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

Hmm..TBWP kind of sounds like one of my favorite bands, TMBG. Anyway...

This was an amazing movie. I did not see it before I found out it is a hoax, but that did not take anything away from my enjoyment. I went in determined to pretend it was real, and by the time they were in the woods, I had completely forgotten.

There is no way it could have been so convincing without the way it was filmed. As you pointed out, you feel like you are there because you are always looking at events through one of the characters' cameras. And I don't see how even the most accomplished actors could have done as well as these three did - their unrehearsed reactions made it feel authentic.

My only complaint was that I often felt dizzy watching the footage shot with the handheld camera. I've always had trouble with spinning rides like the Tilt-a-Whirl, so I expected this a little. I can't complain too much - it wouldn't have been the same without the handheld.

The two big scenes really stood out. As I watched Heather film herself, apologizing to everyone for what had happened, I kept thinking that this was truly a message from the dead. And she was very believable. She looked like she really knew she was going to die, and was scared out of her mind. The way they didn't show her entire face, but showed both her eyes was a great touch.

The very last scene will haunt me for a long time. If the last image was of Michael and/or Josh all chopped up or something, it could have ruined the whole thing. But to just show Michael standing in the corner, and then WHAM goes the camera....brilliant! I was freaked out thinking about why he was just standing there. What could make him do that? It was a perfect ending.

This movie reminded me of something I saw many years ago, probably during the late seventies or early eighties when I was younger than 10 years old. I don't remember it very well, but I think it was a made for TV movie. They shot the whole thing like it was an actual "breaking news" report. Something about some terrorists who took hostages, I think on a boat, and threatened to blow up the city with a nuclear bomb. If I remember correctly, a SWAT team rescued the hostages from the terrorists, but when they brought in the bomb squad, something went wrong, and the nuclear bomb went off. If I saw it now I might think it cheesey, but at the time, I thought the whole thing was true, and it freaked me out.

I heard several people in the lobby afterwards, debating if TBWP was a true story, until one of them pointed out the little message at the end of the credits that says it is a work of fiction and such. H.G. Wells must be laughing somewhere.....

Your Blair Witch pages are great, Zach. Right after I got home from the movie, I headed here to read all the stuff I had been avoiding. It is really fascinating stuff. Now off to go see the official web site..........