Slow, Muddled, Contrived

Rating: Null/10 (11 June 1999)

After all the good things that have been said about this movie, I was expecting more, much more.
If there are 10 facets to a movie, this one covers about 2 or 3.
Sure, the special effects are good, certainly for 1968, but what is the point of the movie? Is the point that we are supposed to decide for ourselves what the point is?
The space scenes are slow. I could do without watching a pod land on the moon while listening to classical music. And yet those scenes last for seemingly forever. Get on with it! Hire an editor. Get over the self-glorification of special effects that add nothing to the story.
What is the point of the ending? Did Kubrick want to give acid-laced hippies an alternative to Fantasia? Let's get real--the last 20 minutes are a waste of time.
Maybe there was something redeeming about this movie, but there are 2 1/2 hours that can be much better spent.