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AICN-Downunder: Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, the review...
Father Geek here... Latauro's review was soooooo over the top that I decided to give it a solo shot, for all you talkbackers to comment on...
DON'T PANIC!!!
I'm going to give you a bit of personal history before the review, mostly so
you can decide whether you want to read it or not. I grew up on
"Hitch-Hiker's". We had tapes of the radio series, which I would listen to
over, and over, and over again. Then I read the books, and have read them
far too many times, too. Then I watched the TV series as many times as I
could. Douglas Adams is my favourite writer, and without discounting other
influences (of which there are many), I usually cite him as the reason I
became a writer.
I'm not just a fan. I'm deeply in love with his work. I treasure a gift I
received as a child from my uncle, a signed copy of "Life, the Universe, and
Everything", in which Douglas Adams wishes me personally a Merry Christmas
and Happy Hanukkah. I'm constantly telling people that the radio series of
HHGTTG is the greatest thing mankind has ever produced. I can recite the
whole damn thing by heart, if you like.
If you'd asked me at, really, any point in my life which are the most
important projects for me to see brought to life on the big screen, I would
number them as (1) HHGTTG, (2) "The Hobbit", (3) "Lord of the Rings", and
(4), believe it or not, KING KONG. I'll explain the other more when I
eventually review PJ's KING KONG, but needless to say, after Christmas of
2000, the only one I was worried about was HHGTTG.
The following review is completely biased. I contemplated *not* writing it
from the point of view of someone who grew up in love with the source
material until I realised that was impossible. If you care about the film as
a stand-alone work and not as an adaptation, you probably won't find much of
interest in the following.
THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY
There's a scene in the original radio series where Arthur, Ford, Zaphod,
Trillian and Marvin have just left the Restaurant at the End of the Universe
in a cool, black spaceship they've stolen. After a fashion, they discover
that it's the flagship of an Admiral who is leading a fleet into battle. The
Admiral's second-in-command attempts to call the Admiral on the visi-screen,
only it sees Zaphod. For some reason, it believes Zaphod is the Admiral and
talks to him accordingly. Minutes later, it calls and sees Trillian, and
assumes Trillian is also the Admiral. They soon figure out that the race is
a super-evolving species, and that the second-in-command assumes they're the
Admiral because they look completely different.
This is a pretty good example of how Hitch-Hiker's adaptations are supposed
to go. They're all meant to be different. The radio series, the TV series,
the books, all the various adaptations take the story in a different
direction. They're supposed to. In complete opposition to almost every
property adapted for the big screen, true Hitch-Hiker's fans actually
*expect* the film to be different to what's come before. What's I'm trying
to get at is that I have pretty high expectations for a HHGTTG movie, but
they're not impossibly high. I wanted them to mess around with the material.
So did they get it right?
Almost.
Sort of.
Some bits.
Okay, let's go through it. The opening - the "So Long and Thanks For All the
Fish" bit - is brilliant. I'd heard a bit about this, but had no idea how
they were going to do it without it being dumb. They nailed it. But that was
nothing compared to the chills that rushed through me when "Journey of the
Sorcerer" kicked in over the logo. I honestly didn't think they'd put
"Journey" in, and the excitement that hit me was palpable.
I might stop here and talk about the characters. Adams wrote some of the
most interesting and complex characters, the only things that were
consistent from adaptation to adaptation.
Arthur Dent. Martin Freeman was, I thought, a really good choice for this
role. He's a little uncomfortable in his own skin, and provided he played it
different to Tim from "The Office", it would work. Confusingly, there were
moments where he seemed to be channelling David Brent, but on the whole he
was a fairly good fit. There were some problems, though. Arthur constantly
yelling and willing to get into fights with Zaphod, this is not Arthur.
Well, it's not the Arthur from any of the other incarnations, and I suppose
changing him here isn't too big a travesty (especially given I expected them
to change the story). My problem is that it makes him into a
less-interesting character.
Ford Prefect. Mos Def was the one piece of casting I just didn't get. I've
not seen him in anything else, so I can't speak to his previous work; my
concern was that he's American. I sort-of wish the filmmakers had fought for
the Brits like Peter Jackson had fought for the British accents in LOTR
(remember the pre-production announcement that the LOTR accents would be a
mixture of British and American?). It felt like they placated the fan base
by making Arthur English, and then didn't bother with the rest of them. It's
a pity, because Adams's writing is so incredibly English, it just doesn't
sound right coming out of a Yank. Anyway, I was able to overlook this when I
remembered that Adams himself had talked about his dreamcasting for a film
version would include Jeff Goldblum as Ford. I suppose if Douglas doesn't
mind, then neither do I. Mos Def is Ford. I get why they cast him. He's got
that Essence of Ford. I have no problems with his casting. I do have
problems with how underwritten he was (he was a field researcher for the
Guide... that was so interesting! Was it mentioned in the film? If so, I
don't remember). Still, Ford was the characterisation I enjoyed the most.
