HHGTTG Reviews

[Applespider]

Went to see the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy last night and wasn't entirely sure what to expect. I love the books and radio but was only ever mildly fond of the TV show (Zaphod's second head always made me cringe). My favourite 'character' has always been the Guide itself.

I really enjoyed the film; although they've strayed from the traditional storyline, it does still leave you feeling a little like Arthur, mildly bemused by what's going on.

There are a lot more Vogons (the bureaucrats of the Universe - I wonder if this reflects the increase of paperwork in the Universe since HHGTTG first appeared) which is OK. There's a new character which I'm not entirely sure I saw the point of (I saw a little more point to him after I'd watched the 'Vote Beeblebrox' video on iTMS) and these bits are probably the weakest parts of the story. Zaphod's motivation for stealing the Heart of Gold (which is a teapot rather than a training shoe) and wanting to know the Ultimate Question aren't really explored here. I suspect the DVD version will clear a few things up; in the meantime, I'd suggest having read the book at some point in the last decade to get the most from it. There are lots of small things like the jewelled crabs, bits of Magrathea that are really there for fans.

Having criticised all that though, it's wonderfully absurd; a couple of the Improbability Drive transitions are very clever. Arthur, Ford, Trillian and the Guide are very well-cast. I'd love an electronic notepad in the Guide's form!

People were laughing out loud in the cinema which I guess is a good sign. I must confess to having mild hysterics and slight trouble breathing when the whale voices his last thought... :D I'm still chuckling this morning when I think of it. There are a lot of visual jokes and overall a lot of small touches which amuse. It's definitely worth going to see... although it's so Brit-focused, I'll be curious to see what our US friends make of it!

[stcanard]

Glad to hear a positive review! I've been wary of the professional reviewers, because too many of them (on this side of the pond anyway) either a) Have no knowledge of the source meterial, or b) appear to believe that the book is the only version, and thus any deviation from that is heresey.

I'm seeing it Saturday afternoon, I'm kind of worried about bringing my wife and sone since neither of them know much about it, but I'm hoping there will at least be enough absurdity for them to laugh at.

[Jaffa Cake]

Thanks for the review! We're off out on a little trip to see it tonight – I'll post my thoughts over the weekend.

[killuminati]

I have to say it was good but I am dissapointed. There were times - the whale for instance, that was hilarious - that i laughed out loud. But I found other things a bit to slow, or they just didnt have any importance. Like humukavala had no story at all he shouldnt have been there.

I found the acting really good especially arthur, except for Trisha/Trillian. I think she could have been done better.

[wowser]

I think casting Mos Def was a stroke of genius.

[phgreer]

Did anyone notice the subtle Apple computer references around Deep Thought.


1.) I'm not sure but near the end of the movie I think I saw an inset Apple logo near the base of Deep Thought.


2.) At the Rally near the beginning of the movie the slogan was "Think Deep". Wonder if that was a homage to the "Think Different" Campaign?

[Jaffa Cake]

Well, having seen it I've got so say I rather enjoyed it. I didn't find it as funny as the books, but there were still quite a few good laugh-out-loud moments. I know some people are concerned that those who haven't encountered the book, radio series or TV show will have problems getting into it – my girlfriend falls into this group but it didn't stop her enjoyment of the film.

I was a little unsure about Mos Def when the casting was announced but I thought he was excellent. Martin Freeman and Stephen Fry were perfectly cast too.

And it was nice to see the original TV Marvin get a cameo. ;)

[Mr. Anderson]

Sounds really good, I'm off to see it tonight I think :D

And its been a while since I read the books, I might have to re read them after I see the movie.

Is there a chance that we'll see the other books in film form?

D

[killuminati]

Is there a chance that we'll see the other books in film form?

D

They definately leave the ending open for a sequel. THe ending is them in their spaceship and someone says "I'm hungry." and ford says "I know this good restaurant at the end of the universe." And then off they are.

So I'm pretty sure if this one does well, we will see another one.

