Z/Web

Author: Arthur C. Clarke (novel)

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Scandalous, I know, but I’d never seen this before. I’ve watched the opening “Dawn of Man” segment numerous times, and seen clips of other bits on TV, but never the entire movie. I’d read the book years ago and it never made much sense, so I’d hoped the movie would explain things better. It does and it doesn’t. The ending is a little more linear but still just as metaphysical, and instead of reading descriptions of the unimaginable we see wild pictures of it. Overall this fits in with the grand, epic scheme of the novel and film, and when the movie’s over you feel you’ve experienced something profound (you just aren’t sure what). However, while there’s a place for mystery in literature, this story is being mysterious not to make us think but because the author really doesn’t know what he means. He’s therefore vague and metaphysical to imply something profound, but even he isn’t sure what that is. Which makes sense to an extent: as the key plot is contact with extraterrestrials, who can imagine, fully, what that would be like? Despite a few problems with the odd story, I like this movie a great deal. It’s an amazing cinematic feat. The photography and pace is incredible: it’s like a space voyage, slow and ponderous and monotonous, yet moving at fantastic speeds. The music is key, like a narrator, explaining everything we’re seeing. There’s really only a few scenes with dialog — the rest of the film is a visual feast. I can truly see why this is considered a classic, and I am amazed Kubrick managed to get it made at all considering it is so different and unorthodox. It definitely was before its time. The special effects are simple and subtle, and work well even thirty-five years later. A terrific experience, even if a bit mysterious and the conclusion unsatisfactory.