2001: A Space Oddessy (1968)

*SPOILER FREE

When I was visiting CERN, operating the largest particle physics laboratory in the world, and it's Large Hadron Collider, the world's largest and highest-energy particle Collider, on the borders between Switzerland and France in 2018 I was at awe from the moment I entered the site until... well, basically, now. In spite of the fact that I never wished I were smarter so much in my life, they were actually trying to answer three simple questions. WHAT ARE WE? WHERE DID WE COME FROM? and, WHERE ARE WE GOING? Stanley Kubrick in his cinematic phenomenon is, arguably, trying to ask the same questions.

And today with the whole world being astonished at the new captured spectacular images of the cosmos from the James Webb Space Telescope, the most advanced engineering achievement in the history of human quest for astronomical research, marking the beginning of a new era of space observation, hoping to capture a look at the dawn of time and creation. Nothing in the world of cinema and sci-fi is as appealing as the 1968 masterpiece '2001: A Space Oddessy'.

While it's almost impossible to make a one fixed synopsis of it, 2001: A Space Oddessy is a science fiction drama exploring the dawn and future of man. A voyage of the human advancement and technological pioneering through space flight and interstellar traveling. An investigation of morality and the unknown. And a hypnosis of the greatest leap in human evolution.

Stanley Kubrick dares to ask humanity's biggest existential and philosophical questions. And leaves it to the viewer to make their own conclusions and theories. Nature vs nurture, religion vs science, known vs unknown, optimism vs darkness, good vs evil... This is the ultimate ambiguous trip.

Starting with its grand opening while 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra' by Richard Strauss is stealing our breath away, and soon later - succeeding possibly the greatest match cut in the history of cinema - diving into space while 'The Beautiful Blue Danube' Waltz by Johann Strauss II is meditating our minds, 2001: A Space Oddessy is a spiritual experience in sight and sound.

Action plan for you, in case you are marveling over the same questions: CERN goes on your bucket list, the first images from the JWST go on your wonder list, and 2001: A Space Oddessy goes on your watch list.

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Images from JWST: https://www.nasa.gov/webbfirstimages

Available to watch, rent/buy on HBO Max and on Amazon Prime Video

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