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

...is what this brought back. Not of the film, though I think I may have seen part of it on tv once.

Of first seeing 'Planet of the Apes' as a teenager in a Pittsburgh cinema. It was a big deal getting to go into town on a Saturday. The movie blew me away because it actually contained an idea. What a concept.

Of a friend retailing the plots of ALL of the movies to me once. He was such a good storyteller, I didn't mind.

And of reading the original novel in French. I usually find French tough going, so I chose some scifi for motivation. It was an experience. The novel was actually better than any of the films, at least to me.

But then, anything that doesn't have Charlton Heston in it is more to my taste. I liked him in a cage, though.

What did you think of the Tim Burton version?

I only ever watched it on TV, and I was no teenager, but I remember that I enjoyed it.

I really appreciate that you sat down to write this although you could have had a weekend off due to a lack of new films.

Why take a weekend off from something I always enjoy?

I had planned to see Horrible Bosses as the trailer made me laugh (a rare occurence) but the reviews have been so negative, and I couldn't face the hike to the cinema. Did consider writing about Scott Pilgrim or Death Race or any of a number of other old films on the DVD pile but it's justifying them in what's supposed to be a topical film review column!

The 'classic slot' in 24LAS has been Apes-centric recently because there is a new one out in a few weeks. This in itself is fairly immaterial but the release does mark almost exactly ten years since the Tim Burton version came out, which is significant for me as it was the very first film I wrote about in the Post (before 24LAS even had a name).

I haven't watched Burton's version recently but I think I was a bit too kind about it in the initial review. As a blockbuster runaround it's no better than passable, as something using the Apes name it's just an ugly piece of grot. Most of the original films were interesting (the last one less so) and some of them were very good indeed; Burton's version is neither.

I agree with you. I tend to see films later, rather than sooner, but I remember going to see the Burton film, and not enjoying it.