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

I see we have somewhat opposing Hoos.

It's a veritable Who's Hoo of Reviews!

(sorry, couldn't help myself.)

Can someone *else* help you?

Speaking of which... It was nice to see Gag Halfrunt, Zaphod's personal brain care specialist.

Oh, I *saw* him, all right, but the sound quality was not great. I didn't get many of the words.

Same here... I already can't wait for the DVD... Hopefully they go strait for the special full packed edition.

"On the quarry subject, I was a bit suspicious when i watched the film that it was the same location used for Magrathea in the original Hitchhikers TV series. Haven't bothered to check though."

Difficult - the Eden Project would keep getting in shot.

Fair enough.

Remind me to use heavy sarcasm next time you ask a simple question.

I was happy with everything but Zaphod. Even if he is too be played stupidly, he should at least appear capable of getting himself made President and stealing the Heart of Gold, and this Zaphod didn't. The few times I liked him were when he actuall acted the way Zaphod would in the same scenario, and that includes the scene with Marvin in it. The egomaniacal Zaphod wouldn't care to keep a low profile, and would definitely use himself to get the gang where they go in that scene. Also, when the original theme played, I got a tear in my eye. It was a blast.

I don't think the Texas accent really added anything to this Zaphod's performance, though I don't think it detracted either. The Zaphod in the TV miniseries was fine, but I kept getting distracted by the extra fake head.

Somehow, I thought the Ford Prefect in the TV version was perfect, and I missed him in the movie. It's funny how you can cling to things like that, and not want a change.

I liked the Arthur Dent in the movie. Okay, so maybe it's true that, as The Cranky Critic suggested, passive characters do not make suitable protagonists for movies. Nevertheless, I think it's pretty clear that Douglas Adams was trying to do just that, in every version. Heck, Lemuel Gulliver was no great fount of insights or action either, but he was a fine protagonist for "Gulliver's Travels." And anyway, what are we comparing it with in this movie season? Clever, memorable dialogue is what I loved about all of Douglas Adams's works. Lack of distinctive dialogue is what I bemoaned in pretty much all the "Star Wars" movies. And then we have the "Star Drek" movies that had solid dialogue and active protagonists, but the settings were so self-referential that you walked out of the theater with no sense of having made any emotional contact with the material.

Just a note on the "Marvin" in the movie. That was not the loveable, depressed, robot of the BBC version. That was the "Plastic pal who's fun to be with version. Check out his big grinning face in the close-up!



I was hoping it was him at first, too.

I liked the two Marvins about equally. The TV version reminded me of Gumby, and was obviously a satire. The movie one was wonderfully ironic, with the round curves and cute construction contradicted by the pessimistic voice and thinking.

I actually *liked* the fact that Arthur and Trillian played their relationship as if it was a serious one. Even if Arthur Dent is self-absorbed and passive, why should that mean that he couldn't have tender romantic feelings about women? Trillian in the movie comes off as a normal, hormonic woman who just happends to be a brilliant astrophysicist. The two are not mutually exclusive.

Some critics have complained that the movie Arthur and Trillian have *no* chemistry. Again, I think that these critics have totally missed
the point. Douglas Adams never *intended* them to have chemistry, in any version of the "Hitchhiker" franchise. If they had chemistry, and a plausible future life together, that would be saying something about Douglas Adams's view of the universe that Adams would not have been trying to say. Just wait for things to fall apart between them in the sequel.

"Fair enough.

Remind me to use heavy sarcasm next time you ask a simple question."

Hhhhhm. Really though?

The romance was an obvious bit of pandering to the Hollywood formula. Sad but true. I personally, when reading the early books, always kinda wanted them to 'hook up' but I didn't need it. The way DNA described Trillian in the books and the way she carries herself I find VERY attractive. I think Zooey Deschanel was a very good choice to play her. I never liked Sandra Dickinson in the TV series. She was a polar opposite to who I imagined in the book. Well, she shouldn't have been blonde. And that squeeky bimbette voice... ARHG.

Now, if we ever get to meet Fenchurch...

>>Also, when the original theme played, I got a tear in my eye. It was a blast.<<

Same thing happened to me. It was good to hear it in its full glory.

Overall I think that the film was alright, but I admit that I found myself more impressed with the special effects than most of the actual scenes. Not a good thing. I also think that the Arthur/Trillian romance was a bad road to go down, and it was at the heart of the movie.

Speaking of "heart", did anyone else note that the ship was called "Heart" much of the time. I was told that the whole name "Heart of Gold" was never actually uttered???

Gee, Fenchurch; the only time we met her was in the BBC version. Such a short, sad, scene too.

"Fair enough.

Remind me to use heavy sarcasm next time you ask a simple question."

Hhhhhm. Really though?


Hmm, F**k you, goodbye

A lot of people don't seem to much like the love interest between Arthur and Trillian (me included).
I've heard it said that Zooey Deschanel plays a sort of conflation of Adam's Trillian and Fenchurch in the film version. If you look at it in that light, the romance bit works a bit better, it's claimed.
I'll probably go and see it again anyway.



Oh, and well said(!) Orcus in post 96 (reply to fieldwa*ker).

I was listening to Fit the 16 (Tertaiary Phase episode 4) last night again, and there was a certain amount of love tension stuff going on between Arthur and Trillian in that - which I am sure was also hinted at in the books - there was always the potential there, and I seem to recall hints that it was a more serious relationship - I'll have to check the books when I get home.

CHawke

Yea... I don't want their romance to go much further... I'm ok with it so far as 'necessary' plot device to fit the Hollywood/test audience formula... but.. if there's to be sequels, it has to stop. They will spawn a child (Random Frequent Flyer Dent) but they can't be in a relationship when Trillian... gets knocked up.



Oh, and I do NOT remember Fenchurch being in the Tertiary phase at all.