We begin with the "Dawn of Man," as the credits helpfully tell us. The pre-human monkey people are having a rough time of it, until a large black monolith appears and tells the apparently stupid monkey people how to use a femur as a club. Now, the monkey people can smash things.
We cut to the future, or what was then the future, the year 2001. Man has colonized the moon, despite the fact that there's nothing there worth the effort. A mysterious black monolith is discovered buried beneath the lunar surface. It sends a radio blast to Jupiter. Why? To find out, a crew of astronauts are dispatched to our biggest planet.
They are Dave (Keir Dullea), Frank (Gary Lockwood), and a few others in frozen hibernation. Their spacecraft is controlled by Hal, an "infallible" talking computer. Curiously, Dave and Frank have less emotional range than Hal, who becomes anxious about the pending mission at Jupiter.
How others will see it. 2001: A Space Odyssey opened to mixed reviews. It was widely praised for its 'look', but its slow pacing and confusing plot alienated many critics ... and viewers. Even today, many who see the film for the first time respond with, "What the hell was that?"
Fortunately, Arthur C. Clarke, who co-wrote the screenplay, wrote a book version of the film that allowed the head-scratchers among us to make sense of it all. And it didn't take long for most cinephiles to claim that the movie was not only beautiful to look at, but was great cinema, as well.
After a shaky start, the film did well at the box office, and turned a profit despite its considerable cost. It was nominated for four Oscars, including two in the major categories of Best Screenplay and Best Director. It won for its visual effects, an Oscar that went to Kubrick but should instead have gone to Douglas Trumbull.
Today, the user ratings at imdb.com are extremely high among men. However, there is a noticeable drop among female viewers as they age. Women under 18, under 30, under 45, and over 45 respectively rate the film an 8.7, 7.9, 7.5, and 6.7 out of 10. The lower ratings for older females may have to do with the lack of leading female roles, but more likely, the absence of a clear plot.
How I felt about it. It is a beautiful movie to look at. This may be its strongest suit, even more than its originality and sheer audacity. The most obvious complaint one can make is that space stations and ships, due to their huge cost, are going to be claustrophobic, with small rooms and narrow passageways. They will not resemble the lobbies of four star hotels.
Now for the alleged problems with the film: the glacial pacing, and the unfathomable plot. I've read the book. Thirty years ago, admittedly, but I did read it. Also, I've seen the film several times. So, I understand it. Except the part where Hal loses it. He must really, really be afraid of what awaits at Jupiter. But the thing is, no one knows what awaits there, not even Hal. He could be afraid of nothing. There's no reason to pull a Ted Bundy on the crew.
Now, about that slow pacing. I'm fine with it, partly because the movie is so engrossing to look at, but mostly because the pacing establishes atmosphere. And atmosphere, rather than activity, may be what great cinema is all about.