The movie I just can't appreciate. No matter how hard I try.

Rating: 6/10 (4 September 2012)

Many people have told me that this is the greatest or one of the greatest movies ever made. No. I thought maybe my expectations deviated too far from what actually happened in the film, because at the end of watching it the first time, I was utterly confused. I watched it again, this time with a better context for what was happening, especially in the last 20-25 minutes, and it makes sense, but I still don't like the movie anywhere near the intensity of the collective reviewers of IMDb. I like when information is inferred and the narrative isn't told to you in exposition. The visuals and sound in this film are absolutely fantastic, there is no doubt about that. The entire segment with HAL was excellent, I really liked that bit of the movie, but I thought the movie was too long and ends in a manner so baffling that a second viewing and additional context is almost mandatory.
In the end, 2001 has some absolutely great moments, and is not by any means a bad movie, but one word keeps coming to my mind when I view this movie, and that word is pretentious. I do not use that word lightly when describing films. I know that this opinion is in the minority, and for anyone who absolutely loves this film, kudos. You enjoy it. Maybe I just don't 'get it' and am too shallow of a movie-goer to truly appreciate the greatest movie ever made. Or maybe it is just that 2001 is not my flavor of Kubrick, and Dr. Strangelove is.