2001: A Space Odyssey [VHS]

2001: A Space Odyssey [VHS]
by Stanley Kubrick

2001: A Space Odyssey [VHS]

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Product details

Actor: Daniel Richter, Gary Lockwood, Keir Dullea, Leonard Rossiter, William Sylvester
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Cinematographer: Geoffrey Unsworth
Producer: Stanley Kubrick
Writer: Stanley Kubrick
Editor: Ray Lovejoy
Producer: Victor Lyndon
Writer: Arthur C. Clarke
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Original Language); Russian (Original Language)
Format: Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
Running Time: 141 minutes
Release Date: 1997-06-11
Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Publisher: MGM/Ua Studios
Studio: MGM/Ua Studios

VHS Movie Reviews of 2001: A Space Odyssey [VHS]

Movie Review: A timeless classic
Summary: 5 Stars

I was excited about the blu-ray version and boy was I not disappointed - the picture is stunning, especially if you consider the age of the movie. A great film deserving a fine presentation, this is a must for any Kubrick/Clarke fan.

Movie Review: "Its origin and purpose.....still a total mystery."
Summary: 5 Stars

NOTE: This review contains major spoilers.....

The late Stanley Kubrick has to be my favorite director of all time. He was the director of five of my top favorite films: Paths of Glory, Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining, & Full Metal Jacket. I can acknowledge that he was a very sophisticated perfectionist, but I can never deny that most of his movies are unbelievably mesmerizing. These are the exact kinds of films that I can never look away from. I feel almost hypnotized by them. But out of all of Kubrick's films, 2001: A Space Odyssey is a film that works the most wonders. It's the finest sci-fi epic ever made, and it's officially my #1 favorite film of all time.

But what exactly makes 2001 so special? Well, in my opinion, it has perfected the sci-fi genre. Before this film was ever released, people have never completely taken science fiction very seriously. In the 50's and early 60's, sci-fi films often had crude special effects and silly storylines. Most of them (The Thing from Another World, The Day The Earth Stood Still) had very good plots and decent effects, but as a whole, the look and feel of these motion pictures still lacked realism and importance. Keep in mind, I don't have anything against the 50's and 60's sci-fi classics, but they are not my personal favorites, either. So along came 2001: A Space Odyssey. Released in 1968, critics were sharply divided. Some said it was fantastic, while others believed it to be dull. But this film grew among audiences (especially the psychedelic kinds), and slowly, people have acknowledged this to be not only the greatest sci-fi film ever made, but also one of the greatest films ever made. The year is now 2010, and this film is still considered to be a classic, which is a bit surprising since a majority of moviegoers are now accustomed to over-the-top action and pointless comedies. Hey, I still like some over-the-top action, but comedies nowadays aren't very clever anymore. Anyway, back to 2001. The reason why this film is so brilliant is that it became a sci-fi revolution. It's entirely distinctive for its realistic special effects, serious storyline, and influence on space travel & evolution. Even when compared to Star Wars, Star Trek, and Stargate, 2001 still looks and feels completely different from the rest. Look at how slow and steady the spaceships move. Listen to the lack of sound in the vacuum of space. Observe the planets and stars and how realistic they actually look. I don't think I have ever seen another sci-fi film that was ever this scientifically accurate before.

Critics and audiences have analyzed this movie ever since it was released. Some believe it to be an ode to science, while others see it as an example of alien intelligence. Some even believe that it is about God and the paradise that we yearn for (the last thirty minutes of the film). As a middle-of-the-road agnostic, I think this film is about everything. Even if the main point of the film remains mysterious, it seems to explore everything about space and the future. The black monolith could either symbolize God, Darwinism, or alien benevolence & intelligence. HAL 9000 could represent the errors of future technology, or the cause and effects of artificial intelligence. The last twenty minutes of the film, in which David Bowman grows old and is reborn as the star-child, could be seen as a religious experience. But even if all of these were true, 2001 is "still a total mystery." We don't really know what it's all about. What really works, I think, is how these possible representations are shown through images and sound. The messages can be very clear once the visuals can make you understand what they are.