Zaphod Beeblebrox. When I heard that Sam Rockwell was to play Zaphod, I
couldn't believe it. In all my head-based dreamcasting sessions, I'd never
hit upon anyone as perfect for the role as Rockwell. This bit of casting was
the thing that eventually put me at ease during pre-production. However, as
much as I enjoyed Rockwell's performance, this is one instance where they
completely missed the point. Zaphod was never stupid, and he was never a
loud-mouthed, annoying or broad. Zaphod was cool. His left cranium had been
voted the hippest place in the galaxy; he got everything wrong not because
he wasn't smart, but because he was too cool to care. Rockwell plays it
broad, and he's very funny at times, but once again there was a more
interesting character in there.
Trillian. Trillian was always the most chameleonic character, changing
completely from series to series to series. I welcomed the fleshing-out of
her character, and hoped they'd do something interesting with her. They
didn't, really. She was the girl, so they put her in a love triangle, and
that seemed to be her motivation for everything. Zooey Deschanel does a good
job, but again: why is she American?
Marvin. I grew to love the design of Marvin; I think it suits him perfectly.
I also think that the voice casting of Alan Rickman was excellent, though a
little obvious. What confuses me is how they missed the mark on him. They
seem to confused depression for active hatred, with Marvin insulting people
a little too quickly. Maybe I'm being too fastidious on this point, but
there were a few lines where I just thought... okay, I think I *am* being
overly fannish about this, so I'll move on.
The Book. Short of resurrecting Peter Jones, there was no better person to
play the Book than Stephen Fry. As confident as I was that he'd get it
right, he got it better than I'd anticipated. He's really that good. The
animations didn't do it for me, though. They were cute, but then that was
the problem. They were trying too hard to be cute. Otherwise, everything
that was culled directly from the source worked a treat.
I'm going to stress here that I'm still on the fence about my feelings on
the film. I think they got some things right and others not, and I don't yet
know where I sit. I'm pointing that out now because I'm about to talk about
what didn't work, and you may get the impression that I outright hate the
thing.
The romance between Arthur and Trillian. The big matzo ball. This could have
worked, I believe. I mean, there's no reason why it shouldn't. Adams never
lingered on it in the beginning; she just happened to be a girl he met at a
party, and that was that. Here, it's handled about as badly as it could
possibly have been handled. Arthur, whose home was bulldozed, whose planet
has been destroyed, who has twice escaped certain death from a species of
alien, who is now on a space ship, the first thing he brings up to Trillian
is why he was ditched for Zaphod at a party. Then the love triangle tension
apparently steps up a bit when Trillian expresses her frustration at Arthur
not being more heroic (this seems to be the American view of what Arthur was
all about). Then Trillian gets teary because she believes she's blown it
with a guy who might "get" her (this is after she's almost been fed to a
Ravenous Bug Blatter Beast of Traal, and discovered her planet has been
destroyed). Then Arthur says the only question he cares about is if she's
the One. What, was this found in an old Nora Ephron script? Where the hell
did they find this shite? Let's be clear: my problems with this strand are
not fanboyish. I'm sick of the gratuitous romance, particularly when it's
handled as badly as it is here. A hint of romance between Arthur and
Trillian could have worked, if handled correctly.
What else? To run through them, I suppose the mobile phone that Arthur has
bothered me more than I was expecting. It comes off as a desperate attempt
to "update" the story, but is far too self-conscious to work. (I also don't
think Arthur is the sort of character who would even have a mobile phone,
but I'll leave that alone.) The whole Deep Thought strand was far too
rushed, like they were worried about spending too long away from the main
characters. That awkwardly-written line towards the end that replaced the
brilliant "I seem to be having a tremendous difficulty with my lifestyle".
The point of view gun bothered me, though the idea sort-of works in
principal. It just feels to me like a fanfic idea of what Douglas Adams
might have come up with.
