The dystopian film, 2001: A Space Odyssey by Stanley Kubrick journeys the galaxy during the commencement of the earth. During this enthralling journey comes the development of apes, which ignite the idea of the evolution of the most insolent species to ever roam the planet-humans. Now man has to prepare for the evolution of extreme intelligence—technology. Hal is an artificial intelligence that was created by Dave and Frank to help man with tasks easier and efficiently in the spaceship Discovery, but soon this evolution is a regression of man, and Kubrick’s ideas change the course of mankind.
The technological advancements from the beginning as a single stick excel to practically computerized DNA, which in return creates a dehumanized man and the rebirth of a new era of “human. ” The opening sequence of the film depicts the universe as mysterious, magnificent, and rising in power. The introduction provides a sense of confusion and mystery as it uses crescendos of vast instruments, and ear-shattering alarms as the screen remains completely black.
A parallel frame of the sun, moon, and earth creates a vision of “The Dawn” of the universe—with the vast, naked, desert-like lands displaying the glorious concept of life. The beginning of the film consists of a group of apes, which represents the idea of evolution. Each ape consists of individualism as they do their own thing in order to survive. A large, black monolith appears, and ignites a change in the apes as a single ape rises and shouts at the top of the cliff; and the other apes soon follow.
The idea of power is displayed as a single revolutionary act advances the apes. An evolutionary progress is made as the apes are now goal-oriented as the dominance of a single ape transforms the group from anarchy to a monarchy. A single stick as a tool and weapon is the first technological advancement seen; it is used to attack another group of apes, and exemplifies the human characteristics of survival. In the middle of the film, Frank and Dave—two space astronauts, first appear together when eating vigorously, vibrant colors of baby food TV dinners.
Their temperaments are portrayed as bland and boring, and they do their activities with blank expressions. Hal 9000—the most advanced artificial intelligence and an onboard computer of the spaceship Discovery is similar to Dave and Frank by the similar monologue dialect they share, but are very different; Dave and Frank seem like good men, but are bottled up and hushed when discussing information about the mission. On the other hand. Hal seems malevolent, especially in the scene where he is conversing with Dave, and the close up is of a mechanical creature with a piercing red eye.
Hal represents the further evolution of technology, but he also displays a warning of what could happen when man creates artificial life and intelligence. Hal evolves into that of a human when he begins displaying human characteristics of emotions, and soon becomes an individual similar to the evolution of the apes. Hal’s human-like characteristics are seen when he begins disobeying orders, and begins to defend himself to continue his existence as a motionless computerized human. In a way, Hal is more humanized than Frank and Dave; he exhibits more human emotion and expressions than Frank and Dave.
The disconnection and death of Hal is a form of dehumanizing him; as each program is unplugged, Hal becomes less emotional and more robotic. The end of the movie displays the rebirth of the human and the overall evolution of man overtime. Throughout the movie, the monolith can be portrayed as the female vagina; it’s the “golden ring” of rebirth and humans who desire to reproduce are naturally drawn to it, which is why every time the monolith appears the apes and humans stand in awe.
The “acid trip” through the rainbow of colors and patterns is like a visual rip of sex and the birth canal—which is where the mystery of life begins. After the “acid trip,” Dave arrives in an alternate universe appearing in a white lit room; the room seems pure and earthly, and acts as a womb. Dave’s numerous changes act as the trimesters a woman has during pregnancy; it’s a transformation of a being that comes with age and time. The last stage is of Dave dying, and represents the circle of life; in order to be reborn you have to die, which is similar to an afterlife.
After Dave’s death, a baby covered in a clear, embryotic-like sac is centered in the screen, which gives a sense of Dave’s rebirth to possibly a greater species of human. Overall, Kubrick’s sense of development of humans and technological advancements are closely predicted to today’s advancements. Technology has advanced with the creation of iPhones and the use of Siri, and humans can now be genetically modified to be virtually perfect. The technological advancements from the beginning as a single stick excel to practically computerized DNA, which in return creates a dehumanized man and the rebirth of a new era of “human. “
