8.4 1968 Votes : Mankind finds a mysterious, obviously artificial, artifact buried on the moon and, with the intelligent computer HAL, sets off on a quest. A daring narrative experiment inspired by Arthur C. Clarke's "The Sentinel", 2001 is a visual poem that charts a phenomenal history of human evolution. From the dawn-of-man discovery of crude but deadly tools to the metaphysical birth of the "star child", Kubrick's vision is meticulous and precise. Though dated now that its postmillennial space exploration has proven optimistic, the film is timelessly provocative in its exploration of inner- and outer-space consciousness. With painstakingly authentic effects that have stood the test of time, Kubrick's film is nothing less than a cinematic milestone. Let the Awe and Mystery of a Journey Unlike Any Other Begin 141 min | 160 min (premiere cut) tt0062622 Adventure / Sci-Fi Stanley Kubrick / Arthur C. Clarke Stanley Kubrick Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Keir Dullea Dr. Dave Bowman Gary Lockwood Dr. Frank Poole http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTMyNDI3MjY1M15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNTExNTQ0MQ@@._V1._SX95_SY140_.jpg William Sylvester Dr. Heywood R. Floyd Daniel Richter Moon-Watcher Leonard Rossiter Dr. Andrei Smyslov Margaret Tyzack Elena Robert Beatty Dr. Ralph Halvorsen Sean Sullivan Dr. Bill Michaels Douglas Rain HAL 9000 Frank Miller Mission controller (voice) Bill Weston Astronaut Ed Bishop Aries-1B Lunar shuttle captain (as Edward Bishop) Glenn Beck Astronaut http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMjE0NDQxMDgyNF5BMl5BanBnXkFyZXN1bWU@._V1._SX100_SY122_.jpg Alan Gifford Poole's father Ann Gillis Poole's mother