The things that work: the Vogons - brilliantly realised, brilliantly
executed; the hilarious jump back from Arthur and Ford to the ships
surrounding the planet; Bill Bailey as the whale was perfect; Bill Nighey's
interpretation of Slartibartfast was spot-on; John Malkovich was a really
nice addition, even if that whole Jatravartin strand was a bit tacked-on;
the references to the jewelled crabs of Vogsphere; the planet manufacturing
workroom on Magrathea (more, please); the way they're ejected from the Vogon
ship; Ford's towel.
A lot was made of the fact that Douglas Adams had written the script, but
what I think should have been pointed out is that he wrote an earlier draft.
Subsequent drafts were done by some guy whose name I haven't bothered
remembering, and I bet dollars to doughnuts that I could go through the
script with a highlighter and tell you what was Adam's stuff and what was
added to appease the executives at Disney. The script is a near-hit. It got
a lot of things right, and missed the point on an equal number.
It doesn't bother me, though. While film is my favourite of all media and
I'd been awaiting a "Hitch-Hiker's" movie my whole life, I'm not that
bothered by the fact that it wasn't the film I'd been waiting for. I'll say
again that I don't think I had unreasonably high expectations: so long as
they *understood* what they were making, I didn't mind where they went with
it. I just don't feel that the directors - whose video clip work I love -
really understood it. Or if they did, didn't bother fighting the studio to
make it.
Still, I have the radio series, I have the books, I have the TV series, and
now I have the film. Recently, someone I know brought up LOTR and how much
they loathed it and thought it was a complete failure. I asked why.
Apparently the number one major sticking point was the Elves at Helm's Deep.
I took a deep breath. See, a great adaptation doesn't mean a slavish
adhesion to the minutiae of the source material; a great adaptation captures
the essence of the art it is based on, and going by that barometer, HHGTTG
is - at best - a moderate success.
Peace out,
Latauro
AICNDownunder@hotmail.com
AICNDownunder@hotmail.com
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+ Expand All
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Loved the book.
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I was hoping they wouldn't give to many blowjobs to make it marketable to americans. The whole point of the book is it's completely ascerbic british humor.
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...were all from Douglas Adams' drafts. DA didn't just write the first draft, he wrote two drafts for the current producer and had been working off and on on the movie in various incarnations for decades. Karey Kirkpatrick (Chicken Run) didn't write further drafts, he edited DA's drafts together and used the man's previous notes.
God, this review was a complete waste of everyone's time. -
At the moment I am re-reading the books once more and unfortunately I am unfamiliar with the other incarnations of what truly is the funniest book of our time. I do however have a good relationship with my towel.
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Apr 30, 2005 3:19:02 PM CDT
adambalm: is it at all possible that adams could've fucked up?
by therightclique
i hate this whole argument about whether it was written by adams or kirkpatrick... the point is that it is very very lame. i don't care who is to blame. my opinion's the same. i'm not concerned with names. i don't have time for games. i'm only concerned with whether or not it was good and whether or not it captured the feeling of the book, WHICH IT DID NOT. it was a really C minus kind of a deal.. really half asssed. thats more sad than if they had flat out fucked it up, because they were really close at times. this review is pretty accurate to the way a lot of people are feeling after seeing this movie. don't dismiss just because YOU think "douglas adams can do no wrong"... because i assure you, anybody can suck at times.
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If you really like Douglas Adams' work, you should stop citing it as your greatest influence, as that just makes it look bad.
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I think they were spot-on when it comes to the heart of the project - a WHOLE lot more than I would have believed Disney to allow (nothing they've every done before has been nearly this quirky).
All I can say is, bring on "The Restaraunt At The End Of The Universe"!!! -
Completely agree about the romance
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You're 100% correct. Adams could have fucked it up royal. I didn't think he did, for me at least, as I enjoyed the film. But art is neither right nor wrong, it's either effective or ineffective, and whether it is for you depends on the person. But if you hate the film, that's entirely valid. But one should hate it for the right reasons. And, don't, as this reviewer did, hate it for reasons that can be debunked by 30 seconds of googling.
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1: Trillian has been American before. I much preferred Deschanel's low-key interpretation to that disco nightmare chick from the BBCTV production. 2: To my ears, Rickman's reading of Marvin is *less* condescending and *more* depressed than previous versions. There were times when I could genuinely believe that Marvin was just barely hanging on. 3. It would have been nice if the film had explained the slapping sticks. Apparently, they're the force that knocked all capacity for original thought out of the Vogons-- henbce their smashed-in noses. 4. If you go, bring some old red/blue 3D glasses. They'll come in handy about midway through the film.
