What most people here don't know, that can change your opinion of the film

Rating: 10/10 (12 May 1999)

Are you ready for this?
THIS FILM IS NOT, NOT, NOT!!! BASED ON THE NOVEL!!!!!!
As a matter of fact, the novel is based on the film!
The screenplay for 2001 was co-written by Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke. Their first draft of it was considered for a long time by both and ultimately, rejected by both...however, Clarke decided afterwards to return to the rejected script and rework it as a novel. So for those of you who laud the book and say that the movie was a pale imitation: WRONG! The fact of the matter is, the movie was released before the novel was actually published! Don't that beat all Hell? The fact of the matter is, no matter how you slice it, this film is a masterpiece. The parts of the whole are not explained here, for the simple reason that the viewer is asked to interpret it for himself!!!! Like a piece of classical music, as Kubrick himself said. When you listen to instrumental music, with no lyrics to explain it, you are put in a position wherein you must draw your own conclusions about its meaning. The same with 2001! I strongly recommend that naysayers go back and watch the movie again, with this in mind!