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There are few movies that have hooked me as much as this one. It's such a classic that for some reason that I cannot pin down I keep returning to it at least once each year without fail. I feel strangely drawn to it from the eerie opening overture music and pure black screen meant to signify the dawn of creation on earth to the first bars of Strauss' "Also Sprach Zarathustra" to the early humans seque-ing brilliantly to man in space, the trip to Jupiter and the super computer gone mad to the final mysterious ending signifying the wonders of the undiscovered and the awesomeness of it which would leave our jaws dropped just as this film does for me each time I watch it.
If you are an intelligent film lover who looks beyond the quick thrill quick fix movie ala "The Mummy" and its countless sequels but look instead at good storytelling and character development as well as innovative, inspired directing so that the whole becomes a work of art to be admired and to stand the test of time, there are really not that many films in existence; this film happens to be one of those that stand the test of time to remain a work of film art to inspire and to entertain serious movie-goers for decades to come.
Directors of note since the film's release such as Spielberg, Lucas among many others have already heralded the genius of this film and copied elements for their own work but you don't have to be a student of film to see just how brilliant this work of art is. You don't simply watch this you experience it and I know each time I do, I take away something new from it and I always look forward to the next installment each year.
Some have claimed that there is no clear story in this film but that is clearly false; there is one constant theme of the monolith and how it affected the various stages of human development suggesting it was the catalyst that got our civilisation going along the path it finally took. There are a few different mini-stories such as the early man, sickness and discovery of the monolith on the moon, the technology gone mad HAL story on the way to Jupiter and the final quest for the still unknown mysteries of space and hence the future of man i.e. the Starchild story at the end. A few mini-stories but all connected by the central theme of the monolith. What is the monolith? The religious among us may suggest that it is an analogy for God, for the atheists maybe some alien force that has an invisible hand in our species' growth and development; for George Lucas, it is The Force and I'm sure many others can substitute their own theories for this as well.
Why are so many younger people so upset at this film? Because in the old days of film, a good film like any good classic book or work of art doesn't tell you what to think but inspires and encourages you to find the meaning to make yourself better than you are by getting you to actually look into yourself and to find out how much potential you have to improve. Films in the last couple of decades don't do this as they tell you what to think and simply give you what you want effectively dumbing down things so that you don't have the chance to improve yourself; the quick sugar fix that dies soon after the 2 or so hours are over.
Some of you may say so what and still think "The David Letterman Show" is the epitome of great television; for you please give this and other films that are artforms such as "Lawrence of Arabia" a miss because you just won't get it. For those who see film as art and the great potential it has to educate and to encourage you to use your full God-given potential to think and grow, this film certainly ranks among the top-10 ever of greats of filmdom.
This dvd is also a real treat for fans as it has been restored very well with the Dolby 5.1 Digital Surround although the picture quality is quite good there are still some imperfections that can be improved upon. I can only imagine just how breathtaking the improved Blu-ray version must be. The Special Features also include excellent footage of the late great Arthur C. Clarke giving a speech and Q&A session at the opening of the film. By the way, widescreen is the only way to view this film and do any justice to it.
Not only is this the best Sci-Fi movie I've ever seen, it is also among the Top-10 works of film art ever made. I cannot recommend this film highly enough and this dvd version is also of good quality although I'm sure the Blu-ray version would have removed the picture quality imperfections.
Updated 29 May 2011:
As Amazon will not allow me to review this separately the Blu-Ray version of this film classic is certainly worth the double-dip; both the picture and sound qualities of this version far exceed that of the dvd and while the picture quality hasn't been restored frame-by-frame which explains the less than perfect frames from time to time especially during the prehistory scenes overall the difference is like night and day when compared with the dvd. The sound quality is vastly improved on the blu ray and the spoken dialogue comes across a lot clearer than on the dvd where sometimes it's barely audible.
Overall a very good transfer to 1080p and even the bonus features documentaries are a lot better than those on the dvd version.
Recommended!
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Reviews with images
Definitive. A must own whether it is your first copy or your 10th.
Just received the 50th Anniversary 4K HDR UHD and HD Blu Ray 3 disc set (today is Nov 6). When I ordered last week, Amazon stated this is a pre-order for Nov 20th release and it still says that. You can imagine my surprise when it showed up today. I see this release was set for October 30, then apparently pushed back to Nov 20. Well my copy is here and it's incredible.I have many versions of this on DVD, Blu-Ray and even Laser Disc. Basically every upgraded version that came out along the way. This is it. This is absolutely spectacular. The 4k is absolutely stunning, as expected, but the 1080p BD is also a noticeable improvement over the last HD release. The new transfer did wonders for both formats. The HD version is just the best of what one can expect from the format. The UHD brings out some things we haven't experienced....the colors and detail in some scenes are uncanny for anyome familiar with the film. It may even be jarring to some, but I'm looking forward to multiple viewings to really appreciate the increased details and color.I like both of the DTS-HD surround mixes. I don't hear quite as much difference as I expected, but it's great to hear the original 6 channel theatrical mix. The original seems to have more low end, but also looser and the highs rolled off in areas. The newer mix sounds cleaned up and modern. Makes sense. Great to have options.The actual plastic box for the discs does not match promo shots where it looks the same as the outer sleeve. I like the contrast of the different covers. See pics.
