Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - The Movie!

[Jpec07]

I just got back from the cinemas. This movie was one of the best ones I've seen in a while. Its random nature is amusing enough to make it well worth-while, while it completely dwarfs "Rejected!", "Homestar Runner," or even "Bonus Stages." I thoroughly enjoyed it, and was able to follow through the plot (thanks to those things). The question wasn't really answered though, and it did irk me some. Then again, they have mice as the most intelligent beings in the universe, so what do you expect?

EDIT: I should've brought my towel...

 

[Touring Mars]

I'm going with some buddies to see it again tonight and we are going to dress up. I like being the geek and dressing up. I dressed up for the Matrix and for Star Wars, so why not dress up for this one.

👍

Speaking of the Matrix, I almost literally bumped into Laurence Fishburne last week... very random indeed ... what he was doing at my work I have no idea (University of London)... not often you get A list celebs in Mile End, but there you go!

I was supposed to go and see H2G2 on Thursday with my workmates, but we went to the pub and watched 'Supersize Me' on the TV instead... poor choice I think... from what you guys have said, it sounds really worth seeing...

 

[Dave A]

I should've brought my towel...

A mate of mine told me to take my towel when I go to see, I looked at him like this . I really want to watch this, I know the story but it's been absolutely ages since I read it.

 

[tabs]

I was afraid they'd completely bastardize the books. Sounds good, I'll check it out. 👍

 

[VIPFREAK]

I could've sworn I posted here.. ho well. Anyway, yeah I want to see this but probably won't as always. I'm getting kind of confused by previews lately. One week it seems they are advertising like it's a drame and then the next a comedy.

 

[Joey D]

You need a towel because every hitchhiker knows that a towel can solve problems, never leave home with out one.

 

[911_Carrera]

Is Martin Freeman good as Arthur? He was brilliant in 'The Office'.

I'm going to see this sometime next week I hope.

 

[a6m5]

I wached this on DVD just last night. I thought it was 'OK' for rental, but wasn't that impressed. Special effects were great most of the time, but sometimes sloppy. I liked the actors, especially Mos Def and Zooey Deschanel. Metaphors were somewhat outdated, but I did like comedies in the film. Those flyswatters that kept on smacking people in the faces were hilarious. I'd give it a "C+", but taking the great actors and special effects into consideration, maybe a "B-".

P.S. I forgot Sam Rockwell was in this film and did not remember that until the end credits.

 

[Joey D]

Did you ever read the book a6m5?

 

[a6m5]

Did you ever read the book a6m5?

No. You are probably going to tell me how great the book is, huh? Add it to the list of another great book I missed.

 

[Joey D]

It is a really good book and yes you should read it. But you would understand the movie more if you've read the book. The movie is a lot like the book.

 

[Zardoz]

Never got the book, but a friend gave me the set of six audiotapes about ten years ago. I'll always have a cassette player just so I can listen to them every couple of years.

They're a LOT better than the movie. Really hilarious.

Not that the movie was bad at all. It was just far too short. They had to leave way too much out.

 

[a6m5]

Not that the movie was bad at all. It was just far too short. They had to leave way too much out.

Same old, same old. When books are translated into movies, bunch of contents usually gets left out. I'm still traumatized from the Treasure Island movie.

 

[Danoff]

It had some funny moments, but for the most part it's pretty juvenile and weak. 👎

 

[Famine]

In order of preference:

Radio Series >>> Books >>> TV Series >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Film


It was pap.

 

[DaveS1138]

Famine The film wasn't that great but dude????? Saying the TV series was better

Its more like

Radio series>>>>>Books>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>film>>>Tv Series

The Dolphin song alone lifts it above the travesty of a TV series.

Either way though. Anybody trying to get into Hitch-Hikers. Do yourself a favor and start with the radio series

 

[slackbladder]

I must admit there were no laugh out loud moments in the film and a lot of the dialogue was...well, boring.
Much preferred the radio series (loved the theme music as a kid and it was nice to hear it once more in the film) and really liked the TV series.
I'd have liked the Vogons to have sounded as they did in the radio/tv series and Alan Rickman's Marvin - the Paranoid Android was nowhere near as good as Stephen Moore's in the radio/tv show.
Oh well....

 

[Famine]

TV Series >>>> Film

Stephen Fry did a good job, but he's no Peter Jones. They also butchered my favourite line - where Arthur, mid-rant, trips up and sees the Vogon ships for the first time. He remarks - in radio, book and TV series - "What the hell's that?". In the film he merely intones "What the hell are those things."

Martin Freeman couldn't act his way out of a womb.

 

[DaveS1138]

all good points but I can never forgive the TV series for turning Trillian into a ditsy blonde. One of the worse cases of miscasting in the entire sad history of TV.

I loved Martin Freeman from 'The Office' so didn't have a big problem with him as Arthur although they did remove or cut short most of his best lines. The same problem the movie Marvin had. But I thought Sam Rockwell was absolutely spot on as Zaphod.

Peter Jones may have been dead but I would have loved them to keep him as the voice of the guide. Stephen Fry made a fine effort I thought. And I guess it was just nice to see some new Hitch-Hikers material after all these years.

I heard that the crew all hated the director of the TV series and I think that came across in the show. ALso apparently the reason we never got a second series

Famine did you ever listen to the follow up radio series that got released recently? I love what they did with the very ending in that.

