View Full Version : HitchHikers Guide To The Galaxy. *POSSIBLE SPOILERS*
The Sarge
04-28-05, 02:32 PM
Just watched HitchHikers at my local UCI.
I've got to admit, after seeing the trailers and watching the original series i was pretty hyped about seeing this film. But, after seeing it i feel a little disapointed.
But i don't know why.
Sam Rockwell as Zaphod, in my opinion made the movie, his comedy and general acting in this film kept me entertained and amused.
Martin Freeman was good as Arthur. I've been a fan of MF since The Office and he didn't let me down here.
Bill Bailey as The Whale, pure class. Just like watching him in stand-up.
Anna Chancellor as Questular Rontok seemed to be a pointless character. I didn't even know it was Anna until the credits rolled up..... i thought it was Davina McCall.
Marvin the Depressed Robot was just basically getting on my **** by the end of the film.
Bill Nighy as Slartibartfast was superb. I might be being biased here as Nighy is my favourite actor, but IMO he just rules in the albeit short period of time he is in this film.
****SPOILERS****
Favourite part of the film was the Planet Building Factory. Superbly done. It just looks freakin' great.
I think they could have done a better job with the imagery of the actual guide. Considering it's supposed to be the bestest book in the universe sort of looked a bit cheap.
Absoluteley detested the opening and ending music number. Ok, so it was a nice start with the dolphins but that song is jus so.... Urrrrgh!
****End SPOILERS****
I like the film but there's just something there, niggling away about it and i can't put my finger on what but there is someting about the whole film i just didn't like.
So to sum up.... I like the film but at the same time don't.
So i've go to be fair and give it 5/10
darkhorse
04-30-05, 04:43 PM
Hilarious movie. I thought it did the book justice! I'd like to see the sequel(s)--the adaptations of the rest of the books in the series!
Actually, I thought the song was kind of catchy... "So long and thanks for all the fish..." pretty funny song and had a nice beat to it... but then, that's just me speaking.
All in all, a very enjoyable movie-going experience--I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone, esp. to Douglas Adams afficionadoes!
just saw this one this morning...loved marvin, my favorite character in the entire trilogy...
my advice is to stick with the books and the old bbc series...
Saw it last night. I thought it was terrible. Mabe only 2 scenes throughout the entire movie that made me chuckle. From the trailers I figured it was going to be crap and was hoping from all the hype about this film, i would be surprisingly wrong. I was not in the least. I just couldn't wait for this painful experience to end and was all too happy when it did. I'm actually amazed at anyone who considered this a funny movie. It was childish if anything.
4/10 at best.
led_zeppelin
04-30-05, 11:41 PM
I thought it was great myself.
I thought it was pretty good too, story didn't flow altogether that well though. Probably because they were trying to put in as much from the book as possible, so each scene didn't really jell together that well. It was pretty funny overall, decent acting and compelling characters (Go Marvin!). I'd give it 3.5/5.
Fav Part: When the little crab alien is jumping and doing little cheers, for about 10 seconds then gets cunched by the door opening :laugh: Ok it's kind of stupid humour but was right up my alley :D
I thought it was pretty good too, story didn't flow altogether that well though. Probably because they were trying to put in as much from the book as possible, so each scene didn't really jell together that well. It was pretty funny overall, decent acting and compelling characters (Go Marvin!). I'd give it 3.5/5.
Fav Part: When the little crab alien is jumping and doing little cheers, for about 10 seconds then gets cunched by the door opening :laugh: Ok it's kind of stupid humour but was right up my alley :D
The funniest scenes in the movie to me were:
When they had bodies of wool or yarn and the guy also puked wool. The other one was when they were getting slapped in the face by those hidden sand creatures with their fly swatting hand thingies.
Fav Part: When the little crab alien is jumping and doing little cheers, for about 10 seconds then gets cunched by the door opening :laugh: Ok it's kind of stupid humour but was right up my alley :D
I loved that part!
