stavis23 t1_iu3e7bt wrote on October 28, 2022 at 7:07 AM

I think the best thing about 2001, after all my investigations, is that there aren't any "hidden meanings" but the story is told in such a way to make interpretation a must.

All that being said it's a science fiction film about science fiction. It predicted a bunch of things, takes a serious look at intelligent AI and humans coexisting in space and then that mysterious through-line the entire film is hinged on is finally resolved and it seems like the alien presence does the same thing to Bowman as it did to the man-apes at the beginning of the film.

It's very mysterious in that besides Kubrick's direction, the alien intelligence seems so beyond man that they're akin to gods and a point Pauline Kael makes is that it makes man and his achievements seem ever more insignificant and a sort of experiment of these aliens.

Pauline Kael was the only criticism of 2001 and also The Shining that I found really compelling. I still think they're 2 of the greatest films ever made, but her strong opinions made me see the film a little more objectively.

Also if you haven't seen Solaris (1972, Tarkovsky) it's a great counterpart to 2001. It's the perfect Russian response to the sterilization of 2001, Tarkovsky also had a lot of criticism for 2001.

lymeguy OP t1_iu3eo0r wrote on October 28, 2022 at 7:13 AM

I watched Solaris a couple of years ago. I'll be honest, some of the visuals I did find interesting and atmospheric but it felt slow to me (even as someone that likes slow films). Could be a rewatch could help though.

Some of my favorite theories I've heard have been from Rob Ager on YouTube. I haven't seen Pauline Kiels work on The Shining either but I'll check it out.

stavis23 t1_iu3ir4r wrote on October 28, 2022 at 8:12 AM

Yea you get a lot of “the monolith is the movie screen” kinda stuff and yea I guess that works. Sexual metaphors also abound, the Discovery 1 which is dick shaped shoots a little Bowman sperm into a blackhole and is born again some glowing baby.

Anyway I watched Solaris while afraid and on mushrooms to the point where the movie was my anchor to reality, and many scenes i’ll never forget, like the leaf floating in the water and zoom in on streaming grass also in the water, the zoom in on that black hole, when the boy and the older dude are driving in the car on the highway.

Something about Tarkovsky’s scenes pull you into them, it’s a visual experience but very different from Kubrick’s kind of visuals. I’ll agree it is slow but if you’re afraid and on mushrooms it can save you from the chaos of your own mind.