re: 2001 A Space Odyssey

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I don’t understand the ending

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Spoilers:




The aliens evolved Bowman (as they had evolved the apes into using tools). The star child (baby) at the end is Bowman at a super-evolved level, contemplating Earth.

Kubrick caught shite for explaining the ending in interviews, but Clarke had mapped it all out in the novel.

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There are many interpretations.

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Not if you have read the book.

Have you seen the types of films that sometimes get nominated for best picture?

Some of them are Jim dandies..

I can appreciate the special effects for that Era. The cinematography, effects, and lighting are enough for oscars in visual effects, director, and production design.

Screenplay? Best picture?? Lol. No thanks.

It's not that difficult to understand whats going on in the movie that you have to say people pretend to get it. I'll break it down.

1. Monkeys on planet, vulnerable to predators like big cats.

2. Aliens send monolith down to earth. Monolith = tool by aliens to ADVANCE the species. Monkeys touch monolith. Monkeys then start to develop skills like hunting, using tools etc.

3. Fast forward to centuries later - 2001 - and those monkeys generation after generation would evolve into the human beings that have created the modern world and space travel.

4. Human beings discover monolith on the moon. It starts fricking everything up, a top secret mission is established.

5. Top secret mission ends with main character finding another monolith floating in space. Crosses over into another dimension that defys time and space. His life passes before his eyes. Just as he dies the monolith appears again to ADVANCE him to the next stage of evolution - the star baby.


TLDR:


Monkey - Human - Starbaby. EVOLUTION.

The movie is about the advancement of the species by way of extraterrestrial intervention. The monolith is a tool from the aliens to create intelligent life. Just as HAL and AI are tools created by humans that is intelligent life (see how they mirror one another? Aliens create humans, humans create artificial intelligence.) It's the circle of life.


And if anybody doubts me both Kubrick & Arthur C. Clarke has confirmed as much

Lol

I don't doubt you.

But when the movie released, many art critics had different interpretations of what the visualizations meant.

I hate to break it to you. It isn't a good story. It is a special effects movie. A very advanced one for when it was released.

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The weird hotel suite thing Bowman is in at the end is really just an intergalatic womb.

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I think it is a zoo.

Best movie soundtrack of all time.

It's one of those movies people pretend to like so that they appear more profound and insightful. Also, if it wasn't directed by Kubrick but, instead ,by Joe Schmo it wouldn't get near the acclaim it does.

I kinda get the whole monkey monolith human monolith star child thing. Kinda.

But what the hell does that have to do with an AI Computer, or Hal9000 killing everyone on board? That just either WAS the whole point of the movie OR filler till they got to the monolith on outer space.

IMO 2010 was a much better film that actually explained it all. Leave Europa alone.

First of all, it's unfair to say you have to see 2010 to understand 2001. The 2001 movie and book were written at the same time and Kubrick had full creative control of both. Clarke was more or less a writer for hire with Kubrick using his expertise to punch up the sci fi elements. The sequel books are all Clarke.

The point of HAL was to show how man's use of technology had evolved. We go from the monkeys not using tools to encountering the monolith and learning to use bones as a simple hammer. Transition that to the Future where man has advanced to the point of having space ships and sentient AI, the ultimate evolution of tools to the point where they are starting to surpass men.

The monoliths have been placed at points where men would find them when they're ready to evolve. After the moon monolith we have the showdown between man and AI. As man overcomes AI we find the final monolith on Jupiter and man evolves into his final form the Starchild.