Help me better understand this movie's greatness.

Rating: 8/10 (19 October 2014)

I watched 2001: a space odyssey, out of suggestion from a buddy of mine. And I usually don't watch something when they nag me to death about it. Which meant I watched it with a negative mindset right from the start. That being said, I have nothing but respect for a movie with a fair amount of ingenuity and thought provoking ideas being crafted back in 1968. I was amazed and intrigued by a lot of the scenes as to how they did it - with what looked like just camera work. However, because of that negative mindset(as before mentioned), some scenes became horridly outdrawn ranging from sometimes five to fifteen minutes of random assaults of either complete silence or static/strange sounds. Instead of enjoying the obvious attempt to create suspense and atmosphere, it instead became a strenuous struggle on my poor head-phoned-ears.
(SPOILERS) As for the plot and story, ,aybe I'm not sophisticated enough to understand the message between the first part of the lunar monolith, the journey to Jupiter and the second monolith. I felt like that part had little to do with the actual message of the film and instead was just that - a space journey(Well DUH. It IS the theme of the movie). I've seen a lot of films where the depths are endless and the message or meaning can be interpreted in many different ways(Ex: The Fountain, Mulholland Drive). I still struggle here. It just feels empty to be honest. The idea that an alien or artificial intelligence provided knowledge to prehistoric man or in fact engineered our species isn't thought provoking for me. It is something that I have discussed and theorized with friends and as an atheist it is an idea that is common nowadays. Of course, this film has provided many authors, film directors -artists- with the inspiration for this idea - so credit where its due. But, for me, it is a piece of cake that I've already had too much of and does not impress upon me anymore.
I am very much for films where the director lets the audience think for themselves and agree on the fact that most entertainment nowadays "hold your hand" or "spoon feed you the content" throughout the whole experience. It might be nice to feel like a child again, but we have to grow up sometime and movies like these shakes that groggy dreamlike state Hollywood has forced upon our minds. I celebrate every movie, game, book that allow us to use our brain - but to me, as an atheist, this movie is not thought provoking at all(for the beginning of humanity's existence that is).
The controversial ending(As someone said) is interesting and freshly new, as for my film experiences. I liked the idea that he perhaps was traveling in time, a wormhole, and experiencing his death/aging by seeing the future. Every time something happened, a sound, a movement, the most obvious his glass of liquor, he saw himself in a vision older and when the other vision saw him it became him. On the other hand, the camera's point of view could have been from the monolith the entire time in that time-capsule, watching him grow old or making him grow old to be reborn a new.
I have a sneaking suspicion that the monoliths had something to do with HAL9000's malfunctions and odd behavior - or am I wrong on that point? There are probably some points I have forgotten and I'll have to watch it again sometime in a more neutral state. Right now it just wasn't that much of a memorable experience, other than the intriguing visual effects of the great camera work.
Feel free to help me understand the greatness of this movie, because I don't want any negative thoughts of a movie that was the inspiration for a hell of a lot science-fiction movies and books.
8/10
PS: That ending deserves an acid-trip. Heh..