20 Brilliant Mind-F*ck Movies

4. 2001: A Space Odyssey

MGM

Stanley Kubrick€™s epic sci-fi flick 2001: A Space Odyssey is as hard to understand as it is utterly intriguing. It opens with monkeys and ancient monoliths before taking us to a future filled with monotone-speaking astronauts and a maniacal computer called Hal.

That confusing contrast is small fries compared to where the film ends up, though, with Keir Dullea€™s astronaut character David sent journeying into deep space in the third act. He enters trippy territory, journeying through a kaleidoscope of colour before seeing some truly strange sights at the film€™s conclusion.

Few films can blow the mind in so many different ways: Stanley Kubrick€™s Arthur C. Clarke adaptation is the stuff of legend in terms of cinema that makes you think, and it€™s earned that position by being truly awe-inspiring. The sequel - 2010: The Year We Made Contact - offers a few answers, if you want to know more.

Contributor
Contributor

Film & TV journo. Quite tall.