re: So I've never watched 2001: a space odyssey

Yeah, your wording confused me. It is pretty boring, and you have to be in the right kind of mood to sit through it all the way. The story is subtle, and much of it you have to put together from visual cues. The themes are a reference to classic science fiction of the 40's and 50's. The story was actually developed by science fiction master Arthur C. Clarke for use on the film.

I am a big fan of classic science fiction, and I find the film accessible from that angle. From another angle, I've also heard fans of film laud it for Kubrick's filmaking mastery. I probably don't even understand all the reason's that it's supposed to be groundbreaking from that angle.