Nice post, Jasper. It's very well written, and I enjoyed reading it. The thought you put into this post does the film justice. I caught one minor error, and I think your post would benefit from a quick edit to correct it. To wit: "...Frank Poole’s birthday greetings from his parents across the galaxy." Frank is on the Discovery, which is entering Jupiter's orbit. Frank hasn't even crossed the solar system yet, let alone the galaxy. An error of this magnitude stands out in an appreciation of possibly the most significant science fiction film in history. James Chatterton

Thanks for catching that, chatterton. I missed it myself in uploading the post. I'll correct that.

>>>one of the first films to be fully embraced by the drug culture. Translation: hip viewers popped LSD to enhance their enjoyment of the light show in the "Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite" sequence. The soundtrack for "Thus Sprach Zarathustra" by Richard Strauss became something of a pop hit after being used by Kubrick for the climactic -- and often referenced or parodied -- kill shot that ends the "Dawn of Man" sequence. Radio stations played it as the wake up music for people who used radio alarms. Even though, as noted, the movie is a triumph of spectacle over plot, that doesn't mean Kubrick sacrificed substance for style. The spectacular scenes are rich in thematic issues and metaphorical ideation.

Looks good, Scott. Much better now.