# 2001: A Space Odyssey

Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/2001-a-space-odyssey/

12 people recommended 2001: A Space Odyssey in Hacker News comments, 6 had mixed feelings and 3 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 6 of 12 months, in 11 threads. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** Recommended for its striking effects and production design that still hold up, and for a profound, awe-inspiring experience. Critics find its slow pacing hard to sit through.

Summary written by Claude from 20 comments. It was written before the November 2026 recount, and 18 of those comments still count.

## Why people recommend it

- Profound, thought-provoking viewing experience (3 comments in the sample): "The setting and presentation made all the difference between a seemingly-pointless waste of time and a profound life experience." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46842505)) "Kubrick and Clarke were truly sages to envision the next step between humanity and the star child" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46890152)) "I felt it in 2001 Space Odyssey when they show the transition of the bone to space exploration" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47691043))
- Effects and production design still hold up (2 comments in the sample): "It's astonishing to watch 2001: A Space Odyssey today and reflect on how well the production design has aged." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46753644)) "2001's effects are genius and still look pretty good nearly sixty years later" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47022900))
- More memorable than most later films (2 comments in the sample): "remains more memorable than most films made after the namesake year" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49417802)) "60s has so many good movies like 2001, psycho etc etc" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46062771))
- Praised Kubrick's direction and vision (1 comment in the sample): "he did such a good job on 2001: A Space Odyssey" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47768879))

## What people warn about

- Slow, boring pacing (2 comments in the sample): "found 2001 space odyssey boring as heck" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46062726)) "they're just painfully slow" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49410955))

## Other science fiction films people recommend

- [Blade Runner](https://hackerapproved.com/p/blade-runner/): 42 recommend, 10 mixed, 8 criticize
- [Colossus: The Forbin Project](https://hackerapproved.com/p/colossus-the-forbin-project/): 29 recommend, 2 mixed, 2 criticize
- [The Fifth Element](https://hackerapproved.com/p/fifth-element/): 20 recommend, 3 mixed, 1 criticize
- [Jurassic Park (1993 film)](https://hackerapproved.com/p/jurassic-park/): 19 recommend, 4 mixed, 6 criticize

## The badge

A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged.

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "2001: A Space Odyssey", https://hackerapproved.com/p/2001-a-space-odyssey/ (12 recommend, 6 mixed, 3 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026).

Counts updated 2 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.