2001: Space Odyssey
Why is this one of the few movies that I can watch three times in a row and never get tired of it?
Sure, the first time I watched it, I almost fell asleep. God, it was boring with all the slow shots, the classical music, and a great deal of ‘nothing’ happening. This movie is not friendly to those with ADHD
Then I got to the end and something ‘clicked’ so I had to watch it again.
The second time through I actually understood the concept a little better. Sure, the whole movie is about evolution, how man evolved with his tools, and how the tools evolved with man. Then there’s alien obelisk and vortexes in time and space.
The third time through is when I stared analyzing (possibly over-analyzing) the movie and this is what I found:
The oblisks represent a ‘challenge’ for the human race that is needed to be overcome if they are to evolve to the next stage:
The first act with the monkeys is man overcoming the earth and becoming the dominant species by using ‘tools’ (the bone) to hunt and kill.
The second act is humanity overcoming space. Notice in this act that people are like infants in space: learning how to walk in zero gravity, eating baby food, even learning how to crap in space. Man finally overcomes space with the aid of his tools and uncover the monolith on the moon.
The third act with the infamous HAL is man overcoming his tools. Man is finally able to walk and function normally in space (hence the running and eating easily), but man’s tools evolved faster than man himself. However, man overcomes his advanced tools (HAL) with the aide of a simple screwdriver.
The fourth act (or ‘odyssey’) is man’s final challenge: Death.
After the acid-trip, the main character is aging rapidly. However, there are some very philosophical clues to the context of this act. Prime example: when he knocks over the glass of wine, the glass breaks, but the wine still exists. Does this represent the death of the body and the continuation of the soul? Before the character dies he sees the black obelisk and points to it, almost yearning for it. He dies and becomes a ‘star child’ which I guess is ‘the soul’. Man triumphs over death.
… I don’t know, maybe I AM over analyzing the whole movie… but that’s what is so great about it.
2001 is like life or even the Bible: It’s vague, but everyone can find their own meaning within it. That’s why it’s a masterpiece.
One Response to “2001: Space Odyssey”
wow never saw the movie and u think to much.
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