2001: a Space Odyssey

This seminal sci-fi work from Stanley Kubrick is considered by some to be less a supreme piece of cinema than an interesting, innovative product of the 1960s. But the memorable celluloid images still strongly resonate, such as the giant Starchild floating through space and the tribe of apes painfully putting two and two together following the appearance of a mysterious black monolith. It is Kubrick's haunting, stylised combination of music (Strauss's Also Sprach Zarathustra and The Blue Danube) and visuals that gives 2001 its eerie, mesmerising quality. As a slice of philosophy on how we all got started and where we ultimately go, the movie continues to intrigue and perplex in equal measures. It's a must-see if you never have, even though its visual impact is seriously hampered by the small screen.