10 Interpretations Of 2001: A Space Odyssey

2001: A Space Odyssey, Stanley Kubrick's sci-fi masterpiece, has been debated and dissected by viewers for decades. Here are popular interpretations.

After Rock Hudson and 240 others walked out of the premiere of 2001: A Space Odyssey because it wasn’t immediately obvious what it was about, the movie’s co-writer Arthur C. Clarke said that if it was obvious, then he and director Stanley Kubrick wouldn’t have done their jobs right.

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The whole point of the movie, which tackles such huge philosophical subjects as the meaning of life and the future of the human race, is that it needs to be dissected. On the 50th viewing, there are still new details to pick up on. 2001 has been interpreted in all kinds of fascinating ways.

10 The Monoliths Were Created By Advanced Aliens

This isn’t a fan theory; it’s actually from the expanded 2001 canon found in Arthur C. Clarke’s novels. The novel that was developed concurrently with the movie makes it explicit that the Monoliths were created by aliens that have gone through several more stages of evolution than humans.

These aliens sent the Monoliths to Earth, the Moon, and Jupiter to guide human evolution. In the book, Dave Bowman actually meets these aliens and they explain the ending of the movie to him.

9 Homer’s Odyssey

After considering such titles as Across the Sea of Stars, Jupiter Window, Planetfall, and Farewell to Earth, Kubrick landed on 2001: A Space Odyssey as a reference to Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey. Literary scholars have drawn several parallels between the two.

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Bowman’s name could be a reference to Odysseus, whose final trial requires him to show off his talent for archery, while HAL’s single eye has a visual similarity to the Cyclops from Homer’s famous tale.

8 HAL Is More Human Than The Human Characters

Roger Ebert posited that HAL is the most human character in 2001; more human than the humans he murders. HAL was designed to be the perfect computer, but he malfunctions and turns evil.

When Bowman is about to shut off HAL for good by ripping up his circuits, HAL has an emotional crisis and begs for his life, even admitting that he’s scared.

7 The Search For God

Some viewers of 2001 have theorized that the plot is a metaphor for the human race’s search for God. The elusive Monolith takes a long time to present itself to humans, and when humans get out to the Moon to check it out, they can’t understand it.

Kubrick didn’t subscribe to any monotheistic religious creed, but he was fascinated by the vastness of the universe and humankind’s potential to create its own image of God.

6 Conception

One of the wilder readings of 2001 is that it’s a giant cosmic metaphor for conception. The shape of the Discovery has been compared to a sperm, while its destination, Jupiter, is described as an egg.

When the ship reaches Jupiter, another Monolith appears and Bowman passes through the Star Gate, eventually being reborn as a Star Child (appearing, interestingly enough, as an in utero fetus in space), paving the way for humankind’s next stage of evolution.

5 The Militarization Of Satellites

The original script for 2001 included a voiceover after the match cut from the ape tossing a bone in the air, explaining that the satellites we see contain nuclear weapons (and in the original ending, the Star Child detonated these weapons and destroyed Earth). At the time of 2001’s release, the world was on the brink of a nuclear war and Kubrick had just covered the topic in Dr. Strangelove.

The voiceover was removed when Kubrick realized that nuclear weapons had no place in the wider narrative’s thematic framework, but that hasn’t stopped some viewers from reading the film as a comment on the militarization of satellites and humanity’s instinct for aggression.

4 Humankind Is Defined By Violence

The "Dawn of Man" sequence that opens 2001 concludes with one of the apes figuring out how to use a bone as a weapon. This is depicted as the moment that apes evolved into humans.

The first tool used by humankind was a weapon, suggesting that, in Kubrick’s eyes, humanity is defined by its startling capacity for violence.

3 A New Heaven

For some viewers, the ending of 2001 with the birth of the Star Child points to the creation of a new heaven. Since Kubrick had just directed Dr. Strangelove, a lot of critics felt that the Star Child appeared over Earth with the intention of destroying it.

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But a lot of passive moviegoers who were unfamiliar with Kubrick’s previous work viewed the film as an optimistic tale about the exciting future of humanity beginning with the Star Child.

2 Frankenstein Allegory

As a synthetic life-form created by humans that becomes sentient and kills people, HAL 9000 has been compared to Frankenstein’s monster. 2001 was one of the first movies to explore the ethics and downsides of artificial intelligence.

Some scholars have noted that, like Frankenstein’s monster, HAL’s very existence is what makes him a monster. There are parallels between HAL’s murderous rampage and the first scene of the monster on the loose in James Whale’s Frankenstein.

1 Nietzsche’s Übermensch Theory

Kubrick’s philosophical views were closely in line with that of Nietzsche, particularly the theory of "eternal return," the idea that all existence is recurring, doomed to repeat itself forever. Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra is directly referenced in 2001’s use of Richard Strauss’ musical composition of the same name.

The plot of 2001 has been read as an allegory for Nietzsche’s theory that man is the bridge between ape and Übermensch (aka "Superman"). The opening "Dawn of Man" sequence shows how apes evolved into humans — by discovering how to use violence for personal gain — while the final moments with the birth of the Star Child can be seen as a visualization of the Übermensch.

NEXT: 10 Best Performances Directed By Stanley Kubrick, Ranked

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