Wee! Wee! Wee! Wee! Wee! *splat*
darkhorse
05-01-05, 06:55 PM
The thing I liked best about the movie was the dry wit and philosophical insight of Douglas Adams that parts of the movie captured very well--I thought it did a great job in presenting the actual "Hitchhiker's Guide". As for the rest of the movie, well, admittedly it compromised on the contents of the book, but even so, I think it did an exceptional job of adapting it to the screen. The only thing I found kind of silly were the typical Hollywood add-ons that are inevitable in this sort of project, but which the movie could really do without. I thought Zaphod was dead-on--the portrayal of his character was way better in the movie than in the TV show. I also liked the effects and the randomness of the plot (which is the idea, I guess--I mean the movie begins with the world blowing up and so randomness and chance is one of the themes of the movie, I'd say--satirizing science fiction and science fact).
All in all, I came out of this show liking it a lot. I'd say, go for it, if you're interested!
i still think that if you want to capture douglas adams dry wit and philosophical insight, then stick with the books or the bbc series...the movie took too many liberties with the material...and i didn't think that the film was bad, just a little disappointing...
Uncle Rico
05-01-05, 09:47 PM
I thought this movie would be good but when i saw it I was very dissapointed. I think that maybe if I saw it again i might enjoy it more.
Angel_of_Music
05-01-05, 09:54 PM
having not read the book for about 10 years, i think its quite good,
didn't really like john malkovich's character, but the love triangle thing ended up working well.
can anyone find the lyrics to "so long and thanks for all the fish" that song is hilarious
The Sarge
05-01-05, 11:33 PM
I thought this movie would be good but when i saw it I was very dissapointed. I think that maybe if I saw it again i might enjoy it more.
Exactly what im thinking. Its out on DVD in September (my loacal HMV has already got the posters up behing the counter).
I'll maybe wait until then or just get the D/L Screener.
**** For The UK's out there****
Is it just me or did Zaphod remind you of Rik Mayall? (Lord flash-heart for looks and Richie, from Bottom, for sound)?
Or is it just me.
darkhorse
05-02-05, 12:03 AM
Exactly what im thinking. Its out on DVD in September (my loacal HMV has already got the posters up behing the counter).
I'll maybe wait until then or just get the D/L Screener.
Awesome! I'll definitely be buying that one for all the extra features! Thanks for the info!
darkhorse
05-02-05, 12:05 AM
having not read the book for about 10 years, i think its quite good,
didn't really like john malkovich's character, but the love triangle thing ended up working well.
can anyone find the lyrics to "so long and thanks for all the fish" that song is hilarious
I agree--the song is outrageously funny! Made me laugh out loud! :laugh:
John Malkovich was out of his element, I thought, but he was a nice touch.
I would really like to see the Restaurant at the End of the Universe on screen, though! That one should be awesome to watch!
darkhorse
05-02-05, 12:08 AM
i still think that if you want to capture douglas adams dry wit and philosophical insight, then stick with the books or the bbc series...the movie took too many liberties with the material...and i didn't think that the film was bad, just a little disappointing...
The books are authoritative, of course--there's no denying that!
The TV show is pretty good, but the visual effects are pretty crude and the acting is so-so. It has some nice touches, of course, but, on the whole, it was a pretty crude attempt at adapting the books. I enjoyed it, but it didn't quite capture the sophistication of the books. I thought the movie, for all the liberties it took with the material, did a better job of that!
Pyro Tramp
05-02-05, 09:33 AM
I enjoyed the film, though what the hell happened with the Malkovich story, it seemed they forgot about it...
I pretty much agree with everything The Sarge said, spot on.
BTW, the BBC series is starting this tuesday on BBC2.
(I preffered xXx2)
I found it really really painful. I didn't think any of Adam's philosophical strands made it in at all (let alone got brought to the surface - aside from the obvious '42'/mice-ruling bit). But that was to be expected - it's a streamlined sci-comedy.
