If you can keep your patience, this is a gem...

Rating: 8/10 (4 March 2015)

First off, it's easy to see why many people can't relate to the hype surrounding this film. Yes, it's complex, the characters are dull to the point of stuffed animals and it's full of lengthy, uneventful sequences.
However, I've always felt Kubrick's genius as a director lay not in his visual portrayal of action, but rather his subtle conveyance of symbolism and metaphor. And boy, is 2001 symbolic.
It helps to be prepared for a film like 2001. This isn't something you can expect to understand the first time you watch it. Looking deeply into Kubrick's exploration of themes such as control, technology, perception, and the philosophy of existence will reveal this picture as a true gem. Its human characters appear tedious because they only serve as vessels through which the film's rich events and experiences are translated on to us.
2001 is an intriguing probe into what it means to exist and to see the world. It's very deep and philosophical, but such is the case with most of Kubrick's productions. The soundtrack is epic as it is beautiful, and the effects used are truly ground breaking for their time. It's not an easy watch - but if you can watch it with the open mindedness that I think Kubrick intended, 2001 will make you think about it afterwards... and that makes it a powerful piece of cinema.