This is a movie that I have seen mentioned in just about every Top Ten list out there for Sci-Fi movies. I started to watch it once, but in the first 5 minutes, where the apes are smashing something with a bone, I got confused as to how that was a movie about space and pretty much just turned it off. I had meant to come back to it later when I was in the mood, but apparently never got around to it again. I know this movie has freaked a lot of people out about the potential intentions of A.I. and how it could turn on us so easily. I've seen so many clips of this movie, I feel I have a good idea of how the movie goes, but I'm sure there will still be things that surprise me. I know Dave goes to space on a mission to Jupiter with an A.I. named HAL and at some point, HAL decides that the mission is more important than Dave's life. From what I understand, there's a lot of suspense in this movie, so I'll just have to see how it effects me once it's over. Let's give it a go!
So, this was a very confusing movie. The first and last ten minutes feel disjointed with the rest of the movie, but I can see how it all tied together with the Monolith. The beginning scene with the apes was awkward, but I understand the relevance to the moment apes began to use tools and began to branch off from the other species on the planet at the time. Having the monolith there seemed to alter things, but I'm not exactly sure how. The ending, with him going through different stages of his life with an awareness of future moments, was a little hard to understand, but it felt more cohesive with the rest of the story than the apes portion did. And I kinda get the idea of life cycles continuing to flow from life to death to rebirth, but I'm not sure what the baby travelling through space to earth again represents. It just left me in a more confused state than I thought I would be in once the movie ended. I feel like I need to watch the sequel, 2010, to see if it explains anything that left me confused. I don't expect it to answer everything because I felt like a lot of it was left open to interpretation.
I enjoyed the core of the movie, with the ideas of what life would be like with regular travel to and from space and how they would combat certain issues of non-gravity. The space station being a sort of airport where travelers could rest between flights was neat. I loved that they did the Picturephone, too, and it shows just how much sci-fi guides our future. The corporation/council trying to hid a big find by coming up with a lie of an epidemic to keep people away from "interfering with discovery" is exactly the type of thing any kind of "authority" would use if something that earth shattering were truly discovered. That didn't feel like a stretch of the imagination at all. Once that first mission goes missing and the new crew is sent out, I finally feel like I'm watching the movie everyone had told me about and every YouTube discussion of this movie focused on.
I thought Dave was alone on his mission with HAL, but apparently not. He had a crewmate awake with him and three more in a hibernation. I had no idea that HAL went to such extreme measures with trying to uphold the mission. I thought he just decided that Dave couldn't interfere and was going to leave him to die in his space pod, but I was wrong. But the two guys did make a big error when not thinking that HAL could read lips. Even I was wondering why they kept talking with their faces turned towards the red eye of HAL. That computer boasts about its capabilities, so it would only be reasonable to think that it could figure out words by patterns made on the lips. I guess I've seen too many movies that were made long after this one to not think of the many ways that A.I. could turn against people and the capabilities they have to be completely effective in doing so. But all of the movies I've seen have stemmed from the original ideas that Arthur C. Clarke had penned over half a century ago, so it would make sense that I would already think of these things when the average movie-goer of the '60s might not have thought of that. It would make it more of a surprise for them when it's revealed that HAL could read lips, giving it more shock value than with me.
The idea of the Monolith is a very confusing one for me, though. From what it's purpose is, to where it came from, who buried it on Jupiter's Moon, how it was just floating in space as Dave showed up, what that crazy technicolor trip was all about, how it created a vision for Dave to live out his days in a matter of minutes before giving him a rebirth and then sending him back home to Earth. I'm pretty sure a lot of those questions went unanswered on purpose, but I like having questions answered and explanations for the weird things that happen in movies and life in general. I'm sure I'll be looking it up somewhere to see if someone has broken down the meaning of all of those concepts. I feel like a little more clarity would help me to appreciate it a little more.
Then there is the score of the film, which was intense and felt like it was almost like being at an orchestral concert. I can only imagine how intense it was for people in the theaters with that epic music. There were time I felt it was unnecessary, but other times it felt perfectly in sync with the mood the film put was creating. It's definitely a memorable score, though, and fitting with the chaos that the movie creates. I may have to watch this movie again once I've read about it a bit to see if I can make any sense of it.
Next week I'll be watching One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month. I hope you stop back again for the next step in my journey through film.
For more movie love, check out my other blog, "You're Watching That Again?!"
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