Often considered to be the definitive science-fiction masterpiece to end all science-fiction masterpieces, Stanley Kubrick's mesmerising, transcendent 2001: A Space Odyssey is arguably the most enigmatic and technically impressive motion picture to have ever existed. As an exercise in visuals alone, there are few that are comparable. Almost five decades after its release, the story of an astronaut's battle with a chillingly antagonistic A.I. program named "Hal 9000" still has people riveted to their seats - surprising, given that during its initial release, 2001 received countless walkouts (Rock Hudson famously asked: "Will someone tell me what the hell this is about?") 2001: A Space Odyssey is about more than just a man's fight with a moody computer, however; based on a script he worked on with legendary sci-fi author Arthur C. Clarke, Kubrick manages to unload a narrative that encompasses the span of the entire universe; the film's most famous scene, in fact, is probably the one at the beginning which shows how our primate ancestors first adapted to tools. This is followed by the most famous cutaway of all-time, of course, as a bone soars into the air and becomes a spacecraft, bridging the gap between thousands of years of evolution. Ambitious like no other move ever made, this hallucinatory intergalactic trip deserves to be remembered until the very end of a time as a sci-fi masterpiece - and it probably will be.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