[CanadaRAM]

I'd suggest having read the book at some point in the last decade to get the most from it.
LOL: presumably those of us who read it prior to the last decade had a statistical probability of being under the influence of extra-legal conciousness altering substances and shoud re-read it to fact-check our memories? :D

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

Great to hear people are satisfied. Cannot wait until July 29th when it premieres here in Norway (:().

One question about the soundtrack to those who seen it already: Have they kept the good old theme from the original radio shows and tv series? I guess they would have to modernize it a little, but please tell me they haven't replaced it completely?

[Applespider]

The main 'theme' is still there when the Guide etc is being introduced but they've added a very cheesy 'So Long and Thanks for All the Fish' musical number at the start; you can get some idea of its style if you watch the Vote Beeblebrox music video on iTMS.

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

Thanks, I'm a bit relieved, although I still cannot recognise the main theme (here from the first radio show) (http://www.geek.no/__dill/1-01%20This%20Is%20The%20Story.m4a) in the Vote Zaphod video (which I actually hadn't seen yet) nor the soundtrack clips on iTMS...

[killuminati]

The main 'theme' is still there when the Guide etc is being introduced but they've added a very cheesy 'So Long and Thanks for All the Fish' musical number at the start; you can get some idea of its style if you watch the Vote Beeblebrox music video on iTMS.

where thehell is this vote beeblebrox video? I cant find it anywhere.

[killuminati]

Nevermind I found it, it's only in the UK music store. :p

[Applespider]

It's in Music Videos (and linked from the home page) of the UK iTMS

[Lacero]

Having never heard the radio version, read the books nor seen the TV shows, but did see the Quicktime trailer for it, it looks pretty interesting. I might give it a go in the theaters, and my review would be pretty unbiased.

edit: BTW, I'm a huge Dr. Who fan. :D

[Applespider]

Thanks, I'm a bit relieved, although I still cannot recognise the main theme (here from the first radio show) (http://www.geek.no/__dill/1-01%20This%20Is%20The%20Story.m4a) in the Vote Zaphod video (which I actually hadn't seen yet) nor the soundtrack clips on iTMS...

It's not in the Vote Zaphod video (I just threw that in to give some idea of the cheesiness of 'So Long and Thanks for all the Fish', the opening song.

But the main theme is definitely in there; because it was one of the things that I particularly smiled at when they're showing you the Guide. It sounds like a full orchestra is playing it rather than two blokes in Radio 4's soundroom but it's there!

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

Thanks, again... :)

Now, I'm even more relieved... ;)

[panphage]

I have to almost totally agree with applespider. The bits where they strayed were less funny and less interesting, the new character seemed pointless. I also felt a bit betrayed by the emphasis on the typical hollywood cow feces: a heavy-handed romantic subplot that tries to ruin Dent as a character (by making him motivated by "get the girl" rather than motivated by the absurdity) and too much reliance on Vogons to provide a "bad guy". But, I laughed my posterior off several times and absolutely LOVED the casting all around. Especially Mos Def. He's brilliant.

[stcanard]

Okay, I went and saw it today. Overall impression is that although they stayed true enough to the source material, overall I felt like the movie was missing a spark. It felt like it needed more energy. Nothing I can put my finger on, it just felt a bit flat.

That said, I enjoyed it :) Everyone was well cast, except Trillian who I felt couldn't act.

I really didnt mind the changes. The love story had always been there anyway, bringing it out was fine. I liked having the Vogons more prominent, and emphasizing the beurocracy they lived for was very appropriate.

Lots of good little "easter eggs". The original music, the original Marvin in the queue, the guest appearance of Simon Jones.

Everything about the movie seemed good, yet somehow it just felt a bit flat for me. It's driving me crazy trying to figure out why.

[Mr. Anderson]

Okay, I went and saw it today. Overall impression is that although they stayed true enough to the source material, overall I felt like the movie was missing a spark. It felt like it needed more energy. Nothing I can put my finger on, it just felt a bit flat.