And speaking of visuals, the special effects still don't cease to amaze me. I don't think I have ever seen such real-looking effects (and this was WAY before computers were used). It's a bit obvious that the apes in the first fifteen minutes of the film are on a soundstage, but the space sequences are such a delight to watch. The spaceships look almost as if they were really moving in space, and the planets Earth & Jupiter don't look like miniature models at all (perhaps they were matte paintings of photographs, I can't really tell). And how did they manage to have Frank Poole float away in space? They must have used a wide-angle lens for that. And just how DID they create that famous "stargate" sequence? I know they used macro photography for some shots, but what did they use for the other shots? There are just so many questions that maybe it's time for me to listen to the audio commentary.

As an avid fan of classical music, I really do love the classical pieces that were chosen for this film. 2001 does not have an original score, but the music of J. Strauss, R. Strauss, Ligeti, and Khachaturian always get to me. Every musical piece is used to actually enhance the story. Ligeti's "Requiem" signifies the presence of the black monolith. J. Strauss's "The Blue Danube" is played during two scenes involving space travel. Khachaturian's "Gayane: Adagio" is heard when we begin to see what goes on during the Jupiter Mission. And of course, R. Strauss's "Also Sprach Zarathustra" is used to remind us how majestic the universe really is. Basically, the music really does add more importance to the story. "The Blue Danube" is starting to get on my nerves, though.

Well, this is it. This is my all-time favorite film. I can name at least a hundred films that I really admire (such as The Godfather and Collateral), but this is the one that I admire the most. Everything about it is barely above perfection. It may be too slow and tedious for some people, but to me, it's an excellent visual spectacle. As for the 2-Disc Special Edition DVD, I would highly recommend it. It has some fascinating special features, including an audio commentary by actors Keir Dullea (Bowman) and Gary Lockwood (Poole), the original theatrical trailer, and seven behind-the-scenes featurettes. The picture quality of the film itself looks a bit different. About ten years ago, I bought the film on VHS. The picture quality on that cassette tape was surprisingly clear, and the light/dark bits were about correct. Since I no longer have a VHS player, I decided to buy the DVD, and while I was watching the film, I saw the difference. Compared to the VHS, the picture on the DVD does look dimmer. It's obvious when the "stargate" sequence is on: for example, the original blue colors convey some heavy shades of gray. Another noticeable change is the introduction and the intermission: the words "Overture" and "Entr'acte" have been taken off the screen completely. So Ligeti's "Atmospheres" plays while there is nothing but black on the screen. Fortunately, I wouldn't decide these sorts of things as flaws since I don't really mind them. I'm glad that I made the purchase, and furthermore, I'm glad that I now have my all-time favorite film in my own DVD collection.

Grade: A+

Movie Review: Classic
Summary: 4 Stars

This movie is an iconic movie. Many movies have little bits and pieces from this one. The movie itself is about the progression of life and of the human race. If you don't like movies that have no action don't watch this one but if you like movies that have great acting and a meaningful story this one is a good one to watch.

Movie Review: Open the Pod Bay Doors, Hal
Summary: 5 Stars

Do I need to tell you what this movie is about? Really?

So let me tell you about what a rockin' Blu-Ray this is. If you don't like the movie, say if you are the ADD-type, who cares? Use the disc as a control as it is flawless. It can be used to judge all other transfers.

The movie's aspect ratio has been corrected from previous editions to 2:20:1 (it was 2:35:1 before). There is no grain or evidence of DNR or border enhancement. The picture is so flawless that you actually can see the unevenness of the screen used for front projection in the Dawn of Man sequence. The colors are flawless with no bleeds for reds or yellows. This is nice when HAL is dismantled and then you get to the acid sequence. The blacks are inky. And the picture is just perfect. It is the perfect medium for a Kubrick film.

