Stanley Kubrick holds a mirror up to the viewer...what you see largely reflects who you are at the time. I was a teenager when I first saw this film (in the theatre, the way I think it should be seen). I was simply blown away...but overwhelmed and...
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Stanley Kubrick holds a mirror up to the viewer...what you see largely reflects who you are at the time. I was a teenager when I first saw this film (in the theatre, the way I think it should be seen). I was simply blown away...but overwhelmed and confused as to what I had just seen. Rewatching it years later, I was again mesmerized by the haunting beauty of Kubrick's visual compositions and the sense of awe inspired by many of the film's scenes. I still didn't understand exactly what the director was trying to say to the audience, and I still found parts of the movie incomprehensible and other parts flat-out boring. But it still held up for me as an all-time classic. Watching it many more times down through the years, I continue to re-discover forgotten details, remain awe-struck at the magnificent whole of this film, begin to understand it a little more clearly, and remain convinced that it is a landmark achievement in cinema. I've also learned to fast-forward through the stultifyingly boring parts.

It is hard to overstate the importance of 2001. Its fanatical adherence to realism and its visual aesthetic have been the blueprint for probably every other serious space film made since. The metaphysical questions it raises speak to the timeless mysteries of mankind itself, and bear significant debate. And, most of all, it still works as sheer entertainment. All of us watching this movie at some point become like Dave Bowman/Star Child: struck dumb with wonder and amazement.

I just watched this movie for the first time a week ago. I had the chance to watch it a few years back, but I passed because I thought it looked incredibly boring. Oh, how stupid I was back then.

2001 has some of the greatest visuals...
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I just watched this movie for the first time a week ago. I had the chance to watch it a few years back, but I passed because I thought it looked incredibly boring. Oh, how stupid I was back then.

2001 has some of the greatest visuals I have ever seen in a film. The fact that this film is almost 40 years old yet the visuals still hold up swimmingly only astonishes me even more.

The story is incredibly minimalistic, yet works extremely well. There are some truly genuine WTF moments in this movie that would make David Lynch jealous.

Be warned that this is not just a movie you can jump into. You have to be mentally prepared for it.

I also saw this film on the big screen at it's original release (yes that long ago) and I have to say at the time I loved it (I think I was high LOL) And that's the thing about this film unless your high it's a poor rendition of the book, too long...
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I also saw this film on the big screen at it's original release (yes that long ago) and I have to say at the time I loved it (I think I was high LOL) And that's the thing about this film unless your high it's a poor rendition of the book, too long and slow as bejesus. I love Sci-Fi but 2001 is one of those films I put in to go to sleep.

2001: A Space Odyssey is a real mixed bag, an over-rated mixed bag at that. Beautifully shot and directed, with effects that hold up to this day, many people claim it is deep and meaninful. I, on the other hand, just see it as 2 and a half hours...
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2001: A Space Odyssey is a real mixed bag, an over-rated mixed bag at that. Beautifully shot and directed, with effects that hold up to this day, many people claim it is deep and meaninful. I, on the other hand, just see it as 2 and a half hours of generic characters going through an odd journey in space. Sure, not all is boring. The Dawn of Man segment is excellent, as is the HAL plot, but I see the rest as tiresome, but still somewhat intreging. People should watch this at least once, but it still isn't the masterpiece that many proclaim it to be.