Why Does Everyone Love "2001: A Space Odyssey"?

[Woodsprite]

Ready for a rant?

This is a serious question. I'm not attempting to flame anyone or troll; I'm actually serious. Why is this movie so highly regarded?

I saw this film for the first time a few years ago, and still remember it... for how inanely boring and unbelievably bizarre it was. After watching, I simply asked myself, "Why?" Why did I sit and endure almost 2 hours of pure LSD-trip insanity with the intriguing nature of a pencil sitting on a chair?

I never understood what anything meant when I first watched it. I had to be told by my uncle about what the monolith meant, why we were shown 10 minutes of spaceships floating to The Blue Danube, why we were subject to almost 20 minutes of a 60s psychedelic trip into the colors of the wind, and why we were shown a gargantuan baby with absolutely no warning whatsoever, except to tell non-book readers, "HA! Didn't see that coming, did ya?"

I understand it all. I know every symbolic meaning to this film. Why? Because I attempted to like it. I did. I attempted to understand the long, drawn-out phases of events that were as compelling as watching security camera footage from a grocery store at 3 am. I attempted to grasp the "epicness" that everyone so fervently talked about. I tried.

"The message is what matters," most would say.

...No, it's not. Some would call me an idiot, assuming I'm the kind of guy who enjoys fast-paced, mindless movies that has no deep quality at all. But just this isn't true. I see so much when I watch film. I've seen over a thousand films in my lifetime; I'm a movie buff; I have a very diverse taste.

But I cannot understand why "2001" is so highly praised. What is there to praise? Camera angles? "Absorbing the moment?" "Beauty?" "Beauty" is only beautiful for so long before it ends up outright mind-numbing. And I'm NOT insensitive. I can look at a sunrise for an hour. I can. But what is the cinematic point of looking at it for that long on a screen?

A message is only compelling when it's accompanied by some sort of plot, but there is no observable plotline (or storyline, for that matter) in "2001: A Space Odyssey." None. You can't call "evolution of man" a plot; it isn't. You can't call "progression into the future" a story. It isn't; it's an idea. Moreso, in "2001," it's merely a depicted idea, but nothing more than depiction.

Now, I'm going to get blasted for this on here. I'll be crucified for it. "'2001' is one of the most brilliant sci-fi films ever created!!! What's wrong with you?!!?!??!?!?!1 You are just too dumb to get it." I can hear the insults and retaliation coming forth already.

But I'm posting this topic because I am actually, genuinely curious to know why everyone here regards it so highly. I want to know what you guys like about this film. Is it merely the "beauty?" If so, I applaud your ability to sit through nothing but stationary shots of space for 20 minutes at a time. I'm truly amazed. No really: I'm truly amazed. But really, tell me why you like it. I'm dying to know why.