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

well I liked it lots, a lots of refences hidden that may only be spotted by keen eyed vieweers or on repeated watching (the vogon chair for example), very good casting especially Martin Freeman and Stephan Fry, enough new stuff to keep those, like me, who can recite the old stuff interested, and the onld stuff given a slight twist here and there to keep it fressh (£50 instead of £5 for e.g.)

Can see why people didn't like the dolphin song, but a bit a cheese never hurt and I liked it.

My only concerns are for those who don't know the story and if they could follow it - I don't think the entire why earth was built it was told clear enough.

I loved the fly through of the factory floor/Earth Mk II "the oceans have nearly been filled" almost the funniest line in the film for me.

Remember that there were two sceen writers, with the other one mainly having to edit out stuff DNA wrote, only a small ammount wasn't DNA's.

Anyone know if there is any merchandising? My wife wants a Marvin!

CHawke

I went last night with my fiance, my brother & his fiancee, my mum & my stepdad. My brother and his fiancee have seen the TV version within the last 6 months. Bro loved the film, fiancee didn't at all. Mum & stepdad, no previous experience of it. Neither liked it. My fiance has seen TV show a couple of times, he thought the film was OK, nothing special. I have read the books about a million times and seen the TV show about 5 times. I went knowing it was going to be different, I know all the formats are different. But I was still disappointed. My heart sank when I realised it wasn't living up to my expectations, which was round about the Vogon poetry. I'm gutted - I so wanted to love it. I'm hoping that when I get it on DVD and watch it again I'll enjoy it more because I know what to expect.

My main problem was Arthur & Trillian. Their love was never meant to be, and as far as I can see they only got it together so the guy can get the girl in the end. That's also the only reason I can see for Anna Chancellor's character - so Zaphod could also get the girl. How come they never got one for Ford while they were at it?

But I did love some bits. It was a huge thrill hearing the original music; seeing Marvin in the queue; realising the Magrathea message was the original Arthur. I loved the Magrathea shop floor stuff and seeing Earth MK2 being "decorated". Most of the casting was good, I thought, but I couldn't really warm to Ford - I didn't think his character was quite right, Mos Def could maybe have played him a bit different.

Overall, I think it could have been done better but I'm hoping it'll grow on me.

Deb

Listened to the radio shows from first broadcast, bought th books as they came out, sat through the tv series. Went to see the movie last night and have to say I entered the cinema with grave missgivings about the movie.

Absolutely loved it.

Look, there have been some real snotty reviews from fans who have to check the tension of their a*us before committing an opnion to keyboard, but the whole point about HHGG, and get this, the whole point was TO HAVE A BIT OF FUN while dealing with some terribly deep questions.

DNA had a deep impact on me and they way I saw the world. I have watched/listened to/read everything the man produced as far as HHGG is concerned and I like to think, perhaps erreniously, that I have a very rough idea of what he was about and what pleased him. I thinkhe would have loved the movie.

And...it's a movie for god's sake. Books are always always, always better than films, and radio plays often are too, so if you haven't seen it yet, turn you tension right down, expect the worst, and see if you actually like the way it's done, as opposed to the way you would have liked it done.

Another complaint I've heard is 'it's misses out half the jokes'. Well thank f*ck for that - I've been hearing them for 30 bloody years.

/rant

totally agree - I think those who say that the jokes don't work just have heard them for so long in one style that that is the only way that works.

I'll be buying the DVD as soon as it comes out (unless there is any Director's cut ones that come out later)

One point - you'll notice that at the begining, it states "based on the BOOK by Douglas Adams2 (my caps)

Not based on the radio series, the records, the stage play, the PC game, but the book, and as such it works for me as the ending is very close to the book (I must admit I'd forgotten this as it is the written format I am least familiar with)

CHawke

If I had to name the least enjoyable thing about the film, it would be the sound in the first ten minutes or so. I missed most of the words in the "So long and thanks for all the fish" song. The sound was not as poor as the sound in the Robin Williams version of "Popeye," though. I got all the dialogue, so maybe they had the problems sorted out by the time the humans started speaking.

I am hoping that the DVD will be much longer, and contain the scenes/jokes that had to be cut so the theatrical version wouldn't exceed two hours.

