2001 differs from other alien movies in that instead of trying to destroy the human race, it seems they are trying to help it. With the discovery of the monolith by the apes in the first scene, they were able to evolve to using tools to catch food and retake over the water hole. When we flash forward, we see how far humans have evolved....space travel and artificial intelligence. Another difference appears here in the movie from other sci-fi films. Kubrick actually came up with ideas that seemed plausible (as we now know in our time with the advancement in technology and space travel) unlike most films that made up unrealistic alien creatures and never touch on subjects such as artificial intelligence.
The conflicting possibilities that Kubrick sets forth in his film and the multiple interpretations that are left open for the viewer are what make it a mythological documentary. Kubrick and Clark set out to create a myth and a new adventure far ahead of their time period, while also keeping it realistic and plausible. One could say their film was a bit more intelligent than other sci-fi films.
In relation to the comment that a society's anxieties are expressed in its arts, 2001 depicts the threat of communism taking over in the way HAL tries to control everything and will destroy those who try to destroy him. It also depicts a concern that is still current today and obvious in films like I, Robot, that the human race may get ahead of themselves in their technological advances and create a robot or machine such as HAL that has a superior intelligence to humans and its own feelings and agenda they may try to destroy us. Instead of worrying about being destroyed by aliens as in most movies, the astronauts in 2001 must fight with an artificial intelligence man created.
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