paper

Anna Clark
English 103
Video Evaluation

2001: A Space Odyssey
2001: A Space Odyssey was directed by Stanley Kubrick in 1968. The film is focused human evolution and the evolution of technology. The film has little dialogue and is filmed to take place in space. Because of the lack of dialogue, this film can be difficult to understand. This is done so viewers can use their own imagination to contemplate the meaning of the movie.
For the first several minutes of the film, it shows apes running around and interacting with one another. This is to symbolize the evolution of man. The first monolith appears in front of the apes and they all are hesitant about this large, tall, black, structure. The leader of the apes is the first to reach out and touch the structure. This is much like Adam and Eve eating the apple from the tree of knowledge. The ape touching the monolith is equivalent to Adam and Eve eating the apple. . Eventually, it shows an ape using a bone to smash the skull of an animal. This is the beginning of technology and the first form of technology displayed in the movie. The bone is thrown up into the air and the movie then jumps million of years and the bone dissolves into a satellite in space.
Once in space, in shows satellites orbiting around the earth. In the spaceship, it shows on of the passenger’s pen floating around. This is the next sign of technology. The movie continues on, and eventually HAL is born. HAL is a computer that is capable of almost everything a human brain is capable of. HAL expresses emotions just as a human would. HAL is the only “person” aware of the purpose of their mission to Jupiter. The other two astronauts on the spaceship are not aware of their mission.
HAL shows signs of concern about the mission, which is the first time HAL shows any signs of breaking down. Throughout the movie, more and more things happen that slowly show to imperfections of HAL. While the two astronauts are trying to talk in private without HAL hearing, HAL is able to read their lips and detect exactly what they are saying. The two men are talking about disconnecting HAL. While on of the astronauts was outside the spacecraft, HAL snaps his oxygen tube, thus murdering the man. The other living astronaut eventually disconnects HAL and kills him. The last spoken words in the film were spoken by HAL himself.
Once he kills HAL, he slowly starts aging and dying himself. This is to symbolize that he could not live without technology and the only way he was staying alive, was because of technology. Bowman eventually dies, but then is reborn as a space embryo. This child is reborn and travels through space without the help if technology.
This movie seemed very in depth and difficult to understand. It had many symbolic images of technology and how much humans rely on technology. I had to review many parts of the movie at least once in order to understand what Kubrick was trying to imply. I also was lost by the lack of dialogue in the film. I feel as if I would have understood the movie better if I were a little more aware of what was happening at each part.
However, The Internet Movie Database gave this movie 8.4 out of 10 stars. The movie reviewer said that it was one of the best if not the very best movie they had seen. They said that this movie had great special effects, and still to this day, over 40 years later, no movie has been made that has special effects like this. Another critic, Stephen Hunter said he was not fond of the movie. He said it was unrealistic and none of this ever actually happened in 2001.
2001: A Space Odyssey depicts the advancement in technology that our world has seen in the past millions of years. Some people are in awe of the film that Kubrick was able to create while others are simply not impressed by his work. Although it is not scientifically accurate, it shows how much the world of technology has improved.