November 1998

2001: A Space Odyssey
Reviewed by Doug Schneider
DVD Format

Overall Enjoyment:
Picture Quality:
Sound Quality:
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Starring Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood

Directed by Stanley Kubrick

Theatrical Release: 1968
DVD Release: 1998
Dolby Digital 5.1
Widescreen

2001: A Space Odyssey is director Stanley Kubrick's legendary science-fiction masterpiece. Released in 1968 to widely varying critical response, the film is considered a landmark for sci-fi films -- nothing before looked anywhere close to it, and only a handful of films that have followed have measured up or surpassed it. Thirty years later, 2001 more than holds its own and can still inspire viewers, even in this day of digital-effects madness. Thank goodness DVD has made 2001 so affordable that anyone can enjoy it.

Much has been written about 2001, and you can still find people looking for and attempting to explain the meaning in every scene. I think that at times writers Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick may sit back, laugh and take pride in creating a film as mysterious as the monolith they depict in it. Is 2001 intended to make some profound statement, or is it just something to relax with and enjoy? Hard to say.

2001 is not so much about any one thing because there is not really a plot that clips along from scene to scene. It begins with the "Dawn of Man" sequence, which attempts to re-create what primitive man may have been and how, upon learning to use a bone as a tool, human intelligence may have begun. From "Dawn of Man" we are transported to the future where man now travels freely in space. The jump-cut transition is wonderful -- and historic --and the images of floating space stations, ships flying by and planets in the distance gives us a real sense of being in space. I can imagine that during the ‘60s, when 2001 was released, the sense of awe and wonderment were astounding. No film up to that point had depicted space travel with such realism. Today, even after countless movies recreating similar scenes and even having real footage of landings on the moon and on Mars, 2001 is still impressive.

Once in space we are lead to the spaceship Discovery, on a secret mission to Jupiter. It is here that any semblance of a story takes place, with the now-famous HAL 9000 computer (H+1, A+1, L+1 = IBM) getting a little too smart for its own good. HAL successfully dehumanizes the ship while the lone human left, Bowman, does his best to battle and defuse it before it takes him out too. After man creates the perfect thinking machine, that machine sees man as being in the way and jeopardizing its mission.

Looking at modern-day computers, I'm astonished that the computers shown in 2001 do not look cheesy or dated in any serious way. To their credit, the set designers did not use an abundance of flashing lights, whirling tapes and punch cards like we see in so many sci-fi movies. Even today, many current movies don't even get current computers right! HAL's CPU room may be a little big for what he has to do, especially given the microprocessors of today, but its red color and wall full of slowly popping adapter cards certainly still looks cool.

After HAL's episode, we are lead through Bowman's final discovery on Jupiter. Frankly, it's nearly impossible to include any plot spoilers when talking about the final sequences of 2001. People who see it, even a few times, still don't know what to make of it. What does it mean exactly? Watch it and decide for yourself.

2001 is a visual and sonic experience -- more or less an opera on the screen. The blending of images and movement with a rousing classical score is inspiring. Great movies like Star Wars and Alien owe plenty to 2001: it set a standard for film effects and what could be done in the science-fiction realm. 2001 was made some 30 years ago when special effects were created in real space using models and sets, and not in "computer space," as many are today. The images that Kubrick, and subsequently Lucas, Spielberg and Scott, created are stunning by any standard. Many of today's effects artists should look to films like these -- miniature models, filmed properly, can look a lot more impressive than the sometimes awkward digital effects that we're seeing now. Even movies with state-of-the-art effects, like Cameron's Titanic, display an awkwardness of motion at times because many digital renderings don't seem to have a proper sense of body, weight and movement. Many effects, particularly in this summer's overblown mess Armageddon, look more cartoonish than real.

The DVD is very detailed with excellent contrast and color. There was one bit of digital trouble that took place during the opening sequences around the "Dawn of Man" phase. Kubrick uses fades from dark to open the scenes, and these result in an odd, grainy appearance through my Kenwood DVD player. The projected film certainly didn't look like that and it would be interesting to find out how other players render it. The film print that was used is well preserved except for one nasty flaw close to the one-hour mark. Luckily this only lasts a second (sort of like a bad pop on your favorite LP) and the rest happily clips along with only the odd frame scuff here and there. I'm guessing, however, that a better transfer is possible given the quality of the original cinematography -- and that I saw the film in the theater some years ago. I kept thinking that perhaps a touch more care would have brought out a bit more vibrancy. And if there is a completely flawless print stored safely away somewhere, it would be nice to see it used.

The music in 2001 is as legendary as the film itself and will be known to those who haven't even seen the film yet.. However, the sound of the DVD is not quite up to quality of the music, the video transfer, or the film itself. Don't get me wrong -- it's good and the creators have gone and made a new 5.1 soundtrack, but it's simply not great. Whereas the look of the film and the quality of the visual image, particularly the special effects, hold their own to this day, the actual recording, while sufficient, doesn't quite measure up to the best offered today.

The DVD extras included with and on the disc are OK at best. There is an eight-page printed booklet touted as production notes, but it’s really nothing more than a few scarce paragraphs -- some interesting stuff, but it pales to much that is written about the film elsewhere. Also included is what the creators call an interview, but it is really a 20-minute press conference with author Arthur C. Clarke done in the late ‘60s, just before the release of the film. This part is the most interesting, mainly for hearing a point of view from that time period. Of course, there is also the obligatory theatrical trailer, not only from 2001, but from 2010 as a well.

I'm glad to say that the team behind 2001 did not screw it up. I believe, however, that they could have made an even better DVD. Perhaps in the future we'll see a special issue, likely at a much higher price, from a company like Criterion who may squeak a little more resolution out of the film, make an improvement to the sound and may elect to include some really interesting extras. For now, this copy of 2001 will suffice and is worth every one of its 20 or so asking dollars. This is a classic film that marked an era in time and set the standard for sci-fi films that followed. While some may argue whether or not this is the best science-fiction film ever made, few will deny that it is one of them. 2001 is not the type of film you rent -- it's one you own.

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