 

[Jugend]

It sucked pretty bad.

Don't know how it had to do with the fact that I no longer find Adams humour entertaining, crappy acting or a weak plot. Prolly all.

 

[Famine]

Zaphod (Mark Wing-Davey)'s second head in the TV series had more personality and acting ability than either of Zaphod (Sam Rockwell)'s in the film.

 

[Anderton Prime]

Once again, Famine is displeased with a film.

 

[Famine]

Yep.

I'm getting old and cynical. It takes a lot to impress me. Batman Begins impressed me, for instance, in that it not only managed to be good, but actually overwrote the sectors in my brain devoted to "Forever" and "& Robin".

But seriously, H2G2 was rubbish. Every character that was in the film was eclipsed by their TV series counterpart. David Dixon ("You're all a bunch of bloody loonies", "Why yes! That was it.") makes Mos Def look like a pedestrian, jobbing actor who can't even decide what his name is, Mark Wing-Davey oozed ultra-cool compared to slightly-confused Sam Rockwell (and what is Zaphod Beeblebrox if not ultra-cool?), Stephen Fry acquitted himself but was always up against the memory, and clipped tones, of Peter Jones, Simon Jones ("What?") makes a mockery of Martin Freeman - even Bill Nighy's much-vaunted Slartibartfast is nothing compared to Richard Vernon.

In fact even down to Mr. Prosser - whose part is so badly cut - every TV actor eclipses every film actor. Only ONE even matches the original. Bill Bailey as the Whale - and he could have done better with the FULL monologue. Okay, two - maybe Alan Rickman too.

The film was so bad I can't even remember what Humma Kavula did, and I'm lost as to what Zooey Deschanel (Trillian) even looked like.


And Helen Mirren as Deep Thought! Helen Mirren!


The fundamental problem was that the story is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely mind-bogglingly big it is. You may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist, but that's just peanuts to the story.

The TV series tried to squeeze it into 3 hours. It was tough but they preserved the majority of the good lines and humour.

The film tried to cut it down to just 109 minutes. And ADD more stuff. And they didn't preserve the majority of the good lines and humour. Had Douglas not died we'd have seen a more cohesive script, though the film wouldn't be out until 2012 ("I love deadlines. I like the sound they make when they go rushing past."), but it still would have been Hollywoodised - a massive story crammed into an hour and a half.

 

[Zardoz]

Oh, no! The audio CD set by Adams himself is "currently unavailable"!:

Bad news from Amazon

 

[DaveS1138]

What I had read before the film came out pretty much said that almost every change to the story was from Douglas himself (not sure if that is Garth Jennings covering his ass). Lets not forget that every single incarnation of the guide has been different. That being said I hated the idea of having Zaphod searching for the ultimate question. I love the way in the original nobody could actually care less what the question is

David Dixon and Simon Jones simply 'are' Ford and Arthur but would have been far too old for the film. I think Mos Def made a pretty good effort with the cut down role he was given and whilst Martin Freeman would never have been my first choice for a new Arthur (I think Jack Davenport should have got the role) Again I think he made a damn fine effort.

The love story was a mistake but Zoey Deschannel walks all over the truly awfull Sandra Dickenson from the TV series. At least this time they gave Trillian something to do in the story.

And I'm sorry but Sam Rockwell was great as Zaphod. Mark Wing-Davey may have been great for the role but you can never escape the fact that the TV series second head simply never worked. Whilst the second head was WAyyyyyyy underused in the film atleast it didn't flop uselessly on his neck saying "heyyyyyy!" every few minuets.

 

[DaveS1138]

Oh, no! The audio CD set by Adams himself is "currently unavailable"!:

Bad news from Amazon

If you would like something with Douglas himself try to find a copy of 'The hitch-hikers guide to the galaxy live in concert'

Its Douglas himself up on stage reading various bits from the first three books. He really gets into it and its a great CD.

"Unfortunately I'm not very good at acents. The ones I know are
Posh Quiet
Posh Loud
Less posh quiet
Less posh loud
and Australian.

Unfortunately there are no Australians in Hitch-Hikers so you are going to have to work out from four acents who is talking."

 

[Famine]

That's style over substance.

Zaphod's 80's TV Series second head was cack. Zaphod's 00's Film actor was cack.

 

[DaveS1138]

I think its funny that I'm trying to argue which order to put the worst two incarnations of hitch-hikers into At least we can both agree that both the TV series and movie are a very, very long way from the radio series and books.

 

[tabs]

I guess I missed out, having never heard the radio series.

 

[sukerkin]

You did indeed miss out, tabs. Do all you can to get copies of the radio broadcasts. If at all possible, for season One get the first broadcast as the repeat changed a few things (for the worse).

Famine has already said most of what I was going to say. About the only thing I disagree on is that I thought Rockwell did a good stab at Zaphod.

The 'new' material, supposedly from Adams (I have my doubts), was weak and at only two points in the whole film did I laugh.

These being the mice going "Ooh b******s!" before Arthur squishes them and a Vogon soldier shouting "He's locked the gate, we'll have to go round!" at the low picket fence of Arthur's house on Earth II. Pure slapstick and Python respectively.

I can only hope that they actually make the other three projected films and that much of the material and lines that were hacked from this one make their appearance at a later date.

Anyhow, is there any tea on this spaceship?