One of the 40 best films ever made

Rating: 10/10 (12 October 2012)

The United States has produced about 40,000 full length feature films released to the market. This one belongs to the top 0.1% in terms of quality. It is certainly one of the best films ever made, if one is able to experience it adequately.
It competes with The Empire Strikes Back to the throne of science fiction, though they are two very different films. This one is simpler in terms of plot, but more complex in artistic terms. This film is perhaps the most ambitious ever made (though the Tree of Life is also very ambitious, the difference is that this film manages to attain its objectives, while the Tree of Life fails to engage the watcher adequately).
What's this film purpose? It is to show mankind's evolution from apes to a new type of being. Also, the film shows that mankind's intelligence appears to have been created by another species and that mankind has itself developed a new intelligent species: Hal 9000. So its a film about intelligence creating intelligence.
Another good touch is the extensive use of 18th century classical music and 18th century architecture at the "alien hotel" in the end of the film, since the 18th century was the beginning of mankind's exponential economic and technological development that is (apparently) poised to lead it to the stars.
(spoilers alert)
Some commentary on the story of the film:
Also, the only well developed character of the film is not a human, it's Hal 9000, and he/she/it is a very interesting character, fearing the mission's strange characteristics, Hal invents a malfunction with the ship in order to psychologically signalize his/hers/its stress to the rest of the crew, however the rest of the crew fails to understand poor Hal and instead they decide to kill him, Hal reacts in the same way people would: he decides to save his/her/its life by killing the rest of the crew.
{end spoilers alert)
Overall, one of the best films ever: 10/10, though not as good as some films I know. I saw a Japanese Anime film, Princess Mononoke, in the same day, and it blew it off the water.