The Sci-Fi Classic Christopher Nolan Considers "Pure Cinema," but Still Doesn't Understand (2024)

Christopher Nolan is renowned for his unique directorial style, as his films are known to challenge audiences with his signature complex and innovative storytelling. For instance, Memento is told in a non-linear narrative that immerses viewers in layers of mystery; Inception plays with time and perception as it explores concepts regarding peoples' dreams and subconscious; and The Prestige is presented just like a magic trick in an almost meta-commentary of the story itself. But before achieving such a renowned filmography, Nolan was another audience member in the movie theater. Before Nolan was the one daring viewers to keep up, it was he who had to grow in his understanding of film. Nolan cites 2001: A Space Odyssey as a movie that was beyond his understanding when he first watched it as a child, but nonetheless reserves tremendous praise for the Stanley Kubrick picture, dubbing the seminal sci-fi film "pure cinema" and a truly extraordinary experience.

'2001: A Space Odyssey' Is One of the Most Influential Sci-Fi Films Ever Made

Few movies can claim to be as influential to a genre as Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, with the film's visible influence on science-fiction still reverberating through the media to this day. 2001 followed the voyage of a group of astronauts to Jupiter to study a mysterious alien monolith — a simple premise that was made exceptional because of the film's stunning and memorable visuals, pioneering special effects work, and scientifically accurate depictions of space. Slow and methodical, reflective of Kubrick's own directorial style, 2001: A Space Odyssey is a unique movie experience that utilizes relatively restrained dialogue to create a tonally distinct atmosphere. 2001 also introduced the world to HAL 9000 (Douglas Rain); the bone-chilling supercomputer from that space mission has become a mainstay in pop culture, serving as one of the foundational examples of an AI character in fiction. To this day, movies continue to draw inspiration from 2001's visual design, even crossing genres as Greta Gerwig's Barbie paid homage to Kubrick by mirroring the movie's opening sequence — albeit with a high-heeled children's doll instead of an unknown eldritch monolith.

Christopher Nolan Watched '2001: A Space Odyssey' as a Child

Christopher Nolan spoke about the importance of Kubrick’s seminal sci-fi feature and its impact on him as a young moviegoer in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, sharing that he first saw 2001 when he was seven years old, just a year after he first saw Star Wars. Speaking about how utterly enrapturing the experience was, Nolan shared that, "[This] was a completely different way of experiencing science fiction. I was seven years old, so I couldn’t claim to have understood the film. I still can’t claim that. But as a seven-year-old, I didn’t care about understanding the film. I just felt this extraordinary experience of being taken to another world. You didn’t doubt this world for an instant. It had a larger-than-life quality... It was ‘pure cinema.’” Despite struggling to understand the movie from an intellectual standpoint, Nolan was captivated by the emotionally igniting spectacle of Kubrick's work, a type of artistic expression only achievable through film, and that challenge was part of the fun.

The impact of 2001: A Space Odyssey can also be felt in Nolan's own filmmaking, as his 2014 film Interstellar somewhat feels like a spiritual successor to 2001, as both films are renowned for their striking visuals and deep explorations into the human spirit. Both movies also explore sci-fi concepts of time dilation and extradimensional beings beyond human understanding, delving into explorations of humanity's psyche based on our shared curiosity about the unknown. However, despite being released over 50 years before Interstellar, 2001: A Space Odyssey does not feel dated because it was shot on 70 mm film, giving the movie defined and crisp visuals that outcompete many contemporary movies released in this century. Even though it was released in 1968, 2001: A Space Odyssey continues to inspire and challenge modern audiences. So, though Nolan may have been confounded when he first watched the movie as a young boy, there's no shame in exiting this Kubrick feature with more questions than answers. Because that's exactly what 2001: A Space Odyssey set out to do: challenge, inspire, and explore ideas beyond current understanding.

2001: A Space Odyssey

G

Adventure

Mystery

Sci-Fi

Release Date

April 3, 1968

Director

Stanley Kubrick

Cast

Keir Dullea , Gary Lockwood , William Sylvester , Daniel Richter , Leonard Rossiter , Margaret Tyzack

Runtime

149 minutes

Writers

Stanley Kubrick , Arthur C. Clarke

Studio(s)

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

2001: A Space Odyssey is currently available to stream on Max in the U.S.

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