15 Greatest Hard Science Fiction Movies Of All Time
1. 2001: A Space Odyssey
2018 saw yet another re-release of Stanley Kubrick's sci-fi masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey, this time in a stunning 4K digital transfer, as well as screenings around the country in its original 70mm format. It's a testament to the film's enduring legacy that it has continued to be screened in theatres since its release in 1968.
Encompassing many aeons of existence, from tool using primates to mankind's exploration of outer space, 2001: A Space Odyssey has the kind of grand sweeping cinematic gesture that few other films even try to achieve.
Kubrick's perfectionism has become the stuff of legends in movie history and 2001 is no exception: the production team went to great lengths in order to ensure the scientific accuracy of everything you see on screen, from the effects of zero gravity through to the motion of the spacecraft in the vacuum of space.
As with other Kubrick movies such as Barry Lyndon and The Shining, 2001: A Space Odyssey received a polarised reaction from the critics at the time of its release, with noted critic Pauline Kael describing it as a "monumentally unimaginative movie". Time has been considerably kinder, and proving that Kubrick was an iconoclastic filmmaker, ahead of the curve by some margin.