My God, it’s full of stars. In at number 6, we find the tar child that is Stanley Kubrick’s Sci-Fi masterpiece, 2001: a Space Odyssey. Inspired by the works of Arthur C. Clarke, the film starts in the prehistoric era Africa, where a tribe of hominids are driven from their water source by another tribe. They soon encounter a large black alien monolith which inspires them to develop the uses of primitive tools and weapons which leads to them driving the other tribe away. Cutting to the future, in one of the most iconic shots in film history, we are introduced to Dr. Heywood Floyd who is travelling to a base on the moon named Clavius. He discusses with fellow scientists about the lack of contact, and how it is not an epidemic. Upon reaching the base, he discusses with the staff the need for absolute secrecy, as the mission relates to a newly discovered artefact, found in the Tycho crater. It is another monolith, exactly the same as the one the hominids encountered. When it reflects the suns light, it emits a radio signal of significant power.
We step forward again, this time eighteen months on, where the Discovery One spacecraft is travelling to Jupiter. Aboard are scientists Dave Bowman and Frank Poole, along with three further scientists who are currently in suspended animation. The ship is run primarily by the onboard computer HAL-9000, who interacts with the crew. He advises of an issue with an antenna device, which when checked shows no sign of issue. after receiving reports from control that indicate that their computer is incorrect, Dave and Frank talk in an escape pod, away from HAL’s audio sensors, however he lip reads their talk and plans to disconnect him. When on a space walk to replace the antenna unit, Hal activates the EVA and severs Frank’s air supply letting him drift off into space and promptly terminates the life support for the sleeping scientists. Dave rushes out to recover Frank’s body, but HAL refuses to let him back into the ship as by deactivating HAL will jeopardise the mission. Dave gets back in through an emergency airlock and proceeds with his intent to disconnect HAL. What follows is one of the most surreal and difficult to explain moments in Sci-Fi…
2001 is one of most often cited and written about Sci-Fi films of all time. With its leaning on a multitude of themes and many possible interpretations to it’s ending, your mind can occasionally be overwhelmed with everything that it throws at you, but what a way to blow your mind! Famed for it’s accuracy of space travel and it’s special effects at the time, it is a cinematic visual delight. The use of classical music rather than a conventional soundtrack is another inspired choice of Kubrick’s. Again, when you here that certain piece, you are at times transported to scenes from the film. The casting is great as well. Keir Dullea is great as Bowman, but the star as it were is Douglas Rain as the voice of HAL-9000. It is calming yet also has a wonderful sinister edge when he finds out the plans of Bowman and Poole to disconnect him. It is similarly eerie when he is being deactivated.
2001 would divide opinion upon release, whilst some praised it’s visionary approach, other derided it for being overlong, boring, and at points being too clever for it’s own good. But with time, those who doubted it, came to see how awesome and outstanding it was. Rightly praised as one of the greatest films of all time, it is a film for any Sci-Fi fan to indulge in. There would be a sequel, 2010: The Year We Make Contact, which came out in 1984, which follows the attempts to find out what went wrong with the original mission. A vastly underrated film in it’s own right, it is a great companion piece to follow 2001, and well worth your time. So, if you fancy an epic voyage through time and space, and a film that raises questions that are still being asked today, this is the movie for you.
Our next instalment takes us into the top 5, with a film that upon release would be the birth of the Summer Blockbuster and instil a fear in people who loved water…
Dan Dared 