2001: a space Odyssey

Out 29 october / Cert 12 / 149 mins

Some classics are so highly regarded that they become untouchable museum pieces, fossilised by their own formidable reputations — films to be revered rather than actively enjoyed. 2001: A Space Odyssey would perhaps seem to fit that category. But if you’ve been put off, step over the ‘do not touch’ rope, remove the protective casing and watch it. What gets lost when brilliant films are canonised is how alive they really are — for all its notorious iconography, 2001’s greatness lies in more than its culturally ubiquitous images. Kubrick’s technical mastery, the scalp-itching monolith music, the abstract plotting — it all pulses and breathes, something to be experienced rather than merely observed. the 50th anniversary means we now get a pristine 4K HDR edition, but if 2001 remains on your ‘I’ll watch it someday’ list, forget the milestone anniversary, shrug off its cultural weight, and just sit back for 149 minutes of mind-bendingly vivid sci-fi.