In 2001 director Stanley Kubrick depicts several of mankind's encounters with never-seen aliens. The first act, entitled "The Dawn of Man" shows primitive man-apes discovering the first tool, a bone which also becomes the first weapon. When the bone is thrown up in the air it is transformed into a similar shaped satellite orbiting Earth, thus the movie abruptly fast forwards to the second act concerning space travel. However, be aware that the space object is also a weapon.
A lunar landing craft heads for Moon base Clavius, then a moonbus takes scientists to an excavation where an alien object, the monolithic TMA-1, was buried four million years earlier. When the monolith is touched, it emits a high-pitched squeal through radio receivers.
Act 3 starts with the title card, "Jupiter Mission: Eighteen Months Later". Astronauts Dave Bowman (Keir Dullea) and Frank Poole (Gary Lockwood) are aboard the spaceship Discovery 1 with three scientists suspended in cryogenic hibernation. Various scenes are shown of the crew's boring life in space. The HAL 9000 computer is introduced and interviewed by the BBC.
HAL detects a faulty "AE-35 unit" which would disrupt the ship's communication system. Intermission time, after which Frank goes outside Discovery 1 for repairs, but is murdered by HAL, which also kills the three hibernating scientists. When Dave exits the ship, HAL refuses to allow him back in, although he eventually manages to gain entry and disconnect the homicidal computer.
Dave: "Hello, HAL do you read me, HAL?"
HAL: "Affirmative, Dave, I read you."
Dave: "Open the pod bay doors, HAL."
HAL: "I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that."
Dave: "What's the problem?"
HAL: "I think you know what the problem is just as well as I do."
Dave: "What are you talking about, HAL?"
HAL: "This mission is too important for me to allow you to jeopardize it."
Dave: "I don't know what you're talking about, HAL."
HAL: "I know you and Frank were planning to disconnect me, and I'm afraid that's something I cannot allow to happen."
Dave: "All right, HAL. I'll go in through the emergency airlock."
HAL: "Without your space helmet, Dave, you're going to find that rather difficult."
Dave: "HAL, I won't argue with you anymore. Open the doors!"
HAL: "Dave, this conversation can serve no purpose anymore. Goodbye."
Dave Bowman watches a TV monitor with a pre-recorded message: "Good day, gentlemen. This is a pre-recorded briefing made prior to your departure and which for security reasons of the highest importance has been known on board during the mission only by your HAL 9000 computer. Now that you are in Jupiter's space and the entire crew is revived it can be told to you. Eighteen months ago the first evidence of intelligent life off the Earth was discovered. It was buried 40 feel below the lunar surface near the crater Tycho. Except for a single very powerful radio emission aimed at Jupiter the four million year old black monolith has remained completely inert. It's origin and purpose are still a total mystery."
The final act, entitled "Jupiter, and Beyond the Infinite" begins with a third monolith orbiting Jupiter and Discovery 1 entering the Jupiter system and soon rendezvousing with the artifact. Dave exits Discovery 1 in an EVA pod and experiences a psychedelic tunnel of light and sound, the famous "Star Gate" sequence. After passing over alien landscape, Dave arrives alone in a white room with Louis XIV furniture. He ages rapidly, then is transformed into a fetus "Star Child" floating in space.
Based on Arthur C. Clarke's short story, "The Sentinel", 2001 is a unique masterpiece, a classic sci-fi epic that elevated the genre to a very respectable level. The set design, costumes, cinematography, and special effects create a visually stunning film. 2001 won an Academy Award for Best Special Effects. Critically acclaimed, it is confusing to many because of its cryptic, obscure symbolism. It is ponderous, ambiguous, artsy, and a one-of-a-kind curiosity.
Also in the cast are: William Sylvester (Dr. Heywood R. Floyd), Daniel Richter (moon-watcher), Leonard Rossiter (Dr. Andre Smyslov), Margaret Tyzack (Elena), Robert Beatty (Dr. Ralph Halvorsen), Sean Sullivan (Dr. Bill Michaels), Bill Weston (astronaut), Ed Bishop (Aries-1B Lunar shuttle captain), Glenn Beck (astronaut), Alan Gifford (Mr. Poole), Ann Gillis (Mrs. Poole), Edwina Carroll (stewardess), Heather Downham (stewardess), Mike Lovell (Astronaut), Martin Amor (interviewer), John Clifford (TMA-1 Site technician), Kenneth Kendall (BBC-12 announcer), Vivian Kubrick (Squirt), Irena Marr (Russian scientist), Krystyna Marr (Russian scientist), John Swindells (TMA-1 site technician), Burnell Tucker (TMA-1 site photographer), and others. The apes are: John Ashley, Jimmy Bell, David Charkham, Simon Davis, Jonathan Daw, Peter Delmar, Terry Duggan, David Fleetwood, Danny Grover, Brian Hawley, David Hines, Tony Jackson, John Jordan, Scott MacKee, Laurence Marchant, Darryl Paes, Joe Refalo, Andy Wallace, Bob Wilyman, and Richard Woods (ape killed by moon-watcher). Douglas Rain is the voice of HAL 9000. The screenplay was written by Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick, who also produced and directed.
The orchestral music by Khachaturyan, Ligeti, and Richard and Johann Strauss is perfect for the movie. But 2001 is not perfect. It is pretentious and the characters are as emotionally flat as HAL. The film is too slow and over-long at 141 minutes, even though Kubrick cut 17 minutes after the premiere. Also, it's puzzling ambiguity is a major problem as well as the film's biggest asset.
2010 (1984) is the much inferior sequel to 2001. A joint American-Soviet expedition is sent to Jupiter to investigate what happened to the Discovery 1. Unfortunately, they learn about the huge black monolith, the fate of HAL, and so forth. We don't really want to know! 2010 ruins 2001 with its casual disclosures of the mysteries that were never resolved in 2001. This film should be avoided. It reminds me of a documentary on the "History of Christmas", which forever ruined Christmas for me. 2010 is based on a novel written by Arthur C. Clarke, and the cast includes Roy Scheider, John Lithgow, Helen Mirren, Bob Balaban, Keir Dullea, and many others. Peter Hyams wrote the screenplay and directed.
