Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

I'm starting to sound like my grandfather these days. In a world of computer generated images, special effects, and 3D, I find myself saying more and more, "they don't make em' like they used to." Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey is a perfect example of classic filmmaking, and what you can do with a vision, a message, and no CGI.

Kubrick has remained and will forever remain one of the most revered filmmakers in history. As a good friend of mine always quotes, "In cinema history there is before Kubrick & after Kubrick." As each year passes and my tastes become more refined, I am slowly realizing how more and more true this statement is. Kubrick is nothing but a true auteur. And with 2001 he sets out to make an epic science fiction movie and exceeds beyond the cosmos. I believe 2001: A Space Odyssey is his biggest achievement in his career. He directed, produced, co-wrote, and did the special effects for the film, so it is his baby.

Story: Kubrick developed the screenplay with famed sci-fi author Arthur C. Clarke simultaneously with Clarke's book. The story does not aim low in its scope and in it's message about space, evolution, and mankind's thought. Kubrick & Clarke bring the idea of how man's thought evolved and formed, which was helped by alien intelligence. The opening sequence (The Dawn of Man) is one of the finest scenes in cinema with zero dialogue and only action bringing the story forward. The greatest achievement about Kubrick & Clarke is that they don't hold back on what they want to say about the world and about evolution. I find that some people don't enjoy 2001, but I believe that is mostly due to how intellectually challenging it is. There are no explosions, no aliens battles, just grand ideas about humankind and our place in this universe. I can't say many filmmakers have the balls or intelligence to try and tackle such an important & widened scope of our world, species, & our universe.

Directing: When you watch a Kubrick film you know you are watching a unique corner of the film industry. With every film he wanted to further filmmaking and expand the minds of his viewers, and he accomplishes this with 2001 (which is named the #1 sci-fi film of all time by AFI). The film has many images from space looking down on planet earth, but the astounding part is that at the time the film was made we had no idea what Earth truly looked liked. Kubrick seems to have taken an educated guess at what the Earth appeared to be, and got pretty close to the real thing. The way Kubrick chooses to shoot space, spaceships, and traveling through space has influenced any science fiction film after this. Star Wars definitely takes a page out of 2001's book for spaceship design & general space shots. That's when you know when you have one of the greatest films in the genre, because it influenced and continues to influence the genre of science fiction.

Over forty years later, Kubricks 2001: A Space Odyssey still astounds audiences & filmmakers all over the world. It remains a timeless classic in sci-fi, and in film history. Without using CGI or even blue screen you have some of the most realistic, and revolutionary, special effects in film (which one Kubrick his only Oscar in his career). I think 2001: A Space Odyssey will forever remain a classic, will make audiences expand their minds, and will astound filmmakers for decades and centuries to come. It is without a doubt, a crowning achievement in filmmaking and one of the many peaks of Stanley Kubrick's phenomenal career.