A monolith spawns intelligence on Earth, is found on the Moon and around Jupiter, where a manned mission is threatened.

I don't recall much of the movie, except that it seemed a waste of time. The book is far from it. The ape-men at the beginning are fleshed out, and are dealt with in a major part of the book. The HAL scenes are fewer than I thought, and are very engaging. There are some slow parts at the beginning, and at the end, but most of the book is riveting. I wonder if the sequels can live up to it.