What 2001 Means to Us
–Bob Cram
I wasn’t ready for 2001: A Space Odyssey the first time I saw it. I was lucky to see it the way I did, though. The showing was an old movie theater. One of those late night showings of a classic. I think it was the original Alamo Drafthouse. Me and a few friends, a few beers, and a classic space movie. Barrel of laughs, right? Spoiler alert: It was not a barrel of laughs. 2001 cooked our 20-something year old noodles. We simply couldn’t wrap our heads around what the film was trying to say. Maybe it wasn’t trying to say anything. Maybe the meaning we were meant to find was within us, within our interpretations of it, found through the lenses of our own life experiences. Well, that was probably the problem right there. We were a bunch of young, dumb ass guys from a small town. We didn’t know anything.
I still don’t know much. But I know a little more than I knew back then. I’ve taken a few turns around the block on the old bicycle called life. It’s been a bumpy ride at times. I’ve even fallen off a couple times. (Maybe more than a couple, but who’s counting?) Skinned my knees, too. Then dusted myself off and got back on again. Now when I watch 2001, I don’t feel completely clueless. Those spins around the block have given me some experiences to draw, and I can relate those experiences to the characters, the story, and the themes–or what I think are the themes, anyway. That’s the beauty of a film like 2001: A Space Odyssey. It changes with you. It will probably mean something different to me when I’m 60. And if I’m still around, when I’m 80. (I hope I’m still around.)
–Dhalgren
Spiritual Sci-Fi
The first time I experienced 2001: A Space Odyssey was as a “stoner flick” in college. Huddled around the couch in a friend’s dorm with munchies galore and way more giggles than what the movie called for are not conditions that I would now refer to as ideal for experiencing this movie for the first time. Nevertheless, I was completely captivated by what I witnessed. My friends and I couldn’t exactly explain why the movie spoke to us so deeply, but we were all immeasurably moved by it.
Since then, I’ve revisited 2001 a few times over. All viewings leave the same sense of awe and wonder. I walk away reminded of the film’s power and resonance. My last two viewings – one home screening of the 4K Ultra HD disc and one at the Paris Theater in NYC – were particularly significant in their influence on me and my understanding of the movie.
Watching at home, I was reminded that the movie can be a bit of a “slog” to get through. The pacing is quite meticulous; almost meditative. The film is practically daring you to fully engage with it. However, when you do engage with it, the reward is something close to a religious or spiritual experience. The journey is an otherworldly trip into the cosmos, yet simultaneously an inward exploration into our own humanity and our deepest curiosities.
For me, the obvious reading was to see the mighty monolith serving as a stand in for what we would otherwise call something of a deity or god-like figure. Something through which all things are possible. An entity (or being) capable of creating life and death, illuminating the possibilities of technology and advancement, and of altering or expanding our consciousness.
In an era defined by overstimulation and hyper-paced media consumption, a film like 2001: A Space Odyssey is a reminder of the joys of slowing things down. Sitting with each intensely intentional scene of 2001 felt like a true gift; a mini moment of clarity. Up until the final moment of clarity, as the music (Also sprach Zarathustra) swells and the famed Star Child floats towards the Earth. The final form of rebirth. A signifier of all that is possible.
Beyond the Infinite
It’s hard to walk away without chills. But it’s also hard to walk away without at least some questions. What the heck did I just watch? What did any of that mean? How crazy does someone have to be to make this movie?
In the internet age, one can quickly turn to scour Reddit boards, YouTube videos, and Google search page after Google search page of people attempting to answer the question “2001: A Space Odyssey ending explained.”
However, there’s no real fun in trying to answer “what happened” definitively and certainly not by reading or hearing what some random person on the internet tries to make of the film’s ending. The fun is in pondering those questions on our own, or with our loved ones. Even further, the true fun is in embracing how 2001 makes you feel, rather than attempting to fully make logical sense of what you’ve watched.
We Are All The Star Child
While watching in theaters, I was reminded of the joys of communal viewing experiences. In a packed house full of film fans of all ages, everyone’s energy was infectious. The film read as funnier with a large crowd – scattered laughs at moments I would have never chuckled at if watching solo. However, the moments of high intensity were met with collective intrigue and appropriately timed “oohs” and “aahs” or gasps.
As part of the Paris Theater’s “Big & Loud” series last summer, aimed at highlighting the theater’s new sound system, 2001 was sure to dazzle on the big screen. And dazzle it did.
Before the screening, we were given an introduction to the series and the film by one of the theater’s curators. Although he was in a room full of serious film fans who probably didn’t need the reminder, he encouraged us to truly give ourselves over to the film and make sure all cell phones were turned off and put away. He reminded us that were all there to experience 2001 together and that we could reconnect with the outside world once we were done.
The reminder was great. I’ve always enjoyed the ritual of theater screenings, but I never got to practice the ritual with a movie as grandiose and masterful as 2001. It was truly the ideal way to watch the movie and I’m forever grateful to be fortunate enough to have that experience.
Hal’s World
One of the most fascinating elements of 2001 is its lack of a traditional protagonist character. However, it’s also hard to call it a movie with an ensemble cast. The film’s structure is unconventional (to say the least) when it comes to presenting the narrative.
With no lines of dialogue for the first and last 20ish minutes of the movie, 2001 at times reads like a silent film. However, even most silent films follow fairly standard and discernable plot progressions that don’t seem apparent here. Through chapters ranging from ‘The Dawn of Man’ to ‘The Jupiter Mission’, characters pop in and out of a story that at first seems only loosely connected, but over time become evident in their through lines.
But funnily enough, there is a standout character. He just so happens to be a highly advanced computing system that runs a space station. The HAL 9000 character is one of the most compelling characters in all of film and arguably the most human character in the entirety of the film.
The evils of AI technology are not presented as something that overwhelms and overtakes us. Rather it becomes so like us that it is capable of the same distinctly human flaws and shortcomings that have plagued humanity for so much of our history. What makes HAL so scary is not that he is an unimaginable technological advancement, but that he serves as a mirror for what we fear most about ourselves.
Legacy
It’s impossible to think of the world of movies without thinking of 2001: A Space Odyssey. It’s truly one of the most monumental films ever constructed. A masterful accomplishment in every conceivable facet.
It’s such a significant achievement that there are still so many things that I haven’t mentioned. I’ve gone this entire write up without even mentioning the name of the genius auteur responsible for gifting us this film (I may as well go the whole write-up without uttering his name at this point).
I never got around to mentioning how this movie was lightyears ahead of its time in terms of special effects. Or mentioning all of the films directly influenced by it (some great, many not so much). Same with the plethora of pop culture references to it.
No mention of how expertly composed each shot is. And I barely mentioned how beautiful its use of music is. Great pieces of classical music are widely known in modern society solely for their use in 2001. I even forgot to mention how much it got right about future technology and the intricacies of space travel.
I don’t believe it to be hyperbole to say that 2001: A Space Odyssey is one of the 3 or 4 most significant movies to ever exist. No movie is more worthy of a place in The Canon. It will continue to amaze and inspire as long as there are movies, and maybe even after they’re long gone.
Share your 2001: A Space Odyssey trivia or memories down in the comments below!
