I have to strongly disagree with that. 2001 is a master class of storytelling. Everything, from audio-only prologue, the triviality of the dialog, the stiffness of the acting, the awkwardness in zero G, the looooong scenes, to the breathing in the spacesuits is there for a reason. Even the Douglas Trumbull acid trip is there maybe to remind you humans are not supposed to understand everything any more than the monkeys did in the start of the movie.
The book is good, of course, but it doesn't approach the brilliance of the movie.
The book? I read a book long time ago that was a "novellization" of the movie. I was young, in my early teens, and clearly remember that I wasn't sure what the end meant. Later I watched the movie and realized that it was even less clear. And later learned that the movie was based on a short story (Rendezvous with Rama) that I haven't read.
