was 2010 really necessary?

I of course mean the book/movie, not the year. Debating whether or not a year was really necessary is kind of pointless since you can't stop it from coming or going. I haven't had a chance to read the book yet, and honestly that's because I'm afraid to start reading it, based on my previous experiences reading Arthur C. Clarke.
As a movie, 2010: The Year We Make Contact, is enjoyable. It was exciting, and fun to watch, even if John Lithgows character was really whiny and annoying. The reason I ask whether or not it was "necessary" is it's merit in continuing the story started in 2001: A Space Odyssey. 2001 was a conceptual film about human evolution, and ends with the next step in human evolution (after humans). To continue that story means it would have to continue following human evolution after that, into abstract forms that aren't relateable and don't make sense since they would have to be energy beings or something. It would be a really boring movie, and not the same kind of boring that 2001 was. Rather than continuing down that path, the storytellers (Clarke and Peter Hyams) decided to try and explain why HAL tried to kill everyone in 2001, and explain what the monoliths are. It's a noble endeavor, however it takes away from the mystery of 2001. I liked 2001 because it was whatever you wanted it to be. You could interpret the ending in a lot of different ways, and it could mean something different to everyone. When Clarke and Hyams decided to explain what happened, they took all the mystery out of it, and I think they took the fun out of it too. To answer the original question "was 2010 necessary?" I say no, it wasn't. I enjoyed it, but it was not a necessary continuation of the story that began in 2001.