A Question For Those That Don't "Get" 2001: A Space Odyssey

[ShotgunSteven]

What exactly is it about the film that you do not "get?"

 

[MotionMan]

Originally posted by: ShotgunSteven
What exactly is it about the film that you do not "get?"

For those who do not get it, there is no way to answer that question.

The question should be, "Do you get that the movie is about _____________?" (OP fill in the blank, since the movie is about different things for different people, regardless of what the makers intended)

MotionMan

 

[Jeff7]

I sat through it once, and didn't get what the point was supposed to be. He died and became a giant baby?
A black monolith was there when humans at various stages of development did important things. Was it observing or causing them? What was it?

For me, the only value in seeing the movie has been that I now understand references to it in pop culture. Other than that, it was a damn boring and pointless movie.

So please, feel free to enlighten me.

 

[ShotgunSteven]

Originally posted by: MotionMan

Originally posted by: ShotgunSteven
What exactly is it about the film that you do not "get?"

For those who do not get it, there is no way to answer that question.

The question should be, "Do you get that the movie is about _____________?" (OP fill in the blank, since the movie is about different things for different people, regardless of what the makers intended)

MotionMan

Just to clarify, I don't expect them to cover the entire movie if the entire thing just left them befuddled. I am curious about even individual segments or sequences that they might not understand, or that left them sitting there saying, "WTF?"

 

[MotionMan]

Originally posted by: ShotgunSteven

Originally posted by: MotionMan

Originally posted by: ShotgunSteven
What exactly is it about the film that you do not "get?"

For those who do not get it, there is no way to answer that question.

The question should be, "Do you get that the movie is about _____________?" (OP fill in the blank, since the movie is about different things for different people, regardless of what the makers intended)

MotionMan

Just to clarify, I don't expect them to cover the entire movie if the entire thing just left them befuddled. I am curious about even individual segments or sequences that they might not understand, or that left them sitting there saying, "WTF?"

But if they did not get the scene, they have no way of explaining what they did not get about it. All they can say is, "I did not get the _________ scene." Of course, that assumes that every scene has something to get.

For example, the scene where the astronauts watch their own interview while eating. Is there something to get in that scene in your opinion? Or was it just a set up scene for some other scene that has something to get?

MotionMan

 

[tfcmasta97]

Changing color filters while zooming in on the guys eye before going to an empty white room for some abstract art BS

What's here to 'get'?

 

[Old Hippie]

or that left them sitting there saying, "WTF?"

I saw it sober in '69 when I was 17yrs. old. Didn't get it then, and now I'm to old to care.

The day after, we went to the theater next door and saw The Stewardesses in 3D.

Much better special effects, and I understood it! :laugh:

 

[Queasy]

I didn't get it either until I read the book. That pretty much cleared up everything.

 

[xSauronx]

i remember i started to watch this when i got netflix. i wanted to catch up on a lot of "classics" i had never seen.

the only classic that was more boring was citizen kane. i stopped watching kane and folded laundry.

i just took a half-a-nap during 2001.

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: xSauronx
i remember i started to watch this when i got netflix. i wanted to catch up on a lot of "classics" i had never seen.

the only classic that was more boring was citizen kane. i stopped watching kane and folded laundry.

i just took a half-a-nap during 2001.

Most of what I remember from 2001:

That little bit of music that everyone knows and loves.

The fact that they have meal pills and we don't, dammit.

"Good morning, Dave."

The Monolith Theme: "eeeeEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeEEEEE!!!!eeeeeEEEEEEEeeeeeeewooWOOwoowoowooeEEEEEEEeeeee"

 

[Captante]

Why would this surprise you?

Think of how dumb the average person is & then recall that nearly half the population falls below them in intelligence.

 

[SampSon]

Originally posted by: Captante
Why would this surprise you?

Think of how dumb the average person is & then recall that nearly half the population falls below them in intelligence.

So how is it down there below the line? Is it warm like apple pie?

 

[wwswimming]

i'm not sure if i got all of what there was to get.

so the monkeys cluster around the obilisk, the oversize Domino looking thing,
at the beginning.

then Hal the computer develops a dislike for one of the human characters.

Hal, i suppose, being an example of AI.

what is there to get ?

AI can go bad - actually, i'm not familiar with the film. maybe the
astronaut Hal dislikes is a bad neighbor.

i'm not sure 2001 is really about that. i think it's just very interesting.
a movie can be thought-provoking without providing definite answers.

it didn't leave me with the feeling, "ooh, watch out for AI".

 

[Captante]

Originally posted by: SampSon

Originally posted by: Captante
Why would this surprise you?