I really liked the movie and thought it was well done, but thought it was a bit flat as well.

The Vogons were great, enjoyed seeing more of them and the cast was perfect - Alan Rickman as the voice for Marvin was great :D

But I think one of the reasons that it was a bit off was the scenes with the book HHGTTG itself - don't know why, but even thought it explained things, it cut the flow of the action. And that was similar to the original book but it worked better when you were reading it, not watching it.

I'm going to go dig out my copy of the books and read them again. I'm looking forward to getting the DVD and see what other stuff they've managed to put on it - I also imagine we'll be seeing the other books eventually.

D

[Jaffa Cake]

Great to hear people are satisfied. Cannot wait until July 29th when it premieres here in Norway (:().You might have a bit of a wait, but at least you've got award winning fjords.
;)

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

You might have a bit of a wait, but at least you've got award winning fjords.
;)Yes, I know... Slartibartfast did a great job there... ;)

[Mr. Anderson]

Yes, I know... Slartibartfast did a great job there... ;)

That's just not right :D :p

I was thinking that there should have been a bit more of him in the movie for some reason....

D

[Applespider]

I happily came across a TV channel tonight which was showing all of the Hitchhiker TV shows... Into hour 4 now with them arriving at Milliways...
Fascinating to see some of the lines they moved around... or were emphasised slightly differently... or were simply missed out :(

Still think the Guide is the best produced bit in the TV show; trouble is that you end up trying to concentrate on reading the screen which means you stop listening to the Guide and miss a little of both...

[Mr. Anderson]

I haven't seen any thing here in the US on it - and I'll probably have to put it in my NetFlix queue - I did like the way they incorporated the 2 heads in the movie Zaphod, much better than the TV series.

D

[whooleytoo]

Did anyone notice the subtle Apple computer references around Deep Thought.


1.) I'm not sure but near the end of the movie I think I saw an inset Apple logo near the base of Deep Thought.


2.) At the Rally near the beginning of the movie the slogan was "Think Deep". Wonder if that was a homage to the "Think Different" Campaign?


Yup, there is an Apple logo on Deep Thought, its visible just when the guys are asking it about the gun.

I'm sure the "Think Deep" was a deliberate Apple reference too - Douglas was as fanatical a Mac-head as you get!

I really enjoyed the film, the humour was very true to the HHGTTG "style" even if the plot was changed. Admittedly, some of the new bits weren't as good, but there were times when everyone was suddenly bursting out in laughter.

Obviously, everyone in the cinema at my showing had read the books - people obviously couldn't wait for the first appearance of Marvin, laughing in anticipation of their favourite line etc. You could even see some people mouthing the words in places!

[Lyle]

Since I've only read the books, and have never seen the BBC series (or heard the radio version), I didn't have too many preconceived ideas about how the characters should look or sound. I think that probably helped me to enjoy the movie a little more than I would have otherwise, if I were trying to compare these actors' performances with those in the previous productions.

Having said all that, Sam Rockwell's take on Zaphod was fantastic. That's just about how I'd always imagined Zaphod looking and sounding (although the mimicking of President Bush got a little tiresome at times). Arthur and Marvin were OK. The girl who played Trillian is cute, but she's just not what I had in mind when I'd always pictured that character. Ditto for Mos Def -- well, maybe not the "cute" part. He did a good enough job with the acting, he's just not what I had in mind when I'd always pictured Ford.

The storyline with John Malkovich's character was completely unnecessary. I think they could have come up with a much simpler and less distracting motivation for the crew to head to Magrathea. I was also bugged (but not surprised) by the romantic thing between Arthur and Trillian.

They definitely set things up for a sequel with Ford's reference to the restaurant at the end of the universe.

[wordmunger]

I agree with the folks who said it was a little flat. I liked the Vogons and Zaphod best. I didn't notice that the woman playing Trillian was a bad actor, possibly because she's so mind-numbingly gorgeous.