My main prob was that the incidental humour they plumped for often jarred with Adam's more laconically-silly style. In the books/radio etc many of the jokes also back up his redemptive 'spiritual-athiest' world views, adding webs of structure and hope to the chaotic universe Arthur finds himself in, whereas here they were just throw-away lines for the most part. I found the visual joke of the mushrooms being 'inflated' on Earth Mk2 really annoying as well for some reason. I think it's partly coz it belittled the creation process in a way Adam's never did specifically in the books - if anything he highlighted the care and attention that people like Slartibartfast went to etc. Having workmen was fine - even that guy painting Ayer's rock or whatever was fine, but that little scene just seemed so glaringly at odds with the spirit of Adam's messages and comedy-tone. It felt like the quick and easy CGI trick that it was
The cheapness itself was all fine by me (and very fitting), and there was even some cool design stuff - I thought the giant jelly-bean Vogons, Deep Thought and the Heart of Gold were all great. It just made it all the more annoying when some things showed no consistancy or real thought at all: Like the way zaphod's heads didn't convince at all. Couldn't they at least of given his main head a beard that ran down his neck? That way at least the other head could have blended a bit more seamlessly, instead of looking so patently unworkable
I guess i was just hoping they'd have put a little more love into it, and maintained a bit more of the style of humour. But it was a tough ask to compress such a scattered and scatty work into a fast-moving feel-good film. It just lacked some breathing space to let the absurdity sink in amongst the rush of ridiculous events. It lacked the thoughtful feel of the originals - and it didn't pull off the irreverance in a consistant or enjoyable way (admittadly, some of my enjoyment was dulled by being familiar with the jokes/concepts ;))
Overall, i think trying to get the film made in his style was probably what drove Adam's to having a heartattack in the first place.
And i thought that song sucked big time. ;)
Once again all the critics are being total anuses and bashing this movie. :(
Henry The Kid
05-02-05, 10:58 PM
Once again all the critics are being total anuses and bashing this movie. :(
Yes, they only bash it because they need something to ruin on the 364 days of the year that aren't Christmas, and puppies will only take so many beatings.
I saw this last week, not that impressed. :nope:
Monkeypunch
05-03-05, 05:56 AM
I dunno, saw this last night, and it made me laugh out loud several times, and I left with a smile on my face, thus it gets thumbs up from me. Deviates from the novel a bit, but then, it isn't a novel, it's a movie. Two different forms of entertainment with different possibilities.
Marvin the robot was hilarious, Sam Rockwell OWNED the entire movie, Martin Freeman was excellent, and I didn't mind the romantic angle at all (even though it bothers some people) simply because it's Zoey Deschanel as Trillian, and man, who wouldn't fall for her? She is perfect and adorable. :)
Oh, and the name Slartibartfast still makes me laugh as much as it did when i was ten years old and had read the books for the first time. heh.
I dunno, saw this last night, and it made me laugh out loud several times
I only laughed once. :yup: there wasn't much laughter in the theatre where I saw it :nope:
I didn't mind the romantic angle at all (even though it bothers some people) simply because it's Zoey Deschanel as Trillian, and man, who wouldn't fall for her? She is perfect and adorable. :)
Was thinking the same thing myself ;).
I only laughed once. :yup: there wasn't much laughter in the theatre where I saw it :nope:
Half the theatre was laughing and half wasn't, It was pretty funny IMO :yup:
darkhorse
05-03-05, 02:57 PM
I dunno, saw this last night, and it made me laugh out loud several times, and I left with a smile on my face, thus it gets thumbs up from me. Deviates from the novel a bit, but then, it isn't a novel, it's a movie. Two different forms of entertainment with different possibilities.
I was laughing my ass off all along. The movie captured a lot of Douglas Adams' dry wit and irony and added a bit of Hollywood slapstick into the bargain (which wasn't too bad, but a bit out of character). I thoroughly enjoyed the movie.
I agree 100% with what you said--I think the movie did an excellent job of adapting the novel into a feature length movie--extracting a coherent screenplay from an extremely scattered novel with a rambling style, while preserving its characteristic quirkiness, to some extent, and making a pretty sophisticated statement about the human condition in a hilariously downplayed fashion.
I really, really would like to see the rest of the novels adapted for the screen as well. My favorite sequence in the entire series is one about the alien civilization that sends all its middlemen and bureaucrats into outer space and strands them on what turns out to be prehistoric earth. That one's outrageously funny!
All in all, the movie can't be compared to the novels or the TV series or the radio show--apples and oranges. I think each of the cultural manifestations of the "Hitchhiker's Guide" has their own merits and charm.