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Apr 30, 2005 4:10:42 PM CDT
There was dialog in the various trailers I don't recall seeing i
by frankdrebin
The vogon tells earth to "Have a nice day." Marvin says, "That does absolutely nothing for me." And Zaphod's "Is this a great galaxy or what?!" I think they edited the daylights out of it. The dvd better have an extended cut.
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Apr 30, 2005 4:17:04 PM CDT
The ultimate joke in the book is "42" and I don't think the movi
by frankdrebin
The movie sped through it. We should have seen eons go by, civilizations rise and fall, ice ages come and go, while everyone waited for the answer to be computed. And then the movie left out the punchline: when the computer says "42", somebody was supposed to say, "We should have asked it to show it's work."
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to have a review that long to discuss whether or not a film is Good, Ok or Bad ?
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and I wasn't entirely disappointed. I wasn't entirely satisfied either. It's one of those movies that just sort of "is". It hits its beats, but that's all it does. It seemed a bit cobbled together, and not didn't flow well. And the worst thing, in my opinion: while it was humorous many times, it was funny just a few. It has some great visuals, and I applaud the effort of those involved (Sam Rockwell rocks), but I found myself checking my watch on Vogsphere. Never a good sign. Very middle of the road in my opinion.
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Me am good with the speaking English.
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I may the only person on the planet who likes the Arthur/Trillian triangle. It adds a lot to the story that was never there before. The new bits had me laughing. The old bits had me smiling. It's not perfect -- AND NEITHER IS THE BOOK -- but both are darn funny.
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Apr 30, 2005 7:01:15 PM CDT
the line i miss most? " Ford, you're turning into a penguin, sto
by obscura
ive heard the radio show, watched the tv show ( i havent read the books yet).... but.... was it me or was the end just totally made up? i remeber reading on here it was 80% original douglas material...thats utter bollocks. BUT i did enjoy myself. and i did walk out wanting more. plus maybe the best thing about the whole thing (apart from all references to the tv series) is that it'll make many more people read the books and realize just how much of a genius Douglas Adams was.
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Just saw it and have to say, while some of it is inspired, it simply just doesn't work as a whole. And while some of the gags are funny, it none-the-less comes across as below par Gilliam, at best. Mos Def in particular is crap, mumbling his way though the entire film - should have got Richard E Grant to play Ford Prefect instead. Tim 'Office' bloke is okayish as Arthur and Sam Rockwell is decent too - best thing about the film is Stephen Fry as the narrater/book type thing - excellent. Oh and the effects are shoddy by the way. Seriously doubt there'll be a sequel after this miss-fire. 2.5 / 5
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Doesn't hold together as a movie very well at all. Rushed, fairly botched, doesn't feel right. The love stuff is just CRAP when you think about the ethos of Adams' books, it totally doesn't fit. The feminist bit with the point of view gun (doesn't work on a woman???) is such a lame modern one-liner. the delivery of both the sperm whale and the 42 lines is somehow really rushed and not articulated well, which is too bad. and marvin is fine, but not really used well, until the decision to make us think he's dead (oh no!! the cute widdle robot!!), and then he saves the day (hooray for marvin!!) - both totally unnecessary, hollywoodish moments. well, after Blade 2 and Hellboy, chalk this up to yet another movie I shouldn't listen to AICN about. my new rule: read AICN, wait until after opening weekend, and read the talkbacks. then make a decision.
the best sequence is the opening one with the dolphins, everything else is downhill. ehh. -
Where can I find the radio show, either in disc or audio file?
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The Hitch Hikers Original Radio Series: First and Second Phase
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0563477024/ref=ase_lyinginthegut-21
BBC Radio 4 have been producing third, fourth and fifth phases, adapting the books Life The Universe And Everything, So Long And Thanks For All The Fish and Mostly Harmless.
The Tertiary Phase is out:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0563510439/lyinginthegut-21 -
i picked up the book a few months ago, determined to read it before the movie came out. it's not my favorite adaptation of a literary source (lotr holds that crown and will for some time to come) but it made me laugh, there were more hits than misses, and i thought that there was quite a bit that kept to the spirit of the book. i wasn't *crazy* about the arthur/trillian love story (coming from a girl! gasp!) but it wasn't complete shit. i really liked the movie. of course, one thing confuses me...did it show the main title twice? why?
