I liked the book much better than the movie.
The special effects of the movie were phenomenal, but if I hadn’t read the book first, the movie would not have made as much sense as it did.
Exactly. I was 11 or 12 when I saw it and hadn’t read the book so it was not very understandable. The visuals were spectacular but that was about it except maybe HAL was a fun character in a way. Sort of Spock like with no body. Eventually I read the short story and the book tie in and came to understand it a bit better. Kubrick is not a favourite of mine but this one movie clearly shows he was a major artist in the film world.