Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey set a new standard for visual effects and single-handedly reinvented the science fiction genre. At the same time, it forced the film industry to take sci-fi seriously, elevating its status from cheap B-movies to mainstream cinema.
In Kubrick’s definitive biography, Kubrick: An Odyssey, there is a mention of how studio executive Lew Wasserman told Kubrick that spending over a million dollars on science-fiction films was an impossible thought—it was just something you don’t do.
No question, 2001: A Space Odyssey was wildly misunderstood at its release, but Kubrick’s probably still chuckling from the great beyond, with his film now hailed as a timeless sci-fi masterpiece.
Let’s analyze this cult classic Stanley Kubrick movie and understand why 2001: A Space Odyssey is a cinematic gem.
Story Analysis
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For those of you who have seen 2001: A Space Odyssey, you know this film is not everyone’s cup of tea.
According to Roger Ebert, who attended the LA premiere of the film in 1968 at the Pantages Theater, the first screening completely polarized the audience. Interestingly, many people, including actor Rock Hudson, even walked out in the middle of the film.
The film didn’t care to fulfill the audience’s expectations by giving them easy entertainment cues or even a clear narrative. At the same time, the constant ambiguity left the regular cinephiles restless. Overnight, Hollywood had passed its judgment that Kubrick, in his obsession with special effects and set pieces, had missed the mark on delivering a cohesive film.
But those who stayed to finish the movie knew what the others had missed.
2001: A Space Odyssey features a four-act structure, allegorically connected: the Dawn of Man, the lunar excavation, the Jupiter mission, and the transformation of astronaut Dave Bowman.
Kubrick collaborated with revered author Arthur C. Clarke and special-effects expert Douglas Trumbull for the narrative and world-building to imagine a world 50 years into the future and its space technology.
The narrative travels through time. In 2001, five astronauts and the sentient computer HAL 9000 set out to seek the origins of a mysterious alien monolith on the moon, influencing humanity’s evolution. As they approach the unknown, HAL displays strange behavior that leads to a tense showdown between man and machine, culminating in a final act often interpreted as an allegory for man’s place in the universe.
Roger Ebert called 2001 a silent film in many respects in his review. The dialogue is sparse, and the most important and emotional ones come from HAL, the computer, as it sings “Daisy” or pleads for its life before Dave.
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“Dave, Stop. Stop. Will you? Stop, Dave. Will you stop, Dave? Stop, Dave. I’m afraid. I am afraid, Dave.” HAL’s flat, monotonous, mechanical cry for mercy exudes helplessness, fear, and a sense of abandonment in ways that break my heart every time I rewatch the film.
In an interview with Joseph Gelmis (who later wrote the book, The Film Director as Superstar), Kubrick explained his process. When asked why "the computer" was more emotional than human beings in 2001, Kubrick said that one of the biggest reasons was that he considered HAL 9000, a sentient computer, the central character in the astronaut segment of the story.
“If HAL had been a human being, it would have been obvious to everyone that he had the best part, and was the most interesting character; he took all the initiatives, and all the problems related to and were caused by him,” Kubrick told Gelmis.
Visual Design and World Building
I can totally relate to the kick Kubrick must have felt conceptualizing a world 50 years ahead in the future for 2001: A Space Odyssey. A few years back, I worked on the core creative team for a political drama set in 2050, and let’s just say, playing a futurist is one hell of a thrill ride.
The film’s depiction of space travel, aircraft interiors, and space technology reflects the sincere research that went into it. Kubrick's decision to portray the monolith, the extraterrestrial creature, as a black, rectangular object was well-thought-out and rigorously researched.
Kubrick conceptualized everything in the 1960s, but the majority of his predictions about technology in the future and space travel, such as tablet computers, video calls, and teleconferences, have come true.
I sometimes stay awake at night thinking about HAL 9000, a voice-activated AI robot conceived by a filmmaker in the 1960s that features speech recognition, natural language processing, and facial recognition.
Almost 70 years later, we’ve evolved to live in a world foreseen by Kubrick.
'2001: A Space Odyssey' Credit: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Trumbull’s groundbreaking visual effects combined with Kubrick’s visual genius create an impressive future world that features realistic space models, zero-gravity sequences, and the famous “star gate” sequence—something that was quite unimaginable back in the ‘60s. In his review, Ebert said that the sequence on the moon looked as real as the actual video of the moon landing a year later.
Speaking to Gelmis, Kubrick revealed that he was very clear from the beginning that the monolith’s visual depiction needs to be “as mindboggling as the being itself.”
In Kubrick’s mind, the monolith was an extraterrestrial being beyond human imagination, “and that's one of the reasons we stayed away from the depiction of biological entities, aside from the fact that truly advanced beings would probably have shed the chrysalis of a biological form at one stage of their evolution,” Kubrick told Gelmis.
Themes and Interpretations
Kubrick intentionally left the film ambiguous and open to interpretation. As he said in his interview with Gelmis, “I didn’t have to try for ambiguity; it was inevitable,” something that he actually appreciated.
Kubrick believed that a film like 2001 couldn’t have a single interpretation, and a certain degree of ambiguity helps the cause in narratives like these “because it allows the audience to 'fill in’ the visual experience themselves.”
Although Kubrick said that “the film becomes anything the viewer sees in it,” he also said in his interview with Gelmis that the concept of God is at the heart of this film.
Overall, the film explores complex themes of human evolution and destiny. One of the most common interpretations of the final act is an allegory of human conception, death, and rebirth, symbolized by Bow’s journey through the “star gate” and his transformation into the “Star Child.”
To think of 2001 as a mere sci-fi movie is to underestimate its cinematic nuance. Kubrick doesn’t care about explaining his visual language to his viewers; instead, he makes a philosophical statement in the shadows of grandeur.
He doesn’t ask us to relate to Dave Bowman or form any connection with any other characters. The film clearly delivers its message, entrusting the rest to the audience’s intelligence.
If you’ve already watched the film, let us know your interpretation of Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.
