2001: A Space Odyssey

There are a select few movies I will pay and go out of my way to see on the big screen having already seen them on the small. I’m not sure if the right term would be benchmark, generational, classic or any other adjective denoting their importance but there are certain movies that seem like the added theatrical experience will add another layer to it.

There’s something magical about a theater experience for me. Sure, it could go bad. The person next to you could possibly ruin the experience just by not putting away their cell phone for two hours. They might be asking the person next to them questions about the plot during the entire movie that would be answered if they waited 3 minutes longer.

It could also go incredibly right too. You sit devoting your attention to the big screen with audio and video quality that the director had intended or even better than intended being presented before you. You become immersed. The smell of the popcorn, the unexpected trailer for a future movie that you can’t wait to see, the details you notice for the first time, all notes to the beautiful song that can be a movie going experience gone right.

It’s worth taking that chance. If you’re a movie buff you probably understand.

2001: A Space Odyssey is a slow-paced movie. A lot of classics are by today's' standards. So why see this one specifically, especially considering I had to spend almost 2 hours by train to get to the venue?

Stanley Kubrick

I know he’s universally respected as a film maker, that is a given. All of his films showed me something that made me understand why he is a legendary filmmaker. I could see why his movies had such a big reputation and are known as must see movies. My favorite aspect of his film making process would have to be the way he frames his scenes which has been copied over and over again.

There are thoughts I wanted to share about this experience. I would be really difficult for me to do a full breakdown of this movie. I have my own theories about it. I have not read the Arthur C. Clarke book. I’m sure that would inform things greatly. I suspect people have written entire books in their own right doing analyses far more involved than I ever intend to write.

After watching it at the Museum of Moving Images, I appreciate the film in different ways once more. As someone who aspires to get their own stories out there, it always makes me smile inside when I recognize something that influenced me without me even realizing it. It makes me hopeful that when others get a chance to experience that work in the same way I have. They’ll get that communal sense of appreciation out of all that inspires me and maybe they also see it on a secondary level, the creative and artistic level. If my work is ever read, they’ll know I’m a fellow fan, see who inspired me and that piece of work out there that affected them in some special way is a mutual feeling.

I imagine that even if you never created something yourself but have consumed a huge quantity of material inspired by Kubrick's work, that you too should go see it on the big screen if given the opportunity. You’ll probably see a scene or theme if you’re paying close enough attention, that inspired your favorite movie, especially if you’re a sci-fi fan. Maybe there’s a different movie that can give you this sense that you’ve only seen on a TV but will be playing at a theater near you. Give it a shot, if you go into it with the right mindset it’ll be a different experience that will be worth it.