
2001: A Space Odyssey
An epic drama of adventure and exploration.
1968 • 149 min • Science Fiction · Mystery · Adventure
Synopsis
Humanity finds a mysterious object buried beneath the lunar surface and sets off to find its origins with the help of HAL 9000, the world's most advanced super computer.
Our family guide
Best from age 12- 92 Reviewers · 12 · 75%
- 80 Audience · 12776 · 25%
From prehistoric times to the distant future, humanity encounters a mysterious monolith that guides its evolution. Astronauts journey to Jupiter with the help of the advanced AI, HAL 9000, to investigate a signal, leading to a profound exploration of intelligence and existence.
- Violence & peril
- 3/10
- Language
- 1/10
- Drinking, drugs & smoking
- 1/10
- Romance & sensuality
- 1/10
- Scary moments
- 4/10
Heads up
- Challenging themes and slow pacing
- Minimal dialogue, requiring careful attention
- Intense and abstract sequences
What it models well
- The pursuit of knowledge and discovery
- Humanity's potential for evolution
- The power of artificial intelligence
Talk about it after
- The nature of consciousness and intelligence
- The impact of technology on humanity
- Our place in the vastness of the universe
Written by the Movie Knight editorial team for 2001: A Space Odyssey. Our own words, our own scoring — always double-check against your family's standards.
Where to watch
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Top billed cast
Director: Stanley Kubrick • Crew: Arthur C. Clarke, Stanley Kubrick

Keir Dullea
Dr. David Bowman

Gary Lockwood
Dr. Frank Poole

William Sylvester
Dr. Heywood Floyd

Douglas Rain
HAL 9000 (voice)

Daniel Richter
Moonwatcher

Leonard Rossiter
Dr. Andrei Smyslov

Margaret Tyzack
Elena

Robert Beatty
Dr. Ralph Halvorsen
- S
Sean Sullivan
Dr. Roy Michaels
- F
Frank W. Miller
Mission Controller (voice)
Trailers & clips
Adam Savage Learns How The Academy Preserved Legendary '2001: A Space Odyssey' Props
Steven Spielberg on 2001: A Space Odyssey
Anti-Gravity Stewardess
"Kubrick Never Carried Cigarettes" - Douglas Trumbull on 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (2010) | TIFF REWIND
Dawn of Man: Opening Monolith Scene
Journey to the Monolith
Kubrick In Conversation - Keir Dullea on 2001: A Space Odyssey
The Room
Reviewer notes
RecommendedTrusted family reviewersSeeing _2001: A Space Odyssey_ on the big screen for the first time is an eye-opener. The vastness of space, the eerily precise shots of the spacecraft, and the careful pacing all come to life in a way a TV could never match. The immersive sound design, from the opening hum to the famous orchestral music, and in particular the equally orchestrated silence filling the cinema, makes you feel like you're part of the ...
RecommendedPleasing on a technical level, even with barely anything to grasp story-wise. <em>'2001: A Space Odyssey'</em> looks and sounds exquisite, it really is seriously impressive in that regard for a film from 1968. That is, however, the only reason that this gets a passing rating from me if I'm to be totally truthful. The plot itself is rather disappointing, with not much meat on the bones. I get it's evidently g...
RecommendedTrusted family reviewersThis is the most pretentious crap ever made - but is it an amazing film? No. But it is an amazing _**piece of art**_. This is worthy of the label of film, but the label of film is not worthy of this. Kubrick has crafted a stellar and surreal experience, one of the greatest **_pieces of art_** ever made. Why, you ask, do I obtain from referring to this as a film? Because it is simply not, it is an overpowering sens...
RecommendedTrusted family reviewersAbsolute classic, must see, one of the best scifi movies ever made
RecommendedFrom the opening bars of Richard Strauss's "Also spracht Zarathustra" you just know that this is going to be something unique - and that it is. Apes, playing by a puddle - occasionally engaging in some noisy territorial warfare with their neighbours until one morning, this great black monolith appears. Shortly afterwards these creatures have realised that old bones make new weapons - and that these weapons can kil...
Not recommended**A magnificent film, with beautiful music and great visuals... but smug, empty and unforgivably overrated.** Stanley Kubrick is, for me, one of those directors who so quickly impresses us with a great film, as it makes us doubt his competence with an absolutely pathetic trash. I know that the director's fans are going to crucify me, but that's how I think, and I even say more: with each Kubrick film I see, I a...
RecommendedI saw it for the first time when I was in middle school. I thought it was the worst movie ever. Then, some time later, as an adult, I rewatched it and was amazed at how wonderful it was. It was so beautiful and magnificent that I could not believe it was made in 1968, and I thought it was an unprecedented and solemn historical work, like Goethe's "Faust" in literature, one of the greatest masterpieces of cinema th...
RecommendedTrusted family reviewers_**Inscrutable space science-fiction as cinematic art**_ The discovery of an ancient extraterrestrial monolith on the Moon leads to a mission to Jupiter, but the astronauts have unexpected complications with their vessel’s onboard computer, HAL 9000. William Sylvester plays an official of US Astronautics in the first hour while Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood play the two functioning astronauts in the second half...
RecommendedI got this movie recently when it came out on Ultra HD Blu-ray simply because it was missing in my collection and, being a Sci-Fi fan, missing 2001 in my collection simply would not do. It is a movie that was made to rely almost entirely on the visuals. It could be said that it is a visual symphony if that makes sense. Thus it was filmed on 70 mm film and in 6 channel stereo which, at the time was a huge thing. Th...
RecommendedTrusted family reviewersThe eighth wonder of the world. Easily 30+ viewings since I was a little kid. Nothing new to say here; simply wanted to add another pair of hands to the ocean of applause for my absolute favorite thing, the only indisputably perfect movie, the answer to the question of Is Life Worth Living, Man's greatest achievement, two thousand one a burger-flipping space odyssey
RecommendedTrusted family reviewersI believe that we should call it a modernism show, albeit exhibited in the form of a movie. While it might feel "boring", it forces you to rethink what philosophical level that a two-hour film can achieve. The focus on questions about life, intelligence, and time, is worth more attention than the sci-fi part (though the special effect of this movie is already way ahead of its time).
RecommendedThere are many great predictions hinting to future (it is from 1968 - can you believe it?) innovations throughout the movie. I might not have found all them because I keep falling asleep while watching it but I will keep trying to find them all.
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Gallery
Details
- TMDB audience
- 8.0/10 (12,776)
- Age rating
- G
- Status
- Released
- Budget
- $12,000,000
- Box office
- $71,923,560
- Franchise
- The Space Odyssey Series
- IMDb
- tt0062622
- Official site
- www.warnerbros.com

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