Mad Reviews - 2001: A Space Odyssey (Reprise)

Boy did I ever fuck up with this one...

Welcome back, everyone! I know I've been absent from reviewing for over half a year. I apologize for that as I've been making changes in my personal life and moving forward with my other ambitions... Such as music, being awesome, etc. But now, I'm back, baby!

Alright, so as you know, my first review on this blog was of the Stanley Kubrick sci-fi classic 2001: A Space Odyssey. Feel free to read it in the following link before moving forward:

http://madmikeofmetal.blogspot.ca/2014/04/mad-reviews-2001-space-odyssey.html

As you can see, that review was very mixed. To be honest, I wasn't too impressed with this movie when I saw it for the first time, and my review reflected that greatly. But now, after watching it a few more times, all I have to say is this: I fucked up.

Yes, I know it's hard for a fucking egotistical prick such as myself to admit it... But it's true. I fucked up, I shit the bed, I missed the mark, I screwed the pooch, I dun goofed. This movie is absolutely brilliant, and I'm glad I managed to give it another chance. Mr. Kubrick, wherever you are, I have to say I'm sorry for that last review. I hope I can make up for it on this one. 

So where do I start? Well, where the movie starts, I guess... The opening shot is gorgeous, beautifully depicting a crescent Earth rising above the moon, followed by the sun rising above Earth. This shot is played along to the sounds of Richard Strauss's Also Sprach Zarathustra, which has now become synonymous with the film. Fuck it, I'll just post it here because my words can't describe it:

Simply epic

Yeah, brilliant eh? This opening sets the tone and lets you know that you'll be in for what can only be described as a visual symphony. 

That's where I missed the mark entirely in the previous review. I was overly critical over the lack of character development, the wooden acting, lack of story, and the film's over-reliance on visuals. Well, I now realize that's the whole point! It's not supposed to tell a specific story, it's not supposed to be some in-depth character study of Hal or Dr. Bowman, and it's not supposed to be full of expositional dialogue. 2001 is meant to be an out of body experience, it takes you on a long journey through space, time, and music. As stated before, it moves along like a symphony... And just like a symphony, you're meant to sit down and take everything in. You listen to every note, every passage, every movement... And at the end of it all, you interpret it on your own.

Ok, enough of that.. Where else did I fuck up? Oh yeah... In the last review I talked about how the pacing is needlessly slow. Well, looking at it again, I have to say that I liked the film's slow pace. It adds to overall eerie and mysterious tone of the movie, and it allows you to soak all the visuals in. Plus, space travel is slow as fuck, so it only makes sense that a movie about space travel would be slow-paced as well. 

As for the lack of character development, I messed up there too. I thought this whole movie was supposed to be about the struggles of the human characters as well as the man apes, not even realizing that the main character of this movie is the monolith itself! This monolith is meant be an alien being, there to help the advancement of mankind at every stage of its evolution... Seriously, that flew over my head the first time.

I also went on about how the ending was just some contrived bullshit.. Well, I was wrong there too. As stated before, this movie is a journey. It's taking you on yet another journey as the monolith splits the fabric of space and time. We see terrifically drawn up visuals, spliced in with still shots of Dr. Bowman's terrified face, inverted color shots of canyons and lakes, and what can only be described as space jizz. We're then transported to a hotel room, where we see Dr. Bowman grow older and older to the point of death. He is then reborn as humanity's next stage of evolution: The Starchild. At least that's how I interpret it now...

As for Hal, well... He's an even better villain after a few viewings! He's a technically perfect being, incapable of error. Which goes to show just how cold and calculating he is when he kills everyone on board and leaves Bowman out in the dust. From Hal's point of view, he didn't make a mistake, he was simply doing what was best for the mission itself. Unfortunately, it got everyone killed and turned Bowman into a space loner.

Now I'm not going to touch on the genius of the Dawn of Man sequence as I've already thouched on that in my previous review. With this review, I'm basically asking myself: How did this film go over my head the first time?

To answer that question, I have to turn to none other than Stanley Kubrick himself. 

This is a director who makes very unique movies. All of them require multiple viewings before they can truly be appreciated. Heck, I didn't really like Dr. Strangelove until I saw it a few times, and now it's one of my favourite comedies and still my favourite Kubrick movie! I also didn't fully appreciate A Clockwork Orange or Full Metal Jacket the first time I watched them either. Same goes for 2001 now, and it's safe to say that I have converted. 2001: A Space Odyssey is every bit the sci-fi masterpiece it's built up to be, and one of the most distinct and unique films ever made. It's full of awe, wonder, great visuals and an antagonist for the ages. I love it now, and I'm so happy I've come to fully appreciate it. 

5 stars out of 5. 

And now to get this review blog up and running again. Welcome back! See you in my next review as I'll be tackling another classic film... This time directed by Martin Scorsese. Until then, here's the ending to 2001:

 

- Mad Mike of Metal