Why is "2001: A Space Odyssey" considered such a good movie?

[Bohandas]

I kind of get where you're coming from, but considered logically we have a much bigger need for a non-chemical acid substitute now than we did then, as I understand it was a lot easier to acquire back then. And at any rate, what was the point of the rest of the movie with the rogue AI then?

EDIT:
Or did you simply mean that by the standard of their time the special effects were very good? I was already aware of that, which is why I elected not to mention how terrible they are by our standards.