Like many of the reviewers on here both for and against the film, over the decades my expectations of films, along with the technology that produced them and the fashions that have driven them, have developed and changed and I can't help considering that fact when I reflect on this film. Clarke) first visits our prehistoric ape-ancestry past, then leaps millennia (via one of the most mind-blowing jump cuts ever) into colonised space, and ultimately whisks astronaut Bowman (Kier Dullea) into uncharted space, perhaps even immortality. To be honest, in my experience, this scan of 2001 and that of Blade Runner are two of the best reasons to go 4K. This is one of the nicest presentations of a large format film that I've personally had the pleasure of reviewing. I just ask them to imagine growing up in a time when this movie seemed to be as much predictive documentary as a work of science fiction.

The 4K image renders the deep blacks of space in a way that I’d never seen in this movie before, heightening the tension and solitude of those shots , while also making the bright white of the space stations interior even more clinical. But even then, this classic clash of wills doesn't constitute the climax of the story — that comes a bit later as Dave is confronted with a metaphysical journey across time and space that makes for a most intriguing twist in the story. I find it difficult to view Kubrick’s film today without context, both because I live in the modern world and can see those aforementioned impacts on many major filmmakers and even the industry itself. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then 2001: A Space Odyssey feels like the entire history of cinema collected into one jaw-dropping 148-minute visual masterpiece.The structure of this film is that when the monolith on the African plain is placed with the apes, its physical symbol of the first logical thought by the apes, these being the size ratios of the squares of the first three integers, 1;2;3, (1:4:9). It astounds me in our age of technological advancement that a futuristic film made in 1968 remains one of the most compelling cinematic labyrinths of all time. The restoration has been undertaken in collaboration with actor and long-term personal assistant to Stanley Kubrick, Leon Vitali. Note: I'm repeating some of the verbiage from my review of the 1080p Blu-ray in the first paragraph below.

Strangely, there are no new interviews or featurettes highlighting the restoration, but the collection of bonus features is quite informative.

This said it is still an entirely unique movie and special as it is certainly at least one of the earliest and best Sci fi movies today. Whether we like it or not, whether we are familiar with the technicalities or not, everything from the quality of the prints to the style of the acting and the look of the special effects will be scrutinised - consciously or unconsciously - by us when we watch a 45-year-old film, particularly one that has been so lauded and for which we are expected to have such high expectations. Insightful Featurettes: Standing on the Shoulders of Kubrick: The Legacy of 2001, Vision of a Future Passed: The Prophecy of 2001, 2001: A Space Odyssey – A Look Behind the Future and What Is Out There? The increase in detail, depth and, for want of a better word, granularity in the picture is just gorgeous.

Kubrick decided early on that he wanted the film to be a primarily non-verbal experience, and the result is an eerily quiet film. Such as, when a recording of an interview of these two astronauts on the Discovery ship, is played, they both see it on a tablet-like device. Watching the film, there was a palpable sense of excitement in the room as each of us found ourselves completely taken by some of the most arresting visions that have ever been committed to film. And the sense of awe just grew as the film shifts into the Dawn of Man sequence, before leading to actual drooling as we get to experience Kubrick’s remarkable vision/recreation of space in its new 4K, high dynamic range glory. Remastering the film for modern audiences (at the cinema as well as at home) has been a labor of love for a number of key names from all sides of the cinema and home entertainment industries.

At the same time, it’s been criticized as one of the most puzzling movies ever made, with its long segments of unfathomable cosmic mysteries. In previous editions, the large lamps come with a yellowish tint and glow, but they now beam an intense, true-to-life white. I liked watching the multitude of filmic and narrative devices that I have since seen in later films, many of which are far less memorable than this one. Along with every other musical piece employed throughout, the beautifully-balanced imaging exhibits a superbly clean and extensive mid-range, maintaining amazing detailed clarity and separation within the orchestration and at the highest frequencies. Audio Commentary: Actors Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood have a friendly chat and share various memories from the production.

I've just spent the last 30 minutes reading through a random selection of the mountain of public reviews posted for this film.

Watching a film can be a complicated experience and watching a film like this - as old as this - can be a very complicated experience. The new mix, though, subtly extends the dynamic range - especially in the upper register of the most potent orchestral sequences. This is, of course, most apparent during the "Dawn of Man" section where the dry desert sand and rocks are lavished in a variety of sepia, Hazelwood, tawny, and mocha shades.