2001 A Space Odyssey Essay

until there is light; the darkness reveals the dark side of the moon, then the earth and the sun rising behind it.

This new perspective ignites our imagination and curiosity. It offers us life and death, beginnings and endings. In the film, a space mission to Jupiter is led by Bowman (Keir Dullea) and Poole (Gary Lockwood), in order to trace signals being transmitted there by a monolith discovered on Earth 's moon. Overseeing the voyage is a supercomputer known as HAL 9000 (voice of Douglas Rain). It should not go unnoticed that each letter of HAL 's name is exactly one before IBM. The main reason this movie still holds our attention more than fourty five (45) years after its making, is its respect for its own mystery. Its vision of what

2001: A Space Odyssey is certainly a sweeping epic. The film is largely silent, with periodic groupings of dialogue throughout. The dialogue is therefore inherently more noteworthy. Classical music fills some of the empty background, yet the bulk of the film is taken in through the eyes. The scenery and backdrops are incredibly grandiose, highlighting man’s small place in the universe. The overall theme of the movie appears to be man’s exploration and ascent to something higher. 2001: A Space Odyssey tells the story of the impact of alien artifacts – black rectangular slabs (or monoliths) placed on Earth, the Moon and near Jupiter – on man-apes and human beings, bringing about two evolutionary leaps: the transition from pre-human to human, and from human to post-human (or superhuman). Within this larger story are contained four smaller tales. Firstly, there is a man-ape’s discovery of the possibility to use a bone as a tool, and his deployment of this tool to kill animals and the leader of a rival tribe. The initial hominids in the earlier part are greeted with a triumphant chorus upon discovering and utilizing tools to enhance their survival. Part two (2) of the film showcases the comfort of space travel – comfortable space planes, space stations, and moon bases. Only the monoliths appear out of place and are always welcomed with dramatic turns of music. The third section continues to highlight the importance of