Don't Panic

[St Leo]

The TV series majorly sucked.

This movie, OTOH, was quite decent.

[Az]

I usually trust StLeo in these manners. will go and watch.

[St Leo]

Well... I hope I don't disappoint. These are special circumstances.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Garth Jennings
Secularity: 10 Technophilia: 8
Quality: 6 Xenophilia: 9
Personal Tilt: 7 Average: 8

After Earth is blown up by the Vogons to make way for a hyperspatial bypass, earthling Arthur Dent travels the galaxy in search of the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything.

The cast is excellent. Mos Def was born to play Ford. Deschanel is a perfect Trillian. Rockwell is an excellent Zaphod. Marvin redeems self well, though more depression would have been very welcome. Freeman is a bit eh, mostly because I would have preferred someone ganglier in appearance.

The new Marvin is wonderful, though still not an actual android. To be honest, I don't think that Douglas knew what an android was when writing the thing, so the semantics aren't particularly important in that respect.

It's a marvellous adaptation in every way, but it doesn't really pull together as a movie. The plot sorta worbles in an intriguing and perhaps appropriate manner. Unfortunately, the worbling plot is beset by a lack of guffaws. There are plenty of things that are chuckle-worthy, but the movie never hits a straight run of anything absolutely hilarious.

There is a very awkward out-of-character bit at Arthur's dinner with the mice on Earth II. Arthur lays out his yearning for true love -- for Trillian -- and it falls absolutely flat. The movie would have left a much better taste in my mouth with that minute cut straight out.

Aside from that, the changes aren't inappropriate. In fact, many of them aren't even changes. Zaphod is a dumb rock star in the book. Arthur and Trillian do have a fling in the sidelines. Arthur has the potential for earnest romance, as demonstrated in So Long and Thanks for All the Fish, and Trillian is very clever when given the opportunity to shine as in Life, the Universe, and Everything.

Again, the adaptation is sublime and very true. The lack of hilarity isn't really relevant. It's a tribute, and it's a magnificent tribute. At the end, when the screen goes black, and says For Douglas in crisp white letters, I bowed down, and closed my moist eyes in reverence. This movie is worthy of being called Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

(Disclaimer: I think that The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: A Trilogy in Five Parts is the greatest book every written. I have read it about twenty times in full and often think of it as my Holy Book.)

[Dracon II]

Mos Def was born to play Ford.

I didn't really like his portrayal.

[Kaak]

I didn't like the casting at all....fine if you want to completely rewrite it (okay, not really, but...) at least have actors that fit their characterizations in the book. and zaphod should have had 2 heads, not one under the other....Zaphod was too corny. Ford wasn't witty enough, arthur guy didn't seem lost in quit the way he should. Slartibartfast? bah...they rewrote him to be a bit dense, and the guy playing him didn't do it for me at all. They even did a poor job with the voice of marvin...

[Zkribbler]

Mos Def was born to play Ford.

I didn't really like his portrayal.

I did.

Overall I liked the movie but not as much as any of the books.

I like the switch at the very beginning to focus on the dophins. This let you know right off the bat that this movie wasn't the book.

I missed some of the jokes: "You must be using a definition of the word 'safety' of which I am unaware," and Marvin standing in the carpark of the Restaurant at the End of the Universe. And no telephone sanitizers?

I didn't think Trillian was pretty enough or interesting enough to captivate Arthur Dent the way she did. And I didn't really like what they did with Zaphod's heads.

Alan Rickman's voice was the best thing in the movie but I didn't really like the design of Marvin.

I liked the improbability drive.

The Volgons were great!

[Immortal Wombat]

Originally posted by Zkribbler
Marvin standing in the carpark of the Restaurant at the End of the Universe. And no telephone sanitizers?

Both in book two. And presumably film two if it gets made.

I agree with your other sentiments.

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by Immortal Wombat
Both in book two.

Really?? Obviously, I should go back and re-read book one.

But I can't right now...just started Equal Rites today.

[sprucemoose3311]

no to: the love story, the tv commercials (they shouldve done what the final trailer did on tv, look at apple.com/trailers)


yes to:
intro
ford and his meeting with the car
the earth blowing up


the old tv series wasnt that bad... ok it was
the radio show is pretty good (all 28 episodes)...
and i havent read past the halfway point in the first book

[Imran Siddiqui]

I didn't think Trillian was pretty enough or interesting enough to captivate Arthur Dent the way she did. And I didn't really like what they did with Zaphod's heads.

Trillian could captivate me anytime . Super hot.

And I actually liked the thing with Zaphod's heads. It's better than a super corny CGI second head on his shoulder.

Frankly, though, I couldn't ask for a better movie version of the story. I thought with the dialog-heavy story, they'd muck it up. Great job by the director and producers

[Sikander]

I'm going to see it this weekend with my GF, mainly because there doesn't seem to be anything else to see. I'm hoping that I like the movie better than the books, which I thought were quite overrated by my friends who raved about them. When I found out that the books were based on a radio series their lack of substance and pacing (for a trilogy + 1) made a lot of sense. Which gives me hopes for the movie, as it can't possibly be as dry as the books were, so the overall quality should be improved and the pacing should be kicked up from a snail's pace.

[child of Thor]

The lack of dryness is what killed it for me - as its essential to get the whole 'repressed british public school stiff upper lip cup of tea' thing that the book derived much of its comedy from.

They replaced dryness with lots of manic shouting and waveing arms around('action' i guess?)

But it was succesfully changed for an american audience, if thats what you like in your films

It just wasn't my cup of tea

Thinking about it i don't remember anyone laughing in the cinema?(it wasn't that full as it was a week day)

Although the 'crowd' did seem to mostly consist of middle aged men(with the odd girlfriend/wife/partner).

[Az]

Xenophilia

Technophilia

[Dracon II]

The lack of dryness is what killed it for me - as its essential to get the whole 'repressed british public school stiff upper lip cup of tea' thing that the book derived much of its comedy from.

They replaced dryness with lots of manic shouting and waveing arms around('action' i guess?)

I agree. That's one of the reasons I liked the books... the dry wit.

[paraphrase]

"You're Zaphod Beeblebrox?"

"Yes"

"The Zaphod Beeblebrox?"

"No, a Zaphod Beeblebrox. I come in six packs, didn't you know?"

[/paraphrase]

.... I can't picture the film Beeblebrox coming up with wit even as simple and dry as that.

But it was succesfully changed for an american audience, if thats what you like in your films

That's where the money is.

It just wasn't my cup of tea

Sirius Cybernetics Nutri-matic Films aren't your fancy, eh?

Thinking about it i don't remember anyone laughing in the cinema?(it wasn't that full as it was a week day)

Neither... I did though. Knowing, smug, "I get this completely 'cause I read the books" sorta chuckles...

[Sikander]

Originally posted by child of Thor
The lack of dryness is what killed it for me - as its essential to get the whole 'repressed british public school stiff upper lip cup of tea' thing that the book derived much of its comedy from.

They replaced dryness with lots of manic shouting and waveing arms around('action' i guess?)

But it was succesfully changed for an american audience, if thats what you like in your films

It just wasn't my cup of tea

Thinking about it i don't remember anyone laughing in the cinema?(it wasn't that full as it was a week day)

Although the 'crowd' did seem to mostly consist of middle aged men(with the odd girlfriend/wife/partner).

For most Americans this sense of dry english wit will be much easier to pick up from a performance than from the printed page. I know I read with a standard american accent unless the words are spelled phonetically in order to put across another accent.

As for the manic waving of arms and such, perhaps I'll just take my gf to dinner and rent a movie or two instead. That gets old quick.