There Will Be Blood is ostensibly about real-life California oil tycoon Edward L. Doheny, and even includes the now-famous “I drink your milkshake!” quote, attributed to Doheny during Congressional investigations of the industry.

But on Deja-View, it sure seems like Blood director Paul Thomas Anderson is actually paying homage to Stanley Kubrick, particularly 2001: A Space Odyssey.

And if you really want to go Kubrickian, one could argue that Blood itself is a prequel to 2001. After all, 2001 documents the dawn of mankind. There Will Be Blood documents the dawn of American capitalism.

But we’ll get back to that. As for the first few minutes of Blood, it seems inarguable now that Thomas was paying homage to the 1968 movie:

• Both movies begin in utter darkness to a rising musical score. 2001‘s intro is an extended blackout as Also Spake Zarathustra swells. Blood percolates to Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood’s original score.

• Both first scenes are of desert mountains.

• Both have a “Moon Watcher” scene, as the huddled characters gaze into uncertain skies.

• Both have pivotal scenes of clubbing.

And it’s the clubbing scene that suggests the larger, loopier theme (of course, this is 2001, so what is loopy). Throughout Blood, we watch Plainview (played by the inimitable Daniel Day-Lewis) as he graduates from gold to oil as he perfects his weapon of choice.

The film, which uses its characters as avatars of American corruption, also tracks the corrosive effect capitalism has on religion (here embodied by Paul Dano). As both men find themselves growing in wealth and power, they also find themselves inevitably and inextricably at odds.

The frenetic finale even works as a handoff to the beginning of 2001. As Plainview sits over his opponent and offers the apocalyptic final line, “I’m finished!” viewers are left with their own metaphorical riddle: What happens when business and religion are in a war to the death?

Anyone’s guess, but it’s reasonable to expect a great leap forward — or back.