EPIC. Decades ahead of its time. Essential viewing.

Rating: 9/10 (12 March 2006)

The only reason I give it 9 and not 10 is because of the ending. Too weird! It does lead me to believe that one or more of the production team were taking recreational drugs.
But other than that, it is a wonderful rendering of what could have been and perhaps what might be. Rich in detail, stunning special effects and great sets. And all from 1968... heck, I was still in high school and, as a timeline reference, the Japanese hadn't yet brought their first 4-cylinder motorcycle to market yet.
The one prediction which they had completely wrong was the operator/ownership of the shuttle - PanAm was strong in 1968 but would be long gone by 2001. And we haven't discovered any remotely controlled monoliths yet.
Philosophically, the film contains several messages, but one pervades all : "we are mere puppets of the Universe".
Don't plan on watching this movie quickly, or even once. You'll miss way too much of what makes it a Sci-fi benchmark.