Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" is the greatest science fiction film ever produced. Not simply because of its rich, imaginative visuals or ambitious story that reaches out into the unexplored depths of space, "2001" is magnificently superior because of its intellectual and spiritual implications. This fantastic journey is not merely a space exploration cautioning against the advent of artificial perfection through technology, but is a complex metaphor regarding human exploration through the dark depths of the human soul in search of spiritual progression.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) is a landmark, science fiction classic, an epic film containing more spectacular imagery than verbal dialogue. It is a profound and astounding film (a mysterious Rorschach film-blot) and a tremendous visual experience. Viewers are left to experience the non-verbal vastness of the film, and to subjectively reach into their own subconscious to speculate about its meaning. The first spoken word is almost a half hour into the film, and there's less than 40 minutes of dialogue in the entire film.

The breathtaking, richly eloquent film, deliberately filmed at a slow pace, is based on the short story The Sentinel, by science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke. Its screenplay was co-authored by director Stanley Kubrick and Clarke from an expanded novelization. The film originally opened to hostile, unsympathetic, or indifferent critical reviews.

"2001: A Space Odyssey" does become strikingly obscure and perplexing during this re-birth but this one of the only flaws in its dramatic elements. On an intellectual level, "2001" is nearly flawless. Another obscure element of this film is the title which is not meant to be a prediction or a device to attract a 1960s crowd young enough to live the 33 years until the date to see if the predictions would come true. Instead, "2001" is symbolic. Just as 2001 marks a new millenium, this number is used outside of its time reference by Kubrick to symbolize a new beginning of spiritual human existence.

Arthur Clarke's novel "2001: A Space Odyssey" was written after he and Kubrick completed the screenplay for the film. Necessarily, the novel is more technologically descriptive whereas Kubrick's film is technologically visual. Still, the novel is a great accompaniement and compliment to this beautiful film. The technological accuracy of the models in this film make the special effects timeless. Despite being made in 1968, these special effects are among the greatest and most effective to be found on film.

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