Bring on the tough stuff. There’s not just one right answer.
- Why do you suppose the dialogue in this film is so muted and unemotional, and how does this connect to the film's themes and portrayal of its characters?
- Speaking of dialogue, why do you think such long stretches of the film have no dialogue whatsoever?
- How do you see women being portrayed in Kubrick's take on the future? What does this tell you about the space age as viewed from the 1960s? How about science fiction as a genre? Do you think the film would have been significantly different if one of the leads had been a woman? Or perhaps the HALita 9000?
- How does Kubrick's attention to scientific detail affect your reading of the film? Does it enhance or distract from the film's themes or characters?
- Why do you think the film opens with the alignment of the sun, the moon, and the earth? What does this foreshadow for the viewer and how does it put you in the mindset for viewing the film?
- So… what's up with the ending? We take a stab at answering this in our "What's Up with the Ending?" section, but it's also a very open-ended question. What's your personal reading of this (in)famous ending?
- Check out the theatrical trailer for 2001. How does it prepare you for watching the film? Do you see any of the film's themes being explored here? If so, which ones?
- Pick up a copy of 2001 the novel and give it a read. How does Clarke's novel differ from Kubrick's film? Also, how does Clarke's novel differ from your personal reading of the film? For example, did you read any of the key elements – the mysterious monolith or HAL's breakdown – as different than they were portrayed in the novel?
- How did the film suggest that HAL, although a machine, had consciousness?