Well that's the thing... if you look at it in context, when 2001 was released in the 60s, no one had seen anything like it before and the ONLY way to watch it was on the big screen, where it's far easier to become engrossed in what you're watching.

People seeing 2001 for the first time in a theater BEFORE the onslaught of visual effects movies were NOT bored; they were amazed and it was the Star Wars of it's day.

Even Kubrik has said it wasn't meant to be seen more than once. This is why people are bored with it now; they've seen it before, or they've seen plenty of effects before, or they're watching it on TV.

I have two ideas for a fan edit of this film.. one would essentially be "2001: The Repeat Viewing Cut" where I would simply tighten up the long, drawn out moments and pick up the pace, making the movie less of a "fast forward" festival and the other... well, the other I'm going to keep to myself for now just in case I actually do it!