2001: A Space Odyssey

1968 • 148 minutes
4.5
3.26K reviews
92%
Tomatometer
G
Rating
Eligible
Watch in a web browser or on supported devices Learn More

About this movie

Stanley Kubrick redefined the limits of filmmaking in his classic science fiction masterpiece, a contemplation on the nature of humanity, 2001: A Space Odyssey. Stone Age Earth: In the presence of a mysterious black obelisk, pre-humans discover the use of tools--and weapons--violently taking first steps toward intelligence. 1999: On Earth's moon astronauts uncover another mysterious black obelisk. 2001: Between Earth and Jupiter, the spacecraft's intelligent computer makes a mistake that kills most of the human crew--then continues to kill to hide its error. Beyond Time: The sole survivor of the journey to Jupiter ascends to the next level of humanity.
Rating
G

Ratings and reviews

4.5
3.26K reviews
Eric Jensen
February 23, 2015
This movie starts out with a lot of cool concepts, but then diverges into an artistic interpretation of existentialism. Entirely subjective and not entertaining. Since the first part of the movie has narrative structure it feels like a tacked on ending meant to "make you think", but only reveals that the plot lacked the clarity needed to convey the idea.
David Lessnau (David A. Lessnau)
February 19, 2015
Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" is one of those movies everyone MUST see. Unfortunately, it's also one of those movies that are horrible. Usually, when people talk about the bad part of the movie, they talk about the LSD-trip of an ending. Unfortunately, there's more to it than that. First, the slightly positive aspect of the movie: most of it is actually pretty close to Arthur C. Clarke's book. The problem is that a book has the space to flesh out inner dialog and explain what's really going on, but a movie does not. So, even though the vast majority of the movie follows what happens in the book, the REASONS for what's happening get lost. Now, if you've read the book, you can watch most of the movie and understand what's supposed to be happening. But, without knowing the book, most of the movie is a mass of meaningless "art film" stuff that leaves you scratching your head and saying "what the heck is going on." Of course, on the other side of THAT equation is the fact that the book, itself, is mostly a Science Fiction expo instead of a Science Fiction story. So, no matter how you cut it, the plot is horribly weak.
40 people found this review helpful
Adam Davis
February 22, 2016
In 1968 this was probably the most spectacular thing to grace the screen. This movie has no plot. It has no story. It is long and boring. The same musical piece is played over and over. The stock footage with the trippy color scheme just dragged on for too long. I have watched a lot of Stanley Kubrick's films. They generally are a hit and miss. This misses it for me, and I think the reason is that it is too old now to be appreciated. It dated badly. The set pieces and props are fantastic, but that is all.