[killuminati]

I didn't notice that the woman playing Trillian was a bad actor, possibly because she's so mind-numbingly gorgeous.

:confused: {cough cough}

trillian..gorgeous?

did we see the same movie?

[stcanard]

I didn't notice that the woman playing Trillian was a bad actor, possibly because she's so mind-numbingly gorgeous.

Her voice struck me as completely flat. No emotion in it.

Physically she matched what I expect Trillian to look like (brunette, since that was always a part of the description, reasonably attractive and intelligent looking) which is a far cry better than the TV show -- their portrayal of Trillian always bugged me.

Come to think of it though, the fact that Trillian was supposed to be brilliant (and, as a matter of fact, the only intelligent person in the crew) was completely lost in the movie.

[clayj]

:confused: {cough cough}

trillian..gorgeous?

did we see the same movie?Zooey Deschanel is hot, hot, hot. GORGEOUS eyes (especially the bit where she sticks her head in the machine that senses what you're craving and creates it for you).

[wordmunger]

Come to think of it though, the fact that Trillian was supposed to be brilliant (and, as a matter of fact, the only intelligent person in the crew) was completely lost in the movie.

Well, she was certainly portrayed as smarter than Zaphod and Ford -- but that's not saying much!

Killuminati, I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. My tastes tend to differ from the general public quite often. For example, I think Catherine Zeta-Jones is below average.

[killuminati]

Killuminati, I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. My tastes tend to differ from the general public quite often. For example, I think Catherine Zeta-Jones is below average.

I agree that everyone has different tastes, and I also agree that Catherine ZJ is below average. :p

[question fear]

Zooey Deschanel is hot, hot, hot. GORGEOUS eyes (especially the bit where she sticks her head in the machine that senses what you're craving and creates it for you).


I second that!


I am a big fan of hhttg, and I thought the movie was very good...different, sure, but it was fun.
I really enjoyed mos def, I feel like he portrayed ford extremely well, as a sort of roll with the punches resourceful sort of dude.

but i did miss the dentrasi :)

[Applespider]

I picked up an old battered copy of the paper edition of HHGTTG yesterday and was smiling over various parts of it as usual. And it got me to thinking about how a teenager would read it today; some of the jokes have almost become obsolete as technology changed (and the wikipedia/h2g2 are almost a real HHGTTG).

In the late 70s when it was written, the lines about humans thinking digital watches were pretty cool was funny because so many still thought they were pretty cool and were desperate to own one. Someone reading those lines today would just breeze past them without getting the social observation since no-one thinks they are cool now.

Obviously the Ford Prefect joke has fallen by the wayside for many years; how many people realise he'd be Ford Mondeo or Ford Taurus now?

I suppose it's more amazing that so much of it is still relevant (the bureaucracy, the human interactions) but any other favourite jokes in the original that just don't come across to new fans any longer?

[Jaffa Cake]

In the late 70s when it was written, the lines about humans thinking digital watches were pretty cool was funny because so many still thought they were pretty cool and were desperate to own one. Someone reading those lines today would just breeze past them without getting the social observation since no-one thinks they are cool now.It's funny, I was thinking exactly the same thing about the digital watch lines the other day. I suppose if the book was to be written now it might be saying the same thing about iPods...

[MongoTheGeek]

I picked up an old battered copy of the paper edition of HHGTTG yesterday and was smiling over various parts of it as usual. And it got me to thinking about how a teenager would read it today; some of the jokes have almost become obsolete as technology changed (and the wikipedia/h2g2 are almost a real HHGTTG).

And reading it from a wireless enabled Palm would be an almost identical experience. Well with the exception of the the Sub-Ether

In the late 70s when it was written, the lines about humans thinking digital watches were pretty cool was funny because so many still thought they were pretty cool and were desperate to own one. Someone reading those lines today would just breeze past them without getting the social observation since no-one thinks they are cool now.

Let us not forget that digital watches back then you pressed a button and the numbers lit up. Pre LCD.

