.

[/ QUOTE ]
This is the most brilliant summary of 2001 in history.

An anecdote to give this post some value: 2001 did not win an Oscar for "Best Makeup" because the judges couldn't believe the apes were human actors.

[miajag81]

HAL did not "go nuts" or know anything more about the monolith than the humans did. He killed or tried to kill the humans because he saw them as presenting a risk to the successful completion of the mission to Jupiter, which could easily be accomplished without human presence. His programming told him to complete the mission by whatever means necessary.

IMO the whole point of the film is to show how much humans depend on the tools they have created to make their lives easier. In the beginning we witness the apes becoming more powerful than the other animals through the discovery of tools (the bone). Flash forward 2 million years to see the descendants of that first tool (the spaceship and HAL) becoming more powerful than the humans that created them.

[samjjones]

The monolith is an alien construct that was placed on Earth to "jumpstart" mankind's evolution. Notice that the starving man-apes did not use the bones as weapons/tools until the monolith appeared amongst them. Once they touched the monolith, that particular group of man-apes "discovered" that they could hold bones and use them as weapons to kill live animals. As suddenly as it appeared, the monolith disappears, and then the "intelligent" man-apes kill a member of the other tribe of man-apes, and go on to become the forefathers of modern man. I think this is trying to say that the aliens provided mankind with the tools, but mankind decided to use the tools for violence. This point is made later when HAL, built by man, decides to kill the crew onboard.

HAL definitely knew the purpose of the Jupiter mission. In fact, HAL's last act is to play a video of Dr. Floyd to Dave explaining the mission. HAL has become sentient, and decides to kill Dave and the others in order to continue the mission. Despite being locked out of the ship by HAL, Dave is able to use his human ingenuity to figure out a way to get back into the ship. This proves that mankind is no longer reliant on the tools that he has built, and is ready for the next step in evolution.

Having been briefed on the true nature of the mission to Jupiter, Dave is now ready to make contact with the aliens. The lightshow is Dave being transported across the universe/to another dimension by the monolith, and at the end of his journey he is placed into familiar surroundings (the hotel room) while he is observed by the aliens. Dave lives in that room for the rest of his natural life. On his deathbed, the monolith appears again, Dave's body dies, and Dave is reborn as the starchild, which is the next step in mankind's evolution. The starchild then travels back through the monolith and goes back to Earth, cue credits.

[hoyaboy1]

I liked the cinematography. But other than that I found the movie to be a pretentious pile of steaming [censored]. Way too long, with a very simple point that tried to masquerade as deep meaning.

[ QUOTE ]
I found the movie to be a pretentious pile of steaming [censored]. with a very simple point that tried to masquerade as deep meaning.

[/ QUOTE ]

And miraculously, here you are 37 years after its inception, posting about it on an internet poker forum.

It seems to me like you loved it, but don't know why you loved it. /images/graemlins/smirk.gif

I love the scene with the wheel that rotates around and the dude is walking while someone laying in bed appears to be upside down or vice versa... amazing. I loved Kubrick and I'm sad he died a few years back. I think he was the best artistic director of our time.

BTW, does anyone like "Eyes Wide Shut"? I heard it sucked so bad but I watched it and really liked it. I watch it every time I have the opportunity. The orgy scene didn't hurt either. Kubrick is the Jimmy Page of directors.

[fnurt]

This is a phenomenal movie to catch on IMAX, by the way.

[Sooga]

The thing that's impressed me the most about Kubrick is not simply his directing skill, but that he tried his hand with virtually every type of movie genre out there, and succeeded... He's done:

Comedy (Dr. Strangelove)
Horror (The Shining)
Sci-Fi (2001)
War (Full Metal Jacket)
Historical (Barry Lyndon)

and of course that list doesn't even include Clockwork Orange, Lolita, and Eyes Wide Shut.

Yeah he was awesome. I wish he did more movies.

[ QUOTE ]
The thing that's impressed me the most about Kubrick is not simply his directing skill, but that he tried his hand with virtually every type of movie genre out there, and succeeded... He's done:

Comedy (Dr. Strangelove)
Horror (The Shining)
Sci-Fi (2001)
War (Full Metal Jacket)
Historical (Barry Lyndon)

and of course that list doesn't even include Clockwork Orange, Lolita, and Eyes Wide Shut.

[/ QUOTE ]
Clockwork Orange for Drama, by far, not to mention it was a superb social commentary that is timeless. I can't even tell you how disappointed I am I missed 2001. Right after I watched it, I thought it was decent. But now, I need to catch it again. It's a genius movie, it just takes a few watchings to truly understand. Case in point: Roger Ebert hated this movie when it came out, and now, it's on his Top 10 of All-Time list.

[Sooga]

Yea, I didn't bother putting clockwork orange as drama, since that, lolita, and eyes wide shut were all dramas. But they were all very good. Curiously enough, I didn't enjoy Clockwork Orange nearly as much as other people.

Yes, I've talked to others who didn't love it like I do. That might be because it is really intense, and I know the first time I saw it, I was shocked. It's really a great movie though.

[Sooga]

Oh, and I'm not sure where you read that Ebert hated 2001 the first time he saw it.... in fact, according to his own review (http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F19970327%2FREVIEWS08%2F401010362%2F 1023), it seemed like he thought it was a masterpiece from the first screening.

Ah, my fault, got him confused with Stephen Hunter from the Washington Post, who wrote, according to Rotten Tomatoes:

"Now, seen in the actual 2001, it's less a visionary masterpiece than a crackpot Looney Tune, pretentious, abysmally slow, amateurishly acted and, above all, wrong."

Err, I think he missed the point.

[someday]

long story short- its all about evolution.

ape- man - technoligically advanced man- to the next evolutional stage, referred to by some as starchild.

the black monoliths are markers along the journey,
placed by a "higher intelligence".
the first one kick started that journey.