Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey may understandably not be to all tastes: it's a vague, esoteric, trippy visual feast that doesn't necessarily offer enough clear narrative nourishment for all audiences, but its visceral power and visual majesty cannot be denied. The most startling image is of Dr. Bowman (Keir Dullea) being transformed into the Star Child, the celestial baby-like being who floats next to Earth at the end of the movie. On one level, the image is a tribute to the massive creative power of cinema, and on another, it's a statement about everything we simply don't know about the universe. We may in many ways see ourselves as masters of our own destinies, but outer space remains largely unexplored, we fear our own deaths, and in honesty, who doesn't at some point in their lives wish that they could return to the warm, care-free comfort of the womb? Bowman's journey may be difficult to relate to, but that's why this sole image itself is so great: removed from Kubrick's wacky space story, it's about a desire to know the answers to life's grand mysteries and our future, while yearning to hold onto something from our past as well.
Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes).
General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.