What I'd really like to see, though, is a new TV series made out of the novels--one that accurately captures the novels' rambling style and preserves their contents. That should be awesome to watch.
FilmStudent2004
05-03-05, 03:00 PM
I thought it was kind of cute myself. I too loved the ending of it. It took my breath away. I love movies that have good endings. And Marvin was kinda cute. Always so sad, I kept picturing this manic depressed little man inside that robot.
I love Bill Nighy, in every film he does. They are often worlds apart, but i just love him. Especially Love Actually. ^_^
I haven't read the book, is that song in the book or is it new? (So Long and thanks for all the fish) I had to laugh..it was funny.
blibblobblib
05-03-05, 05:14 PM
Hilarious movie.
Actually, I thought the song was kind of catchy... "So long and thanks for all the fish..." pretty funny song and had a nice beat to it...
All in all, a very enjoyable movie-going experience--I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone, esp. to Douglas Adams afficionadoes!
Huzzah!
I agree!
darkhorse
05-03-05, 06:45 PM
Huzzah!
I agree!
Wha...??!!
Somebody pinch me! I must be dreaming! Either that, or hell hath frozen over! :D
Just kiddin'! Glad to see we finally agree on something!
Sexy Celebrity
05-03-05, 07:08 PM
Somebody pinch me! I must be dreaming!
*pinch* WAKE UP, DJANGO! WAKE UP!
having not read the book for about 10 years, i think its quite good,
didn't really like john malkovich's character, but the love triangle thing ended up working well.
can anyone find the lyrics to "so long and thanks for all the fish" that song is hilarious
Yep, I've got most of them here:
http://the-yew.com/2005/05/so-long-thanks-for-all-fish-lyrics.html
Also, as that link might not be valid on a long term basis, you can go to http://the-yew.com and search for the May 5 2005 entry.
Hope that helps.
FilmStudent2004
05-06-05, 08:24 PM
I would love to make a flash from that song. If only I had the skills. But I am in film school and have live actors that would make it funny. Hmm...such ideas. I love that song. Its not on my MP3 player. :D
Tacitus
05-09-05, 05:26 PM
A lot of this new Hitchhikers made me smile, wistfully, and think back to just how good the Radio show/book/TV series was. The essence was there, just none of the substance. The cleverness was there, just none of the intelligence. The humour was there, just none of the wit.
The look was spot on, more Doctor Who than 2001, which worked. It's not supposed to be a 'kerrazzy British Comedy' though, more of a wry look at how the British see themselves - and didn't really succeed on either level...
Rockwell & Freeman were very good, Nighy superb. Mos Def and Zoey Deschanel stumbled through the whole thing looking like extras from Red dwarf.
They tried, I guess. Just not hard enough.
3/5 (mainly for the memories)
Sexy Celebrity
05-09-05, 06:08 PM
Oh My GAWD!
This movie was soooo boring. What was this movie about? I couldn't get into it - couldn't grasp the plot. I was just watching images. This movie was supposed to be funny, right? It was a strange and surreal experience - because I know I went to the movie theatre and saw a movie, though when I left it didn't feel like I had. Seriously - nothing clicked. I was ready to hitchhike to the House of Wax! Paris Hilton, pick me up.
During the opening credits, I saw that Warwick Davis was in the movie. Ooooh, how exciting, he plays THE LEPRECHAUN! When he finally came on screen, after some annoying buttass ugly monsters and a two headed nincompoop did, he was totally unrecognizable - because he was a robot - and totally depressed! What happened, Warwick? Leprechaun 7's not going to happen? No more hoods for you to terrorize?
I don't necessarily believe that Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy is a bad movie - though maybe a lot of other people who are fans of the book/TV show think it is - I had no prior knowledge of the Hitchhiker universe when I went to see the film yesterday.
And I'm still not sure if I do now!
Strummer521
05-09-05, 11:40 PM
it's a streamlined sci-comedy.
Right, and to me, that is where it shined. I didn't have the expectations that others did because I haven't read the books (although I will soon). I found it to have such a fun carefree spirit and exciting visuals and gadgets, to the point that it was pure entertainment for me to the point that I didn't really care if it was funny or intelligent, I just sat back and enjoyed the ride.
However unlike many others I found Sam Rockwell to be extremely annoying as Zaphod.
