If I were pressed to come up with the best film from my favorite director, it could well be this one. Dr. Strangelove is outstanding in its own way, Paths of Glory is fearfully moving, and Barry Lyndon has some of the best color cinematography I’ve seen. But 2001 may be Kubrick’s masterpiece. On the surface, it looks like science fiction. But read comparative mythology or Jungian psychology, and you will find resonance with this film. The hypnotic sequences and subconsciously mythical ending require some focus on the part of the audience. Nevertheless the tightly structured, exactly edited movie is an inspiration and a pleasure to watch. Make sure you get a good, clean, widescreen copy of the movie for the full impact.
2001: A Space Odyssey
****published September 4, 2000