I am also hoping that this movie will do well enough at the box office and in video release to make a sequel possible. I say this because I think that "Restaurant at the End of the Universe" was the absolute best part of the whole HHGTTG saga.

reading between the lines, I am wondering if Arthur Dent has forfeited his chance on live on Earth Mark II by killing the mice. After all, it was the mice that commissioned the original Earth and its replacement in the first place. I can just imagine the mice's lawyers throwing everybody out and putting the planet up for sale.

I mentioned that after seeing the film too, but TJ pointed out to me that they reverted to their original forms, and then disappeared. I then remembered that they're pan-dimensional beings, and probably just bought it in this dimension.

From memory the earth Arthur ended up on was one the dolphins bought from another dimension / time line anyway, rather than the one the mice commisioned,

I bet they did that on porpoise!

(Sorry, Shea )

I really liked the film a lot - they managed to stay true to the book a lot more than I thought they would. I thought the actor who played Arthur was perfect. Only thing I didn't like was Marvin's costume - I thought he should have been taller so he could walk hunched over in depression. And his giant head was not very expressive.

Actually, I thought a short Marvin was a nice touch. And he certainly did well at hanging his head in depression a lot! I especially loved the line he delivered when being shot at by Vogons... (which I wont repeat here in case there's someone reading this who hasn't seen the movie yet).

Overall, I loved the movie. Yes, it's different from the book. No, I don't think the changes hurt it, but rather made it more accessible to the mainstream - it's still got that slightly zany style... I also hope it does well enough to fund a sequel. If not, I think I'll get as depressed as Marvin!

Now I might go read the books again, just to get another dose...

Are - now we are moving into dangerous ground - the possibility of sequels.

Disney are already talking about 2 sequels, so the question is (and maybe I should start a new thread on this one) will they have the same credibility? As we know DNA wrote most of the screen play for this film and it was just a job of editting it and tweaking it here and there where it didn't quite work.

But sequels? Presumably based on the next books. Will they get the same sort of buy in from us all?

Any thoughts?

CHawke

I loved the film (and the song the start, it had me humming the whole way home). To be brutally honest i don't think there will be a sequel. Disney like that sort of thing, but i doubt it will happen and i don't think it would work. The character relationships are not right to even vaguely follow the book... then again... maybe they could get away with it... either way, the magic would have worn off and i think it would feel a little cheap. Still, i have been proven wrong on many occasions.

On a bit of a tangent i think it's good to note that a lot of the fans like the film, it not only reflects well on the film, but on the fans themselves (or ourselves, i've read the books, listened to the radio plays, and watched the TV). We all expected something different and we got on with it. I hate it when fans of books get all up in arms when the slightest little thing is changed.

" I hate it when fans of books get all up in arms when the slightest little thing is changed."

True, but us HGTTG fans are used to change - and all the changes are nearly all DNA driven.

Just one thought on possible sequels - there may be harder copyright issues if any sequel uses stuff from Fit the 5 and 6 (AKA Resteraunt at the End of the Universe) as these were co-writen with John Lloyd.

CHawke

You think Mr. Lloyd may grow irritable and hostile at the prospect of the enormous cheque involved?
It's a thought...

John Cleese would have made a better Slartibartfast, IMO.

Loved the factory floor, loved the film, worth the wait.

Got a bit confused as to how Trillian, Ford and Zaphod got from the spaceship to Arthur's replica house though.

<>



I'm a theory geek, GB, so you've just given me the perfect opportunity.

Theroy 1: It's all a dream sequence, so it doesn't matter how they got there.

Theory 2: The mice are there, too, and they are powerful, hyperintelligent Pan-dimensionals (I said that in one breath .)
They just went through some portals between dimensions.

Theory 3: They travelled there through a rathole in space.

Theory 4: They were hiding under Arthur's robe all along.

I thought I saw an Agrajag figurine in Humma Kavula's lair.... I might be mistaken, but it was a grey statue, which looked a bit like what my idea of Agrajag was... did anyone else catch that?

Can anyone confirm that the very last thing that the Heart Of Gold turned into, just before the closing credits, was DNA's face? I thought that was a nice touch.

B

I didn't notice that, but as I see the movie more times, maybe I'll catch it.

I didn't notice either of those two things so I'll look forward to the DVD going on sale

Thanks Paul H

Oh and the film is top of the USA box office, so they've no excuse not to make a sequel now, have they?

They certainly left out plenty of material.