A lot of the major critics of the time (Sarris, Kaufman, John Simon) didn’t like it. Some of them have since changed their mind. The slow unfolding nature of it is part of the effect. It could not be told any other way keeping the themes intact. It totally envelops and grabs me every time I watch it. You probably don’t like ‘Barry Lyndon’ either right?
Pretty slow. However, I loved "Dr. Strangelove"...in fact, it's one of my favorite all-time movies, and I watch it every time I can. I like "Clockwork Orange" as well. "Paths Of Glory" was interesting. The sad fact is Stanley Kubrick believed his own press clippings too much. He thought he could make any kind of film he wanted. The other half of the Kubrick mythology are the people who thought Stanley defecated gold every time he did something. The real overall result: Kubrick made some excellent flicks, and he made a number of turkeys. No matter how arty a film is, it still has to tell a compelling story. Kubrick forgot that number one dictum in some of his flicks.