15 Most Dehumanizing Moments In Stanley Kubrick's Films

7. HAL 9000 Deactivation €“ 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

If there's one Stanley Kubrick film that turned critics around 180 degrees, from hatred to adoration, it is 2001: A Space Odyssey. The theme of dehumanization is deeply layered, but assuredly present - especially when it comes to the relationship between man and machine. Who can forget the chilling scene when the supercomputer HAL 9000 gets deactivated? The scene is draped in red, and astronaut Dave's laboured breathing punctuates the soundtrack. Realizing what he must do, he enters the pod and proceeds to deactivate HAL, a computer that is scarily conscious of what is happening. HAL (flawlessly voiced by Douglas Rain) systemically degenerates into his prototype phase, while saying lines like "the mind is going", "I'm afraid" and repeating "I can feel it" numerous times. Finally, he sings "Daisy Bell" - the first song he was programmed to know. Allowing a machine to have such a "human" death is the kind of reverse dehumanization that is chillingly symbolic and profound.