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I thought it was decent, I'm just disappointed that a lot of it is going to go over the head of people who don't have any prior Hitchhiker's experience, and therefore, is going to do terribly at the box-office. Mos Def was only mildly awkward as Ford and they should have given him more lines and explained more about him. But I dunno, fuck Disney, that's all that really matters.
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"... Ninety nine percent of the time this sentence would infuriate me to but it really was like looking at patterned wallpaper on acid
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....you sir are clearly a geek whos scared of girls...feel inferior that a girl went to see this film? Does it make you come out in a cold sweat? Enjoy your lonely life fucktard.
I went to see this film with my girlfriend..shes a Adams fanatic yet enjoyed the film...understood that in disneys hands it could of really been a LOT worse...understood that there was a lot of faults with the movie but also it was a fun film too with its HEART in the right place.
As for the Title being twice...Im still reckoning its because disney had a lot to play in the final result (the music was so annoyingly twee aprt from the dolphin song and the original theme)....I reckon the original opening of the film was going to use the guide for the title.
Its clear that the filmakers had something more accurate in mind ...but had to make do with a happy medium to get the film made (it has been in dev hell for too long).
At the end of the day...they had the task of making adams creation mainstream on yank money and my girlfriend was happy enough with that...she did have a gripe about deep thought as they did cock that up....but still enjoyed the film.
Guess that makes her a dumbass eh? Or just someone who enjoys films. Someone who doesnt feel that its harming Adams book/radioplay etc (if anything it brings attention to Adams work for a new generation)...you dont like the film? then just stick with the originals...its that easy....Moaning about waht could be is futile...the films there...live with it.
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...I liked the film because for a change it was totally un-offensive...you could take your youngest kid to see it...and I think thats half the point..bringing attention to the youngsters to adams creations.
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fer the amount of shitty brit movies that've been made on lottery money, you think hitchhikers could've been made as a completely, uncompromised british thing. the only time the special effects mattered in the film version was the slartibartfast/arthur trolley ride past the planets in construction: I admit, this was one time in the film that I got a lump in my throat.
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....Your one REALLY funny guy Gapethatass. You not only dont like being with girls...youve a fetish for rectums too...I rest my case.
And whats with the disability bashing? I bow down to you...your a god...Y'know what youve said is right...the films a letdown ooooh! (I wont say HUGE because you like it HUGE doncha?) ...Im so crushed...so crushed by your harsh words.
M8....dont get all rude just because somebody else likes a film you dont...like I said its too bad...the films there so live with it...if you cant...then do us decent folk a favour and kill yourself. Simple like me & my GF really eh? -
...torrets you suffer with then? My emotions are in full control buddy...you on the other hand?
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May 02, 2005 11:14:50 AM CDT
Dude, control ur emotions. Jeez, I didnt think I'd get to you th
by angels-egg
..N'uff said.
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...You dont get irony? Quite ironic when you love the HGTTG book so much.
Annoyed enough yet? ^_^ -
May 02, 2005 1:50:28 PM CDT
Saw it, and it was mediocre. Can't believe how AICN put this mov
by the founder
This site and the people that post here are full of crap, and some of the biggest fakes. I've always thought we fanboys had a little more taste then the average moviegoer, and knew the real incompantence of those Hollywood suits. Every topic mentioned about XXX2 was negative and like good sheep, talkbackers joined in, and Harry is the ringleader. Reviewers and talkbackers went on about the suckage of the film, and put in every racial reference they could think of, even though it wasn't called for. All the Ice Cube bashing was endless. Now i saw XXX2, and it wasn't a good movie, but it had it's moments, much like the famed HGTG, and i saw that, and it was the same as XXX2. Both had some moments here and there, but in the end, neither shouldn't have wasted the budgets that was spent to make them, especially when so much poverty is going on in the world.
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You know, the only thing more pathetic than a brit talking with hip-hop slang is someone who can't take criticism or accept opposing views. Can I now expect a witty riposte, or will I be told to shag my disabled mother?
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Really classes the place up.
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May 02, 2005 2:57:13 PM CDT
I'm probably in the minority, but I agreed with much of this rev
by minderbinder
Liked the movie, room for improvement. The best thing about it is that it is a decent enough starting point that they can fix the problems when (hopefully) they make sequels. It had a good opening weekend, but anyone know what it cost?
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...Why cant the talkback facility be more like a forum? With moderators that can ban the sorts who make abusive comments?
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Great review Latauro.
Could not agree more with your conclusions.
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