Faisal Bawazir's
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Adaptation of the film '2001 Space Odyssey' by Director Stanley Kubrick (1968) from the Short Story 'The Sentinel" by Arthur C. Clake (1951)

Al-Bawazir's Film Selection Rating :

Would you consider that human being were the only beings of intelligence on this planet? How about the entire nebular system? Have you considered that we are not the only beings capable of thingking, to be able to do things out of perfect reasoning. How about yourself or the beings within you? Those micro-organisms . Cells that knows exactly knows was best for them and for you. Would you have considered them intelligent. Or insects like bees or ants, the best and the most industrious of insects. Would you have considered them as intelligent, superseding even the intelligence of humans. If micro-organisms existed on this planet, then perhaps there is a possiblity of finding one in another. We are not alone then...We share the comfort of our bed with literally billions of other creatures. After all we all dont want to be alone. Should we really think deep about it? How about creations...God creates!. We human create too but only limited to mechanical ways. No..not life..non. If you have pondered all of my questions and reasonings, should we let go and let god?

To me those are the question that both the authors and the director seek to direct our focus to. It simply taps into the memories of creation. As we eveloved, se seem to distant our self from our evolving ancestors, millions of years ago (or could it be?, since new discoveries are challenging and refuting Darwinism).

I mean look at it at one angle of mine which I asked so many times ever since I was a child...when my teachers thought me about the evolution of humans from pro-maglion to Australopithecus (hope I got that right). Why did they show me pictures of human evolution, yet there was no pictures of evolutions in animals or dinosaurs? In fact all the dinosaurs skeleton looked the same everywhere, only the variety was different. Needless to say, at the time I was asked to stand on my chair. Apes to human...?? nah, from science point of view, DNA from certain species from bees are wayyyyy closer than of apes or any other species. Only our skeleton resembled almost the same though.

However, like any movie goers we leave the realism of reality outside of our minds and somewhat the Darwinism seem to settle in quite comfy. Anyway, the movie seek to find the missing link that seemed to have been left open in Darwinism theory. More importantly, was the spaceship that crosses the universe, searching for life itself and the monolith.

There was a (*) glitch somewhere between the movie and the story. In Clarke's story, the pieces of slab stones (monolith's) was technological machines that belonged to the alien's and hundred of such monoliths were sent to earth by the aliens to teach and transform the apes for their betterment...into intelligent beings (humans). No such indication were given in the movie though. The slabs pop up and disappears as though it has existed long before the creation of time and was watching...observing and judging what was being done. As a matter of fact I think Kubrick was indeed looking for answers, looking for direction and searching for god.

There was also another glitch. (*) at the beginning of the movie, in the water hole. In the apes quest for survival, a band of apes went to the waterhole, led by an upright tall man like ape named Moonwatcher in the story. In short, one of the apes found a bone which it used as a tool and flung it up into the air victoriously. I think the fim try to assert the time when mankind first created evil and championing it as a way of life right in the presence of the creator who was only watching, and evaluating and constantly testing. Not to mention that inter cut of a tapir that fall into the ground....depicting mankind change in diet......carnivorous was created the apes ate raw flesh in their hands!

I particularly like it when the apes threw the bone into the...and then boom ...fade out into four millions later. Yes, it was mankind jubilant throw. From a primitive tool as modes as a bone, into lunar journey. The slabs appeared when the spaceship was docking on the moon. Imagery of a journey, representing the representation of life. When they found the slab on the moon Dr. Floyd said: "It was deliberately buried four million years ago". It looked the same, produced the same sound heard by the apes in the previous scene. The first sighting of the monolith signifies mans first encounter with a significant tool that changes how they lived. The second sighting of the monolith also signifies mans second encounter with a significant tool that changes how they lived: HAL 9000. A machine created from the evolution of mankind. Worst, capable of similar intelligent and feelings...jealousy, rebel and anger.

(*) In my opinion, since humans created these machine, therefore, humans became the creator. As such, the created took instructions from the creator. Nonetheless, since the machine have all the tendencies of a humans, HAL deliberately began to refuse to obey instructions. In clever imagenary, Kubrick was actually reveaking to us the nature, the dark side and the truth that human beings have always fought with the will of god, ever since the beginning of time.

IMEO, I have to say that Director Stanley Kubrick could vividly imagine the writings of Arthur C. Clarke so elaborately perhaps to the surprise of Arthur himself. If you are have a hard time understanding the reading, then fear not. The story was never designed to be understood rather it was much more intended to be imagined. The story also never made it into a competition in native a English speaking country. So fret not! But the original intention to create an imaginative mind was an applaud.

The attention to details, and the timing as well as the creation of gadgets and gizmos unheard of at the time was one of the hallmark that Kubrick deserves so well even if he had access to information of prototypes (i am making assumptions here) at the time. Why did I say that? It is simple...none of the directors could have devised the cinematography, montage and special effects of developing the movie at the time. It was 1968 guys, with a standard 35 mm lens...Imagine creating a man defying gravity or the stars and the moon with that. So, Kudos Mr. Kubrick.

P/s: If you love spaceship, space and quest for extraterrestrial life consider some of my all childhood favourite .... Battlestar Galactica, E.T and StarTrek.