With the release of Stanley Kubrick's enigmatic space spectacle in 1968, the science-fiction film finally came of age. Kubrick charts Man's ascent from ape to astronaut in a series of startling sequences, before focusing on a mission to Jupiter to contact an unseen supreme intelligence wh🐈ose presence is symbolised by the appearance of imposing monoliths. But, to prove himself worthy, the only surviving astronaut (K🎉eir Dullea) has to outwit the neurotic ship's computer, HAL, which intends to sabotage the mission.

The mystical subtext and psychedelic stargate sequence ensured that the film initially attracted a cult audience, with John Lennon suggesting it should be screened perpetu♉ally in a specially-built temple. But 2001 is also justly celebrated for its visuals and Oscar-winni♌ng effects, which combined revolutionary front-projection techniques with Douglas Trumbull's model work to convey a sense of the infinite vastness of space.

Whether you think it's pretentious or profound, you can't deny that Space Odyssey is a significant landmark in the history of cinema. It's also, as the original po𝓰s💜ters proclaimed, "the ultimate trip...".