A niche film few will like

Rating: 5/10 (29 September 2006)

For those considering seeing 2001: A Space Odyssey, ...don't. More than likely you'll have the same negative reaction most viewers do. That is, you'll find it slow and boring and the ending to be a frustrating let-down. All of this is true. And it's the reason you won't find films like it in the theaters gobbling up tons of money and receiving rave reviews.
Money speaks and it speaks the truth of the common man. Since the common man won't enjoy a film like this, no studios make films like this. Because they know they won't make money. As a potential viewer, that right there tells you what you'll likely think about this movie and whether you should bother renting it or not.
Don't be fooled by the inclusion of this film in any Top 100 lists, or the many positive reviews you'll find on here.
First, the film's only notable because of how visionary the imagery was. Not because of a great plot, pacing, editing, or acting. And you can't necessarily credit the director for any of this since he wasn't the production designer, the art department, the set designer, or the cinematographer. For all we know from reading the credits alone, Kubrik was simply lucky to have all those talented visionaries around him. You certainly don't see the same visions in his other films.
Second, the positive reviews are written by those who want to defend the film. There are far more folks who want to defend their own sense of "art" than there are who will bother finishing the movie, much less go online to review it. It's just not worth their time. So you end up with a decidedly skewed perspective when you read the reviews. You get the occasional person who bothers to post their real feelings about it (boring, slow, bad ending, etc.), and then you get this mountain of posts from the same few people who think you've assaulted their personal sense of artistic taste.
If you actually MADE 100% of the movie-going population watch this, and then MADE them rate it honestly, you'd find that it barely receives three stars. It's just that "odd" and unappealing to the public at large. I have many ordinary, everyday friends, and most have never been able to finish the film. I was only able to bear through it out of curiosity.
So, in summary, ...Are you the "common man"? Do you like Terminator 2 and despise Dangerous Liaisons? Do you watch "24" and "ER" on TV, and not 2-hour documentaries about the dung beetle on the nature channel? Is your idea of fun to watch the ball-game, or is it to turn on some classical music and curl up with a book about the NASA program?
If you're the former - like the other 90% of us - then you won't enjoy 2001: A Space Odyssey, so don't waste your money.
It CERTAINLY deserves its place in film history due to the gorgeous visuals and imaginative vision. However, just because the 4-hour silent epic, Birth of a Nation is historically significant too doesn't mean the average person is gonna wanna sit through THAT either.
If you want to get caught up, please rent the movie 2010, which is the sequel to 2001. Although it's cold-war tension is rather dated now, you will find yourself completely caught up on what happened in 2001 within the first 10 minutes. As a matter of fact, you'll feel MORE caught up than if you had bothered to watch 2001. Plus, 2010 will take off at a more palatable pace and keep you watching to find out what the mystery behind the monoliths is.