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

I bought this film on video (2 for £10 at WH Smith) thinking that it was an SF classic, and it was the worst film I have ever seen. I intend to seek out the book, as I'm told it actually makes sense and includes some valid and thought-provoking points, but the directing rendered it almost unwatchable. A scene would go on for half a minute when the atmosphere, plot line (such as there was), etc. was established after five seconds. That's not atmospheric, it's slow and boring. The editing was laughably poor at times, even for the time. The only small section that made any internal sense was characterized by wooden acting, a poor script, a dodgy premise, and the essential plot was already decades, even a century old. 'A machine is created, which then turns on its creator'. Copyright Mary Shelley, anyone?
The last half hour was simply a load of random disconnected b******s, with no connection to anything that had come before, any logical progression, or reality. If it had been cut down, from the moment the pod left the big ship for the last time, and shown as an entry for the Turner prize, without the film being known beforehand, I would back it to win, and rightly so. One could easily make up some strange way in which the flashing colours and spontaneous appearance of a rock in an Edwardian mansion are 'an insightful commentary on the human condition'.
I was given to understand that Kubrick was a genius. If this is the best he can turn out, I am highly disappointed. I really think that the film might have been far better if it had been directed by someone else.

Hate to pick a fight, but....

Well go back to watching popcorn-movies then.

Oh, and regardings this:

[q]'A machine is created, which then turns on its creator'. Copyright Mary Shelley, anyone? [/q]

What machine? Who creates... ? Turns on who?

Did Bowman create the monolith? Did I miss that???

Anyways engough...

It is your opinion, so I guess you are right. But I am not sure if it is worth a rant like that...

194376

'The last half hour was simply a load of random disconnected b******s,'

Well the book has about four different endings, all of which are like that... That's 2001 the book, not The Sentinel.

Oh and remember the film is from 1968ish and was amazing at the time. Films were differently paced then (watch The Godfather) so I agree with post 2, put an 'imho' after that, it is a film of its time and was highly groundbreaking in its day.

>2001: A Space Odyssey is rubbish!<

No, it's not.

...and neither's The Lord of the Rings

I never said it was-I was just the party pooper who pointed out that, like Star Wars, it wasn't the *greatest* movie ever made...

Well did I already mention the Godfather?

That's that imho.

It's a contender, I'd agree, though I think Casablanca still takes the crown for me.

Would you believe I've never seen it?

You have my deepest sympathy, sir.

Well it's never on except on BBC2 at 2.30pm during the week is it now.

I saw Citizen Kane for the second time when I was off work recently. Very good but I wouldn't put it at all time number 1.

One thing I will say though is that having watched that and Gone With The Wind recently they do, unlike virtually every film made nowadays having one thing you would have thought essential....

a story.

I was dragged along to see this abomination at the NFT not so long ago. I hated it. The cinema was full of nerdy blokes in anoracks who probably think that women in marvel comics look realistic. The performance was introduced by Kubricks daughter, at which point some fans nearly had to be stretchered out - their excitement grew to such a pitch!

My husband loves this film, I knew I didn't when some trainspotter behind me started wittering on about the soundtrack being the best album in the world... and what in the wide wide world of sport was going on at the end? By the time the lead character started on his trip (in more ways than one) through space I had lost the will to live!

I love films - not the Hollywood blockbuster type, although they have their place, and before motherhood stopped me in my tracks, I was at the NFT almost every week for something or another. But 2001 has to be the most overrated, self indulgent piece of tripe I have ever had the misfortune to sit through.

I think it must be a boy thing...

Sorry!

Start running now, kid. I have a furious fords_prefect sitting right next to me, who's storing up her wrath for her reply tonight.

Me? I have other reasons to head for the hills, but this will help spur me on...

Sadly, stories and plots do seem to have become somewhat secondary in film-making these days. Like dialogue, good taste and a whole bunch of other stuff.
Hilarious piece about George Lucas in todays Guardian on that very point where he starts having to explain that
a) he can't write dialogue (which is odd, because he could when he wrote American Graffitti)
b) that half the 'jokes' in AoftC aren't jokes but meant to be deadlty serious. Apparently it's because he's making films in the old fashioned way. Like they did in the silent era when dialogue was a bolt on extra.
Could explain a lot about the whole Star Wars thing, really...

Yes I saw an article in the times about his inabilaty to write dialogue - apparently this is widely known (to whom? )

I must say I cringe at the line in Star Wars (the original)

'This ship did the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs' - The parsec being a unit of distance of course.

Hey I can do the 100m in 12 inches!

It's a slow paced (granted) meditation on man and 'technology' (in a general sense).

<very IMHO plus it's got HAL and *that* edit cut in the opening scene. All of human history in a flash.

Well, the 12 parsecs gag is legendary, but i wouldn't call it a failure of dialogue, just of research.
Apprently, Harrison Ford's reraction to the first script was 'George, you can tyope this S**t, but you can't say it!'
I've never thought of the dialogue as clunkingly awful (it's not down there with Ed Wood's movies, is it?).
But he admits it himself, so whjat the hell...

Hey, Plan 9 is an absolute classic!

Do you know when I had my house burgled a few years back, the *only* one of my videos that was stolen was Plan 9 from Outer Space.

I was gutted.

Maybe that says something about the rest of my video collection

'This man is dead. Murdered. And someone's responsible.'
An all time classic line from an all time classic picture.

*pokes up hat with loaded gun*



I particularly like the Shakesperean acting from the Martian leader at the end when he has a fit of rage.

*stamps feet in petulance*