2001: Odyssey Once Mocked, Now Greatest Film

Tom Hanks has declared Stanley Kubrick's '2001: A Space Odyssey' his favorite film, stating he has seen it approximately 120 times and still watches it annually. Hanks specifically admires the film's accurate depiction of physics in zero gravity, noting few other movies achieve this. He expressed his deep affection in a Q&A with Letterboxd.

The 1968 science-fiction epic, which premiered on April 2, 1968, in Washington, D.C., initially met with a lukewarm reception from critics and audiences alike. Some viewers walked out, and prominent critics, such as The New York Times' Renata Adler, described it as ranging from 'hypnotic' to 'immensely boring.'

Despite its challenging early reviews, '2001: A Space Odyssey' has since achieved monumental acclaim. A September 2026 update of 'Time Out's' list of the 100 best movies placed Kubrick's masterpiece at number one, above 'The Godfather' and 'Citizen Kane.' The film is celebrated for its revolutionary visual effects and profound exploration of human evolution, isolation, and artificial intelligence.