h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

A really nice article. I seem to be alone in thinking that all three films stink to some degree or other, but that the TV series is outstanding. Well, sometimes, anyway - the episode where Darius dies, the one with the little Irish boxing coach Immortal, a few other. I also enjoyed the bizarre selection of accents deployed by the guest Immortals, and the frankly shaky acting of the likes of Joan Jett and Martin Kemp. Having said all that we only got series 1 & 2 on terrestrial telly in the UK and they were on in the middle of the night...

Thanks.

Well, I also think that the three sequels all stink to some extent. The original did too, in some ways, but it has a certain, well, originality, that sees it through. The TV series started badly, and despite a few standout episodes (and yes, the death of Darius and the Irish boxer episodes both qualify) tended to drag in the first couple of seasons. And it had Richie in it. I mean, there was the episode which is 90% Richie racing motorbikes; how dull was that one?

I might have been more effusive about the series had I seen more of the later episodes, but as you say, ITV only showed the first two series, and I only caught it intermitently on Sky.

The Prophet.

While the original film was certainly original and made amusing watching (unlike everything I've heard about the sequels), part of the fondness of my memories of watching it stems from the fact that with every viewing there seemed to be a new glaring plot inconsistency to pick holes in. Obviously, this just added to the fun.

I never saw the series but I know people who assure me that it was worth staying up until 3am for, or even videoing on occasion. And these are people who laugh me for refusing to miss Buffy!

I don't know very much at all about Endgame. I sort of meant the first film stunk a bit too - too much pop-video direction and bad acting from nearly all the principals. But the Immortal concept is brilliant and was (IMO) much better suited to exploration in a TV series than a movie. It always struck me that the Highlander mythos was really just a way to tell vampire stories without all the very expensive night filming and with added swordfights (I seem to remember an episode where an Immortal masquerading as a vampire gets staked through the heart, much to his chagrin).

Weren't there plans for an opera based on the first movie not so long ago...?

Highlander the Opera; wow. What a concept. And I can't say it would be much sillier thanthe film. Would you have operatic versions of the Queen soundtrack? Jose Carreras as MacLeod, singing 'Who Wants to Live Forever' as a tenor aria. Cool.

The Kurgan of course could strut up and down, much in the manner of Don Giovanni, and whenever one of the Immortals got killed, a ghostly chorus of their slain opponents could spring from the wings and the stage traps, singing of how glad they are that he's finally dead.

Meanwhile, being opera, the slain immortal staggers around singing about how he's dying now, and will soon be dead, yes soon, real soon now, and I'm gone. Oh yes, I'm dead.

Dead, dead, dead.

Not sure how you'd do the decapitations in opera though. Nor of course how the decapitated immortals would convincingly sing.

The Prophet.