2001: A Space Odyssey
1968 · Movie · G · 149 min · ★ 8.0 · 87% critics
After a mysterious object is uncovered beneath the Moon’s surface, a space mission sets out to trace its origins. As the crew travels deeper into the unknown, they rely on an advanced onboard computer—until the journey’s quiet routines and vast distances begin to feel increasingly unsettling.
Based on The Sentinel, Encounter in the Dawn
Also known as 2001 l'Odyssée de l'espace · Journey Beyond the Stars · How the Solar System Was Won · Two Thousand and One: A Space Odyssey
Where to watch
Streaming on HBO Max.
2 hours to watch.
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Details
- Years
- 1968
- Release date
- 1968-04-02
- Language
- English
- Rated
- G
- Runtime
- 149 min
- Max quality
- UHD
- Critic score
- 87/100
- TMDB rating
- 8.0/10 (12,626 votes)
- Box office
- $190,700,000
- Budget
- $10,500,000
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a hypnotic, visually driven sci-fi experience that leans into mystery and big ideas more than action, similar in spirit to Solaris; Not for you if you need fast pacing and clear, plot-heavy storytelling.
Pros: stunning space visuals; memorable classical music; ambitious sci-fi ideas | Cons: very slow pacing; thin character focus; abstract, confusing stretches
Themes
- man vs machine
- moon
- jupiter
- artificial intelligence (a.i.)
- based on novel or book
- technology
- super computer
- space travel
- space mission
- moon base
- astronaut
- evolution
- +9 more
Awards & recognition
- Academy Award — Best Visual Effects · 1969
- BAFTA Award — Best Sound · 1969
- David di Donatello — best foreign production · 1969
- Hugo Award — Best Dramatic Presentation · 1969
- Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award — Best Film · 1969
Show all 16 awards →
- Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award — Best Director · 1969
- National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
- Academy Award — Best Writing, Original Screenplay · 1969 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Director · 1969 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Production Design · 1969 · nominated
- BAFTA Award — Best Film · 1969 · nominated
- BAFTA Award — Best Sound · 1969 · nominated
- Hugo Award — Best Dramatic Presentation · 1969 · nominated
- United Nations Awards · 1969 · nominated
- Directors Guild of America Award — Outstanding Directing – Feature Film · 1968 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Visual Effects · nominated
Cast & crew
Keir Dullea
as Dr. David Bowman
Gary Lockwood
as Dr. Frank Poole
William Sylvester
as Dr. Heywood Floyd
Douglas Rain
as HAL 9000 (voice)
Daniel Richter
as Moonwatcher
Leonard Rossiter
as Dr. Andrei Smyslov
Margaret Tyzack
as Elena
Robert Beatty
as Dr. Ralph Halvorsen
- SS
Sean Sullivan
as Dr. Roy Michaels
- FM
Frank W. Miller
as Mission Controller (voice)
Directed by Stanley Kubrick