And, when you first watch it, you are so blown away that you end up watching the whole movie. Then you scratch your head and go, "Huh?"

Movie Review: Visually stunning, but murderously slow!
Summary: 2 Stars

All my life I heard about that great science fiction classic - 2001: A Space Odyssey, and I finally decided that it was time to give it a try. So, dragging my teenage son along with me I put the DVD in the player and gave it a watch.

On the plus side, the movie is visually stunning with many great scenes of space and spaceships that still impress some forty years later! The soundtrack is quite interesting, with an interesting mix of classical pieces and vocal pieces that put you on the edge of your seat.

On the minus side, the movie moves with a glacial slowness. By the time the intermission drifted around, my son was so bored that he got up and went to watch television. I stuck with it, and was rewarded with a second half that was worse that the first. In general the second half made me think of a bad acid trip, of the sort that interested 1960s viewers, but nobody afterward. And, to make matters worse, it was an acid trip in slow-motion.

At the end of the movie, I felt terribly disappointed. I am a huge science fiction fan, and yet I found the movie to be ambiguous to the point of irrelevance, leaving me with no positive feelings whatsoever. So, let me just say that while the movie is visually stunning it is murderously slow and uninterestingly ambiguous. I feel like I wasted two good hours on this movie, and I will definitely not watch it again.

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Summary of 2001: A Space Odyssey [VHS]

When Stanley Kubrick recruited Arthur C. Clarke to collaborate on "the proverbial intelligent science fiction film," it's a safe bet neither the maverick auteur nor the great science fiction writer knew they would virtually redefine the parameters of the cinema experience. A daring experiment in unconventional narrative inspired by Clarke's short story "The Sentinel," 2001 is a visual tone poem (barely 40 minutes of dialogue in a 139-minute film) that charts a phenomenal history of human evolution. From the dawn-of-man discovery of crude but deadly tools in the film's opening sequence to the journey of the spaceship Discovery and metaphysical birth of the "star child" at film's end, Kubrick's vision is meticulous and precise. In keeping with the director's underlying theme of dehumanization by technology, the notorious, seemingly omniscient computer HAL 9000 has more warmth and personality than the human astronauts it supposedly is serving. (The director also leaves the meaning of the black, rectangular alien monoliths open for discussion.) This theme, in part, is what makes 2001 a film like no other, though dated now that its postmillennial space exploration has proven optimistic compared to reality. Still, the film is timelessly provocative in its pioneering exploration of inner- and outer-space consciousness. With spectacular, painstakingly authentic special effects that have stood the test of time, Kubrick's film is nothing less than a cinematic milestone--puzzling, provocative, and perfect. --Jeff Shannon

When Stanley Kubrick recruited Arthur C. Clarke to collaborate on "the proverbial intelligent science fiction film," it's a safe bet neither the maverick auteur nor the great science fiction writer knew they would virtually redefine the parameters of the cinema experience. A daring experiment in unconventional narrative inspired by Clarke's short story "The Sentinel," 2001 is a visual tone poem (barely 40 minutes of dialogue in a 139-minute film) that charts a phenomenal history of human evolution. From the dawn-of-man discovery of crude but deadly tools in the film's opening sequence to the journey of the spaceship Discovery and metaphysical birth of the "star child" at film's end, Kubrick's vision is meticulous and precise. In keeping with the director's underlying theme of dehumanization by technology, the notorious, seemingly omniscient computer HAL 9000 has more warmth and personality than the human astronauts it supposedly is serving. (The director also leaves the meaning of the black, rectangular alien monoliths open for discussion.) This theme, in part, is what makes 2001 a film like no other, though dated now that its postmillennial space exploration has proven optimistic compared to reality. Still, the film is timelessly provocative in its pioneering exploration of inner- and outer-space consciousness. With spectacular, painstakingly authentic special effects that have stood the test of time, Kubrick's film is nothing less than a cinematic milestone--puzzling, provocative, and perfect. --Jeff Shannon

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