release year: 1968
genre: sci-fi
viewing setting: home laserdisc, 1/8/99
what I expected: couldn't remember
what I got: a deep space drama with much symbolism
synopsis: In a slow and often boring manner, we witness various stages of man's evolution, with most of the movie taking place in the near future.
impressions: As I said, it's slow-paced and often monotonous. It's kind of hard to figure out what's going on; I happened to watch it this time with a well-educated friend, who was picking out classical references left and right. The movie's watchable, and there's no doubt that it was a milestone in science fiction, but be warned: you have to be awake, and you have to pay attention, if you want to get something out of this film.
acting: This isn't really very applicable, since the movie contained very little actual dialogue.
final word: Meaningful, but not easily re-watchable.
rating: C+