2001: A Space Odyssey

I watched this for the purpose of writing a paper on Stanley Kubrick as an auteur, so I feel like I've already written a lot about it. 2001 is a strange and unique film that had a huge influcence on the science-fiction genre. Its most famous scenes and uses of music have been parodied countless times, and it was interesting to finally see the movie that had this much of a cultural impact. It's broken up into multiple segments that all revolve around these strange black objects that keep showing up. The plot and dialog are very minimalistic and a great deal is left unexplained.

The camera-work is restrained and very believable, and along with the script which tends towards idle chatter instead of exposition, it often seems like a documentary. The only real antagonist in the movie, a computer that has gone haywire, is an interesting villain and provides many creepy moments. There is a sense of dread that builds, and it is assisted by haunting and sometimes overbearing music. There isn't a whole lot of acting going on, the movie is all about the visuals and atmosphere, not actor performances. It's a film that probably everyone should see at least once.