Space is a frontier that’s nearly impossible to get just right, and not every film can portray it without it coming across as cheesy or without losing the inherently terrifying aspects of it once it’s on screen. But this film, lauded as the greatest sci-fi movie of all time by some critics, is not only known for being visually stunning and groundbreaking, but it is now being touted by astronauts as incredibly realistic.
2001: A Space Odyssey debuted in theaters nearly 60 years ago, all the way back in 1968. It’s nearly two and a half hours long and contains only 40 minutes’ worth of dialogue. But in an interview with CNN in which astronauts and experts spoke about which elements of sci-fi movies were genuinely accurate, Leroy Chiao, who commanded Expedition 10 on board the ISS, and who has spent more than 6 months in space, says about the film, “The way that Kubrick was able to film real-looking space scenes back then was fantastic.” He also recommends that potential viewers read the book before watching the movie, saying about the story, “Once you understand it, wow!”
Why 2001: A Space Odyssey is So Compelling
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The film still stands at a 90% with critics on Rotten Tomatoes, also securing an 88% with casual viewers. The movie centers around Dr. Dave Bowman, played by Keir Dullea, and other astronauts who are sent on a mysterious mission to investigate a lunar object. Their ship’s computer system, HAL, begins to display increasingly erratic behavior, which leads to conflict between those on the ship and the computer that was designed to keep them safe and the station operational. Despite being short on dialogue, the movie is gripping and tense, unfolding to a conclusion that will have you questioning what, exactly, you just watched.
Critic Maurice Lapf of LIFE says, “I’m not so sure many of us in the audience knew what Kubrick’s enigmatic tableaux were all about, but I do know that few of us would ever look into the night sky again without a new sense of wonder about man and the universe.” Joseph Gelmis of Newsday adds, “After seeing 2001: A Space Odyssey a second time, I’m convinced it is a masterwork. Take it from one who mistrusts superlatives…this awesome film is light-years ahead of any science fiction you have ever seen.”
There’s certainly a reason why 2001: A Space Odyssey is regarded as one of the most influential sci-fi films of all time. It perfectly taps into the dread meant to be evoked by the idea of deep space, a place so dark and far from reality that we can hardly even conceive of what’s out there. And it’s thanks to A Space Odyssey that films like Alien, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and even Interstellar went on to become the incredible box office hits that they are.
Do you have a favorite moment from 2001: A Space Odyssey? Let us know in the comments, and then head over to the ComicBook forum to keep the conversation going.