Obviously the Ford Prefect joke has fallen by the wayside for many years; how many people realise he'd be Ford Mondeo or Ford Taurus now?

That joke doesn't cross the pond. In the US Ford never had a car called the prefect.

I suppose it's more amazing that so much of it is still relevant (the bureaucracy, the human interactions) but any other favourite jokes in the original that just don't come across to new fans any longer?

None are coming to mind at the moment. Perhaps some of the characters don't seem as realistic as they were then.

[stcanard]

I picked up an old battered copy of the paper edition of HHGTTG yesterday and was smiling over various parts of it as usual. And it got me to thinking about how a teenager would read it today; some of the jokes have almost become obsolete as technology changed (and the wikipedia/h2g2 are almost a real HHGTTG).

I was thinking that too as I was watching it. Did you listen to the first episode of the Quandary phase? I notice they had updated that line to

...whose ape-lie descendents were so amazingly primitive that they thought novelty ringtones were a pretty neat idea. The planet had a problem, which was this -- most of the people on it were unhappy for pretty much of the time. A lot of them were mean and the majority were miserable, even the ones whose cellphones were set to vibrate."

So I guess we aren't the only ones. The themes of the story (government, beaurocracy, religion) certainly don't age, but I agree some of the jokes need updating. Although the guide itself is no longer as advanced as it used to be, its ridiculousness and usefulness as a plot element still stand.

[stcanard]

Glad this thread got ressurected so I could finally say my thoughts about this, I was actually thinking about this comment the other day.

Having said all that, Sam Rockwell's take on Zaphod was fantastic. That's just about how I'd always imagined Zaphod looking and sounding (although the mimicking of President Bush got a little tiresome at times).

Funny, maybe not being American, I didn't get a feeling that he was mimicking Bush, he just felf like Zaphod. Looking back at it, though, I can see where the impression came from, which led to my epiphany...

Giving the relative timing of things, are we certain that Bush hasn't just been doing a brilliant Zaphod impersonation for the last several years?

Make you think...

[Applespider]

I was thinking that too as I was watching it. Did you listen to the first episode of the Quandary phase? I notice they had updated that line to "they still think cusomizable ringtones are pretty neat" (with an annoying ringtone in the background) so I guess we're not the only ones!

Argh! I forgot. Am now listening to the second episode. I've read So Long so should be able to pick things up OK. Glad to hear they've updated it with something just as irritating as all those digital watches beeping on the hour...

[clayj]

Funny, maybe not being American, I didn't get a feeling that he was mimicking Bush, he just felf like Zaphod. Looking back at it, though, I can see where the impression came from, which led to my epiphany...

Giving the relative timing of things, are we certain that Bush hasn't just been doing a brilliant Zaphod impersonation for the last several years?

Make you think...It makes me think that if this movie had been released while Bill Clinton was still in office, we'd be comparing Zaphod to Bill Clinton, since both of them are horny, chauvinistic, insensitive egotists. :rolleyes:

[Lyle]

It makes me think that if this movie had been released while Bill Clinton was still in office, we'd be comparing Zaphod to Bill Clinton, since both of them are horny, chauvinistic, insensitive egotists. :rolleyes:I read various interviews with Sam Rockwell where he says that his portrayal of Zaphod incorporated a number of different personalities, including Bush and Clinton, but also Elvis and Vince Vaughn.

[MongoTheGeek]

I read various interviews with Sam Rockwell where he says that his portrayal of Zaphod incorporated a number of different personalities, including Bush and Clinton, but also Elvis and Vince Vaughn.
I did see a lot of Bush in there. The Cowboy mannerisms. There was also a lot of Elvis, and quite a bit of used car salesman.

[clayj]

Don't forget, the real purpose of the Office of the President of the Galaxy is to draw attention away from those who actually DO run things. Zaphod thinks he's all that, but the reality is that there's a cabinet of extremely smart people somewhere in the background who secretly keep everything running and make all the important decisions.

