16 - 2001: A Space Odyssey - 3 stars
Am sure to ruffle a few feather with this review but I didn't really think too highly of 2001.
I mean artistically there is no denying that it is a stunning film to look at and listen to. Kubrick has clearly spent a lot of time making sure that every shot and every frame looks perfect.
Apart from being nice to look at, I found the film rather boring to endure. I expect this is what a date with Paris Hilton would be like... bazinga!
The entire film comes across like a piece of abstract art in that there are no definitive answers and everyone who watches it might take away a different intrepretation.
But unfortunately for this film I was like HAL 9000 and developed no real emotional attachment to the story or the characters.
There is very little character development (practically zero in the first two segments of the story) which didn't help me to invest in the film. HAL gets more backstory than the likes of Dave does!
My friend told me that I wasn't high enough when watching it to enjoy it but that shouldn't be a factor but it might have explained the state of mind of Kubrick et all when filming the final sequence which is very trippy and ends with a giant baby version of Dave floating in space!
Days remaining - 19 Films remaining - 18
Thank god - someone else brave enough to stand up and say it. Admitting that, story-wise, 2001 is about as interesting as a Jacob's cream cracker doesn't earn you brownie points with most (self proclaimed) film buffs but I'm right with you.
ReplyDeleteVisually stunning yes, but truly great cinema needs more.