For me “A 2001 Space Odyssey” is, definitely, one of the greatest movies shot. And the reason behind it is not only high quality of old movies. I strongly believe that shooting films was taken much more seriously at that time than it is nowadays. The importance of this movie lays in the broadening of consciousness, the stimulation for imagination, which this wonderful movie provides. This is a science fiction piece; however it goes far beyond the concept of science fiction to which people are used nowadays. A film or a book of science fiction is oftentimes designed to shock the reader or the viewer with the unbelievable.

This fantastic element does not necessarily have to base on any scientific evidence or any philosophical metaphor. It is different in “a 2001 Space Odyssey”. This movie is not about special visual effects, though such are present in the movie and are of quite reasonable quality even for a modern viewer who is used to much more advanced technologies. But this film has got a message and this message is not simply making the viewer believe something. It is not preaching the viewer. On the contrary, it is a film which teaches to be critical, to think critically, and to think beyond the framework of conventional.

It is important to remember, that the movie was worked on parallel with the book. In fact, the work on the book was slightly ahead the work on the film. But when comparing the two even though for me it is usually the other way around, I find myself enjoying the film much more. And I oftentimes thought of the reasons behind this phenomenon.