review: 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (Blu-ray)

Warner Bros.  //  Buy from Amazon.com A four-million-year-old black monolith is discovered on the moon, and the government (while hiding the situation from the public) sends a team of scientists on a fact-finding mission. Eighteen months later, another team is sent to Jupiter in a ship controlled by the perfect HAL 9000 computer to further investigate the giant object--but on this trip something goes terribly wrong. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY is a masterpiece of filmmaking. Director and (with Arthur C. Clarke) co-screenwriter Stanley Kubrick has created a visual and aural spectacle that stands as one of the greatest achievements ever put on celluloid. The film begins with the "Dawn of Man" segment, about the evolution of apes, and then ventures into the future, taking a look at what the world might be like in the first year of the 21st century. Kubrick's film is a triumph of technological storytelling, with stunning sets and a brilliant, overwhelming soundtrack. Long dialogue-free scenes sparkle with indelible images backed by powerful orchestral music, culminating in an unforgettable, inscrutable tale of birth and rebirth, human evolution and artificial intelligence, the past and the future. The one & only previous time I sat down to watch "2001" was about 10 years ago - as a lad in my young 20s, I had read lots about this epic/classic film, so was curious to see what all the fuss was about. I watched it, and I was non-plussed - "Overrated." I thought, and have never given it a second viewing (or thought, for that matter)... until the Blu-ray version arrived at my doorstep for review. Resigning myself to give it one more chance (just for you, dear readers), I figured at the very least it would be a nice showcase for how good an older film can look in high definition. Well, it definitely looked stellar (bettering the quality of some recent films I've seen on Blu-ray), but much to my surprise, I actually enjoyed the film this time around. Clearly I was a bit too young, or dumb, to appreciate the symbolism and intelligence conveyed, but those were not lost on me this time, and I've finally started to acknowledge the brilliance and artistry of Stanley Kubrick. After seeing this one, I may just go seek out "2010" and see if it's a worthy successor or not. Regardless, "2001" is a helluva good film, and it looks freaking fantastic on Blu-ray. Video Unbelievable - the 1080p VC-1 transfer delivers the film in never-before-seen quality & clarity. The 2.20:1 presentation is undoubtely the best this film has ever looked, showcasing every single, magnificent detail of every single frame. Audio As to be expected, the uncompressed PCM 5.1 surround mix is also unbelievable, delivering a perfectly-mixed, perfect-sounding soundtrack that will transport you right into outer space. Extras audio commentary w/ actors making-of featurette "The Legacy of 2001" featurette "The Prophecy of 2001" featurette "A Look Behind the Future" featurette "What is Out There?" featurette fx & early conceptual artwork collection of 1940s photography from Kubrick 1966 interview w/ Kubrick trailer Closing Thoughts True classic finally presented in HD + loads of informative, entertaining extras = definitive version to own of this epic film