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

Let's discuss the film quietly here so as not to ruin it for others.

I saw it yesterday. I thought it was good, not great, but good. My current ratings for films are if I felt ripped off for having spent so much money. I didn't feel ripped off.

Courtesy

Same here. I was not thrilled to pieces by the film but I did enjoy it. I missed a few of the gags that were in the book, but I appreciated what was there. I kind of hope that it does well enough that they do a version of Restaurant.

Things I liked. Zooey Deschanel, I have liked her in everything I have seen her in. I thought that she was a cute and good choice for Trillian. However I was never under the assumption that there was that much romance between Arthur and Trillian. In that vein I really liked Zaphod. I thought that he was quite dark and very much the rock-star kind of president that he was supposed to be.

Now it's been a while since I read the books, but I wonder what the deal is with the gun. I don't remember it being in the book, am I wrong?

(Scoots in and finds a place to sit.)

I didn't feel I wasted my money, but neither were my socks knocked off. I didn't re-read the books on purpose because I didn't want to compare too much.

I don't remember the POV gun either.

There was some talk in other threads about the possiblity of a sequel. I dont' know, the film may be a blockbuster in the UK, but I don't see it lasting longer than a couple of weeks in the US. I went to a Sunday after noon showing that filled about 1/4 of the theatre. You could spot the 8-10 hardcore s from a mile away although nobody carried a towel. Mostly families attended and there wasn't a lot of laughter. And sequels are about exploiting the profit value of the first movie. I suspect those expecting a sequel are overly optimistic.

I thought the Zaphod character was well played, and they did a great job with the two head and three arm idea.

I didn't re-read the books for the same reason that WM didn't, however I'm almost positive that there was no POV gun.

Also, I don't believe there was ever a reciprocal relationship between Trillian and Arthur. Arthur always mooned over her, but she was always doing something else and never really noticed. I didn't like the ending where the dolphins came back and basically the Earth Mark II was rebooted. I don't remember that from the books.

However, the nitpicking aside, the fact that DNA wrote the screenplay allowed me to just take what was being given, it was his work, and if he needed to do specific things for the screenplay to work I was willing to go along for the ride.

On the hard core fan side, I did not see any hard core fans, though I did go at 1 pm on a Saturday.

Courtesy

Courtesy, I think that I am with you on this.

You can't make the book into a movie. The book itself is derivative of the radio scripts, and it does not translate well to the screen as is. For instance, I don't much like the BBC HHGTTG series.

I would have liked to see some of the one liners in there... I would have liked to see the forman of the construction crew lay down in front of the bulldozer, I would have liked to see a bit more of the guide itself.

I really liked the way that the Towel was propelled into something more than just a bit gag in the show. Ford really used his towel to great effect.

Well, the huge differences between the radio plays and the books meant that as far as I was concerned any 'liberty' with plot was not only acceptable but expected. Liberties with characters, less so. But I rather liked the characters. The Head Solution was rather funny and did refer to the books, in which Zaphod says he has separated part of his brain and isn't sure why.

I will be bloody cross if they don't make the sequel, and even crosser if they leave out the Second Coming of the Prophet, which was for me rather the highlight of Milliways.

I can't really voice an opinion about the film yet....I'm like that until I've seen something twice and it's been more than 3 months...but I DO fancy Zooey Deschanel now desperately. sorry to lower the tone of the thread

Kat

I enjoyed it a lot... the gun was definitely new for the film, & I really wish I had one sometimes I just reskimmed the book; my edition has a "definitively incorrect" version of how the radio series, book and tv series relate to one another, and reading that it seems that the film definitely continues in the same vane.

IMO if they make a sequel, Trillian and Arthur will probably have cooled off some by the time the next film is set... ...I hope they make a sequel too, because I'd really love to see the end of the universe on film...

I liked the movie, went with towel in hand and a bath robe on my back (what can I say, I was walking out the door, just happened to see it sitting on a door knob, shrugged, and picked it up as I walked out). My wearing a digital watch was completely accidental.

I wonder how much of the new stuff was done by Douglas Adams, and how much was someone else. The POV guide was definitely new, but it had a similar feel to much of what exists in the HHGTTG Universe.

I'm recommending the movie to everyone I see. Movies like this only get a sequel through word of mouth support.

Well I finally managed to get to see it last night.
Overall, good but not outstanding, that may be because I've listened to the series on the radio, read the books & seen the TV series.
However the good news, I wanted more by the end

There were a few times where I thought I'm sure DNA didn't write that bit but overall it worked.

My understanding is that the new concepts- Humma Kavula, Questular, the POV Gun, the increased romance between Trillian and Arthur- were the ideas of Douglas adams and were included in his drafts of the screenplay. What Karey Kirkpatrick did was to tidy up the story a bit and to make it into more of a feature film- DNA was not a screenwriter and in order to get the film made his final draft had to be rejigged into something a Hollywood company could feel confident in pumping a large quantity of money into.

However, I thought thatd espite all the changes, and the fact that Kirkpatrick amybe had to shape it into a more disciplined form than the previous versions (it has been said that DNA was very good at beginnings and middles, but never got round to writing good ends,a s by the time he'd got that far he'd thought of a better beginning) the film did work and was true to the essence of Hitchhiker's.

Some of the touches I really enjoyed were the nods to the TV version, with Simon Jones and the body of the TV Marvin making guest appearances, and I also found Bill Bailey's portrayal of the Whale hilarious.

Oh, and about wantng to see more of the Guide- did you all stay through the closing credits to see the final entry?

"Oh, and about wantng to see more of the Guide- did you all stay through the closing credits to see the final entry?"

Too d*** right we did, we were the last ones out, the staff were getting the vacuum cleaner out by the time we left.

Mind you about half the audience headed for the exit the moment the credits rolled (more fool them)

I had the feeling that it would have a bit more to it, so I stuck around for the credits. Most of the people in the cinema had left by them.

<>

I saw the entry that was shown during the credits, but there wasn't one at the end... at least not at my local cinema.

I'm pretty sure the one during the credits is the one being discussed.

Unless....unless my theater turned off the film projector to finally kick me out.

I'm glad they kept it in, but I would've liked something else even after that. I'm not sure what, though.

I really would have liked to have seen the entry on Sex, and the entry on the size of the universe...

Apparrently they did make a lot more entries that got cut out but will be on the DVD.

I have the feeling that this will be a must own dvd (like that was ever in question).

Yes, that DVD's already on my birthday/Christmas list (whichever one happens to be nearer the time of the release).