Strummer521
05-09-05, 11:45 PM
Mos Def and Zoey Deschanel stumbled through the whole thing looking like extras from Red dwarf.
They tried, I guess. Just not hard enough.
Yeah...but I have to forgive her...because I'm in love with her.:indifferent:
darkhorse
05-10-05, 04:50 PM
This movie was soooo boring. What was this movie about? I couldn't get into it - couldn't grasp the plot. I was just watching images. This movie was supposed to be funny, right? It was a strange and surreal experience - because I know I went to the movie theatre and saw a movie, though when I left it didn't feel like I had. Seriously - nothing clicked. I was ready to hitchhike to the House of Wax! Paris Hilton, pick me up.
...
I don't necessarily believe that Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy is a bad movie - though maybe a lot of other people who are fans of the book/TV show think it is - I had no prior knowledge of the Hitchhiker universe when I went to see the film yesterday.
And I'm still not sure if I do now!
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is primarily satire, IMHO. The genre is "comedy science fiction" (in the words of the author, Douglas Adams). It was originally written in the tradition of Monty Python--it's the same sort of comedy. In fact, the author was a close acquaintance of the Monty Python crew, especially Graham Chapman, with whom he collaborated on several occasions.
Basically, you have to see this movie as a trip--it satirizes science fiction and science and makes a number of powerful comments on the human condition. It's loaded with irony and subtlety but not everyone is able to appreciate the humor. If you get the jokes (and there are plenty of them), it's the most hilarious, witty and insightful thing you ever saw (or read or listened to, depending on the medium). On the other hand, if you don't, it could come across as boring and pointless.
Hitchhiker was originally conceived as a radio play broadcast on BBC radio. Subsequently, it was adapted and expanded into a series of novels. The radio play was also released in album form and subsequently made into a TV miniseries, with many of the original cast. Only much later, and after the author's death in 2001, was the first novel finally made into a movie.
I agree with many that the movie does not capture the full Monty Pythonesque quirkiness and wit of the original TV show, radio play and novels. Still, to the average newcomer to the series, it is hilarious in its own right. It's a slightly dumbed down version of the original (which is why it suffers in the wit and irony department, when compared with the original) but, on the other hand, the special effects are a lot better thanks to CGI!
The TV show is pretty good, but the crude special effects kind of undermine it (the reason being that the visual effects are so important in this genre and, especially, in this piece). Actually, the TV show comes across kind of like a televised play. The acting is also pretty shoddy, to be honest. What I'd really like to see, though, is the entire series of novels made into a new TV series with up-to-date visual effects and some good acting for a change--acting that captures Douglas Adams' vision, wit, irony and insight! Just my two cents' worth!
Anyway, until then, the movie was fun to watch in it's own right! Not quite the same as the original, but not too bad for a Touchstone film! Enjoyable, entertaining and mildly hilarious!
Sexy Celebrity
05-10-05, 07:44 PM
Basically, you have to see this movie as a trip
Oh, so that's how you enjoy it. Shoot. Why didn't I lace my popcorn with something besides butter...
Oh, so that's how you enjoy it. Shoot. Why didn't I lace my popcorn with something besides butter... :p
darkhorse
05-10-05, 10:58 PM
Oh, so that's how you enjoy it. Shoot. Why didn't I lace my popcorn with something besides butter...
What, you didn't?
Sexy Celebrity
05-10-05, 11:03 PM
What, you didn't?
No, actually I didn't have any popcorn at all when I went to see this movie. Right before, though, I did go to Subway and eat a footlong sweet online chicken teriyaki sub, with Cheetos and Coke. The aftertaste entertained me through this film.
Sexy Celebrity
05-10-05, 11:04 PM
sweet online chicken teriyaki sub
online... :laugh: sweet ONION chicken teriyaki sub
blibblobblib
05-11-05, 03:17 PM
online... :laugh: sweet ONION chicken teriyaki sub
I was just about to ask where we can purchase instant online food. And does it still taste good offline?
lucy_jaimes
05-14-05, 03:26 AM
i loved it!! best movie ever!!!!
i loved it!! best movie ever!!!!
:nope: :nope: not the best :eek:
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