10 Movies Which Go From 0-100 Right At The End

Stanley Kubrick's science-fiction magnum opus, 2001: A Space Odyssey is one of the most recognisable and admired films of all time - and it's not difficult to see why. Given it released in the late-'60s, it presents space and interstellar technology in a way that is light years ahead of its time, while providing a template for so much of the cinema that followed.

Adapted from a short story by Arthur C. Clarke, 2001 follows Dr. Dave Bowman (Keir Dullea) on a mission into the far reaches of the solar system, guided - and soon waylaid - by his ship's AI computer system, HAL. While visually and technologically impressive, showing us the intricate workings of a complex ship and rendering space in vivid detail, 2001 is as slow as moon-walking molasses. But that's the way with space travel, isn't it?

Kubrick makes the journey worthwhile with a show-stopping final section that packs as much action and excitement into the final ten minutes as it does the preceding two hours. At Jupiter, Dave is pulled into a mind-bending vortex of coloured light and surreal landscapes the like of which any acid freak can only dream. He finds himself transported to a neoclassical bedroom where he ages exponentially, reaching old age in minutes, before being faced with a monolith that offers him the potential to become something new. Thus, Dave becomes a space foetus, floating above the Earth in a transparent orb. What does it mean? Well, that's another matter.