Think of how dumb the average person is & then recall that nearly half the population falls below them in intelligence.

So how is it down there below the line? Is it warm like apple pie?

You tell me!

 

[SlickSnake]

Originally posted by: Old Hippie

or that left them sitting there saying, "WTF?"

I saw it sober in '69 when I was 17yrs. old. Didn't get it then, and now I'm to old to care.

The day after, we went to the theater next door and saw The Stewardesses in 3D.

Much better special effects, and I understood it! :laugh:

I didn't get the money shot.

But Old Hippie did!

 

[SlickSnake]

Originally posted by: ShotgunSteven
What exactly is it about the film that you do not "get?"

Remember the year, 1968.

To "get" it, you need to be stoned and tripping. And preferably wearing tie dye clothing, and a flower in your hair.

2001: A Space Odyssey

Kubrick 2001: The Space Odessy Explained

 

[Leros]

Originally posted by: wwswimming

i'm not sure if i got all of what there was to get.

so the monkeys cluster around the obilisk, the oversize Domino looking thing,
at the beginning.

then Hal the computer develops a dislike for one of the human characters.

Hal, i suppose, being an example of AI.

what is there to get ?

AI can go bad - actually, i'm not familiar with the film. maybe the
astronaut Hal dislikes is a bad neighbor.

i'm not sure 2001 is really about that. i think it's just very interesting.
a movie can be thought-provoking without providing definite answers.

it didn't leave me with the feeling, "ooh, watch out for AI".

The AI didn't go bad. It did exactly what it was supposed to do.

 

[Mo0o]

I hated that movie. THe middle was exciting but the 1st and 3rd act just sucked. THe message is pretty heavyhanded, especially in the 1st act so it's not like it was hard to get. Just boring

 

[SlitheryDee]

I'm pretty sure there isn't much to get. Sounded like bunch of mystic mumbo jumbo even after it was explained to me via some website.

Ahh here it is...

The rest is a colored light show mixed with "trippy" imagery inserted into the movie for no good reason.

 

[BrownTown]

There are at least two entirely sensical explenations that I have heard although I only think the author intended one of them. One is a parable about mans usage of tools and sort of a warning not to let them get to powerfull and all. The other is an allegory of Nietzsches metomorphosis of man as seen in Thus Spake Zarathustra (also the name of that famous song in this movie). Really from what I've seen both Kubrick and Clarke said that niether one was any more right than the other, the book and the movie differ enough such that its entirely possible they have different meanings.

Personally I saw it as the Nietzsche interpetation first where man is first like a camel and wanders around (the ape section) then then transforms into a lion (the present day stuff) where he tries to master the universe, and then kills God (HAL) and becomes a child (spacebaby) who represents the birth of a new superman who is not incumbered by morality and such. Whether or not this is the intention of the movie it follows incredbily well and therefore many people see that. Although the whole "mans relation to technology" story is probably seen more often since its more obvious and most people probably haven't read Thus Spake Zarathustra.

Just my 2 cents, this is actually one of a few things where I think several interpretations are valid (which I normally think is BS).

EDIT: oh yeah and asking someone "what don't you understand" is an impossible question to answer...

 

[The Boston Dangler]

despite being abusively boring, it was pretty good until the end. then, in contrast to the first 6 hours, it's just artsy nonsense.

 

[40sTheme]

I still don't fully understand the Starchild... it's the only thing that doesn't make sense to me.

 

[jman19]

Originally posted by: 40sTheme
I still don't fully understand the Starchild... it's the only thing that doesn't make sense to me.

The next step in human evolution.

 

[MotionMan]

Originally posted by: BrownTown

EDIT: oh yeah and asking someone "what don't you understand" is an impossible question to answer...

Thank you. That was my point all along.

MotionMan

 

[destrekor]

To ask it with my own take:

Does everyone understand that the monolith is supposed to be a cue to the philosophy of evolution and the entire reason WHY primates evolved into the human race? Does it make sense to you, that the black monolith is merely a visual representation for the creation of the modern image of intelligence, implying logic and skills to situations that present themselves?
My take of the film is that primates were standard mammals that suddenly developed a need for an intelligence. The Black Monolith appears, and the creatures want to know what what it is. And the drive all comes down to a drive to WANT to know what it is. The movie takes a quest from the beginning of time to to the future, all with the drive to understand this object. It can be said this becomes the desire to understand everything that puzzles us. The beginning also implies the very beginning of using tools, starting with a club to fight with, which leads to more efficient hunting and likely was the beginning stages of having tribal leaders, well... a patriarch system where an individual essentially leads the entire group.

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