[stcanard]

Don't forget, the real purpose of the Office of the President of the Galaxy is to draw attention away from those who actually DO run things. Zaphod thinks he's all that, but the reality is that there's a cabinet of extremely smart people somewhere in the background who secretly keep everything running and make all the important decisions.

Actually it's one guy with a cat...

[clayj]

Actually it's one guy with a cat...I think he ran the entire Universe... and he wasn't really conscious of the fact that he was doing it. I was referring more to the folks in our galaxy who stood behind the scenes.

DNA seems to have been rather Milky Way-centric with his universal politics...

[stcanard]

I think he ran the entire Universe... and he wasn't really conscious of the fact that he was doing it. I was referring more to the folks in our galaxy who stood behind the scenes.

DNA seems to have been rather Milky Way-centric with his universal politics...

Ahh, true. Mind you he wasn't actually very concious of much he was doing!

[clayj]

Ahh, true. Mind you he wasn't actually very concious of much he was doing!Yeah, I just confirmed (chapters 27-29 of The Restaurant at the End of the Universe)... the man Zarniwoop wants to meet is the man who rules the Universe. There are only 6 people in the galaxy who have the key to break the field of Unprobability which surrounds the planet where he lives, but the Heart of Gold can (obviously) go anywhere.

[stcanard]

Yeah, I just confirmed (chapters 27-29 of The Restaurant at the End of the Universe)... the man Zarniwoop wants to meet is the man who rules the Universe. There are only 6 people in the galaxy who have the key to break the field of Unprobability which surrounds the planet where he lives, but the Heart of Gold can (obviously) go anywhere.

Heh, I just confirmed it in the last episode of the second series radio play :) Good to see there is some consistency in the versions!

[Applespider]

Yup, there is an Apple logo on Deep Thought, its visible just when the guys are asking it about the gun.

Yikes, there's dust on this thread... ;)

I was at the HHGTTG exhibition today at the Science Museum in London (two younger cousins down for the weekend) and they have the model they used for Deep Thought perched in the middle. The three of us pored over the surface of the model (it's about 15 ft high) and couldn't see an Apple anywhere on it. I guess this might have to wait for the DVD coming out next month and freeze frame to show it once and for all.

To be honest, I think my favourite part was playing with the computer in the Heart of Gold - was most disappointed to find it running XP though! You have to work through 42 5-second games. Somewhat fun although at number 24, XP had a fit and decided to show me a blank game so I lost... :p

You can play them online here at Science Museum site (http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/exhibitions/hitchhikers/42game.asp)

[greatdevourer]

Did anyone notice the subtle Apple computer references around Deep Thought.


1.) I'm not sure but near the end of the movie I think I saw an inset Apple logo near the base of Deep Thought.


2.) At the Rally near the beginning of the movie the slogan was "Think Deep". Wonder if that was a homage to the "Think Different" Campaign? Knowing what a Mac fanatic Adams was, quite possibly

Pity they screwed with the storyline to the point where me and a few friends were actually counting the innacuracies. I mean, the Zaphod was just... eugh. If only the origional actors were all still alive...

[Mr. Anderson]

Yikes, there's dust on this thread... ;)

You can play them online here at Science Museum site (http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/exhibitions/hitchhikers/42game.asp)

Bleh, those games are quite addicting.....

I've actually received the HHGTTG DVD (original BBC series) from NetFlix and I'm going through it now. I have to say its not quite as polished as the film, and I'm really looking forward to the next movie when it comes out. Has anyone heard anything about that?

D

[stcanard]

Knowing what a Mac fanatic Adams was, quite possibly

Pity they screwed with the storyline to the point where me and a few friends were actually counting the innacuracies. I mean, the Zaphod was just... eugh. If only the origional actors were all still alive...

Hmm, I keep seeing that comment, and keep asking, how do you screw up a storyline that was different in every single medium it was produced in? By this logic the book and tv show screwed up the storyline too.