2001: A Space Odyssey (U)
Time Out says
A characteristically pessimistic account of human aspiration from Kubrick, this tripartite sci-fi look at civilisation's progress from prehistoric times (the apes learning to kill) to a visionary future (astronauts on a mission to Jupiter encountering superior life and rebirth in some sort of embryonic divine form) is beautiful, infuriatingly slow, and pretty half-baked. Quite how the general theme fits in with the central drama of the astronauts' battle with the arrogant computer HAL, who tries to take over their mission, is unclear; while the final farrago of light-show psychedelia is simply so much pap. Nevertheless, for all the essential coldness of Kubrick's vision, it demands attention as superior sci-fi, simply because it's more concerned with ideas than with Boy's Own-style pyrotechnics.Author: GA
Release details
Rated:
U
UK release:
1968
Duration:
141 mins
Cast and crew
Producer:
Screenwriter:
Arthur C Clarke, Stanley Kubrick
Director:
Cast:
Leonard Rossiter, Margaret Tyzack, Gary Lockwood, Keir Dullea, Robert Beatty, William Sylvester, Daniel Richter
Production Designer:
Harry Lange, Ernest Archer, Tony Masters
Cinematography:
Music:
Richard Strauss, Johann Strauss Jr, Aram Khachaturian
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