Current Events > Anyone ever watch 2001: A Space Odyssey? *SPOILERS for a 50+ year old movie*

(+) Yeah! (+)

I just watched it. Was always curious about this one, due to it being a highly touted space thriller, as well as the various ways HAL9000 is used in parodies.

I was shocked at just how excruciatingly slow paced the movie is. I get that suspense is built by slowing things down, but this was a 150 minute movie that probably could have been easily told in less than half the runtime.

In particular, I was really surprised at just how little there is involving HAL trying to over take the ship. It malfunctions, tried to lock Frank out of the ship, kills the others in hibernation, Frank gets back in and anticlimactically just turns HAL off. Then the ending of the movie is like 15 minutes of screensaver imagery before finally getting to the conclusion.

Overall, I thought it was extremely disappointing, but am curious what others thought about it.

I've avoided watching it simply because I dont think I have the attention span for something that slow, although it always seemed intriguing to me.

Yes and I hated it lol. It looks absolutely incredible but the plot is paper thin and sloooooow

I'm in the same boat. I'm sure it was really something when it first came out, walking in gravity chambers, the dangers of an autonomous computer system, space travel and all... But as a story, man it does drag

I liked Moon with Sam Rockwell

I like what it represents more than the film itself. It's slow-paced and minimalist in plot, but the ideas it does have is interesting to think back on.

I think I watched it once, but it was so boring to me I pulled out my Gameboy and played Pokemon while it was on. I remember the anticlimactic ending with HAL though.

The second movie is so strange.

The_Popo posted...

I was shocked at just how excruciatingly slow paced the movie is. I get that suspense is built by slowing things down, but this was a 150 minute movie that probably could have been easily told in less than half the runtime.

That was just the "pretentious film" trend at the time. Looooooong spans of meticulous nothing.

Jeanne Dielman is three hours of increasingly frazzled housework and a "wtf" ending, as an even more excruciating example.

The special effects are amazing, and I enjoyed it.

Its a flick my dad and gramma loved to watch. as a kid i would just not watch it. had to read the book as a teen and wow did it at least explain stuff. the movie doesnt care, heres some flashy stuff wooo boy i r art.
Keep watching, it gets weirder. not better tho.

Saw it, didn't like it, gave it another chance in a theater on 70 mm, still didn't like it

I just don't think I like Kubrick

I mean...you're looking at a 40ish year old movie and placing today's standards over it.

For the time it was an ambitious project and turned out well.

Just skip to the end and put on some Floyd.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rn7MmS3vazU

Have seen many times, read the book a few times. One of my favorite stories.

Dark-Summoner posted...

I mean...you're looking at a 40ish year old movie and placing today's standards over it.

For the time it was an ambitious project and turned out well.

Not sure if you're referring to me, but in the same theater I also went to see West Side Story and Lawrence of Arabia and loved both

I was more intrigued by it tbh.

Dark-Summoner posted...

I mean...you're looking at a 40ish year old movie and placing today's standards over it.

For the time it was an ambitious project and turned out well.

Ive watched plenty of 50+ year old movies and enjoyed them. Several Hitchcock flicks, Citizen Kane, Godfather, and Wizard of Oz to name a few. My favorite movie of all time is Rocky, which was made just 8 years after Space Odyssey.

Also, just looking at Wikipedia can show that there were plenty of reviews from the time that did not enjoy it either.

Its one of my favorite movies ever

Same. I wish I got my 150 mins back from that one.

It was one of the first films to show what living in space could be like. Remember it was the 1960s when it came out.

The_Popo posted...

Overall, I thought it was extremely disappointing, but am curious what others thought about it.

It's a slow burn, but accomplishes a ton.

Movie was boring as fuck.

also sprach zarathustra is great tho

Even audiences back then saw it is kind of boring and unusual. Rock Hudson stormed out of the premiere audibly saying "Can somebody tell me what the hell this movie is about?"

I loved it!

Bump. Ive enjoyed reading peoples input.

I've only seen it once, about 10 years ago or so. I remember liking it, but agreeing that it was very long and slow.

I much prefer something like Interstellar or The Martian.

I loved it, but I'm also in my mid 40s & enjoy slower paced films often.

I think younger people are too addicted to fast paced / instant gratification media, like how so many blockbusters require an action scene or explosion every 15 minutes.

best movie ever made

seen it in theaters twice, both times on 70mm

probably seen it like 8 or 9 times by now

I think its mainly praised for its cinematography and not the plot/story stuff. Idr what the movie was even about. I did enjoy watching the monkeys at the end freaking out over the pillar thing. Idk what the point of it was but it looked cool