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puppetmakerPeter and I went to see Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (HGTTG) yesterday and then I took Ariel to see it about 2 hours later. This was to accommodate the recovering Caroline since we all wanted to see it. On some films the Serenity trailer is attached. I like it on the small computer screen but it rocks on the large screen. There was a trailer for Star Wars which I now do want to see but I am not holding my breath like I did for Return of the Jedi.
Here is the spoiler free part of the review with the possible spoiler portion behind the cut.
Over all I really liked it. You have to remember that HGTTG has been a radio play, a book, a TV series, and, briefly, a play. A movie version is just another facet to the HGTTG world. It works well. Peter and I are old hands. Ariel just knows that there are some strange phrases that we use from that are from HGTTG. She enjoyed the film a lot too. I think that is a good sign because a majority of the audience isn’t going to have a clue or a even a towel.
Casting was good all around. Some have complained that they were concerned about the casting of actors who were not English in the main roles. Douglas Adams has stated that to his mind the only one that truly had to sound British was Arthur and possible Trillian. He pointed out that everyone else in the whole film were aliens so it really didn’t matter where they came from.
It looked right. I loved how the Heart of Gold went into the infinite improbability drive. The Vogons looked like Vogons. Overall the Henson Creature Shop did a dynamite job of creating the world of Douglas Adams. Marvin looked a bit different than I was expecting but I have to agree that it worked especially with Alan Rickman as the voice. Bill Nighy did a great job as Slartibardfast. Sam Rockwell was very obnoxious as Zaphod but then that is how Zaphod is written. Yes they did add a plot devise with John Malkovich but it really worked with in the context of the film and Malkovich is such a good villain. Martin Freeman is great as Arthur Dent. He conveys both the befuddlement of the character as well as the wonder of what is going on around him. Mos Def as Ford is fine but not spectacular. But the part really doesn’t have much to it other than to guide Arthur on his way. He does have a good physicality for the character. Zooey Deschanel is good as Trillian. They give her a little more to do than the other Trillians.
It was interesting for me since the movie made me feel at home almost from the start. Like slipping into a comfortable pair of pajamas and slippers and opening up a copy of the book for a good read.
They do set it up for a sequel and I am really hoping that the support it there for it.
I suggest if you want to see this movie then see it on a large screen. This is one where some of the visuals will be lost on the smaller screen.
I loved the fact that when Arthur and Ford are picked up by the Heart of Gold they are sofas. Then the second time they have flowers for eyes but the pay off is the third time when they become the yarn people. I checked and they are producing all those as plushies coming to a comic book store near you or possibly the Disney Store.
I loved the Vogons. I loved how they are visually and the culture created based on a few lines in the book about them. The vogon poetry section had me in giggles. Lunch break worked well too.
I have to admit I had tears in my eyes when they started to play “Journey of the Sorcerer” which has become known as the HGTTG theme. The minute I heard the banjo I knew what music was coming next. I think that is originally where they had the title of the movie but someone made them put it in the front of the film too. The rest of the music works well and harkens back to the electronic music used in the original radio play.
There were numerous in-jokes for fans of whatever form you first found HGTTG. For me it was the book and then the radio play. For my younger brother and sister it was the radio-play then the books. The jokes are all throw away gags. If you see it or hear it great if not well just keep up with what is going on. I missed hearing the word ‘Belgium’ until the second time I saw it. Then there is Douglas Adams himself as the last image on the screen before we cut to the credits. Simon Jones makes a cameo as the voice (and face) of the automatic answering machine at Magrathea.
The Q in the office where they go to get Trillian released is almost all characters from the TV series including the TV Marvin. Some are 3-D representations of things that were in the book in the TV series but I looked carefully the second time and only couldn’t identify one of them.
It was interesting for me since the movie made me feel at home almost from the start. Like slipping into a comfortable pair of pajamas and slippers and opening up a copy of the book for a good read.
I want to make a copy of the point of view gun. I think I can even make it with the flash.
I am grateful that this movie was finally made.
Here is the spoiler free part of the review with the possible spoiler portion behind the cut.
Over all I really liked it. You have to remember that HGTTG has been a radio play, a book, a TV series, and, briefly, a play. A movie version is just another facet to the HGTTG world. It works well. Peter and I are old hands. Ariel just knows that there are some strange phrases that we use from that are from HGTTG. She enjoyed the film a lot too. I think that is a good sign because a majority of the audience isn’t going to have a clue or a even a towel.
Casting was good all around. Some have complained that they were concerned about the casting of actors who were not English in the main roles. Douglas Adams has stated that to his mind the only one that truly had to sound British was Arthur and possible Trillian. He pointed out that everyone else in the whole film were aliens so it really didn’t matter where they came from.
It looked right. I loved how the Heart of Gold went into the infinite improbability drive. The Vogons looked like Vogons. Overall the Henson Creature Shop did a dynamite job of creating the world of Douglas Adams. Marvin looked a bit different than I was expecting but I have to agree that it worked especially with Alan Rickman as the voice. Bill Nighy did a great job as Slartibardfast. Sam Rockwell was very obnoxious as Zaphod but then that is how Zaphod is written. Yes they did add a plot devise with John Malkovich but it really worked with in the context of the film and Malkovich is such a good villain. Martin Freeman is great as Arthur Dent. He conveys both the befuddlement of the character as well as the wonder of what is going on around him. Mos Def as Ford is fine but not spectacular. But the part really doesn’t have much to it other than to guide Arthur on his way. He does have a good physicality for the character. Zooey Deschanel is good as Trillian. They give her a little more to do than the other Trillians.
It was interesting for me since the movie made me feel at home almost from the start. Like slipping into a comfortable pair of pajamas and slippers and opening up a copy of the book for a good read.
They do set it up for a sequel and I am really hoping that the support it there for it.
I suggest if you want to see this movie then see it on a large screen. This is one where some of the visuals will be lost on the smaller screen.
I loved the fact that when Arthur and Ford are picked up by the Heart of Gold they are sofas. Then the second time they have flowers for eyes but the pay off is the third time when they become the yarn people. I checked and they are producing all those as plushies coming to a comic book store near you or possibly the Disney Store.
I loved the Vogons. I loved how they are visually and the culture created based on a few lines in the book about them. The vogon poetry section had me in giggles. Lunch break worked well too.
I have to admit I had tears in my eyes when they started to play “Journey of the Sorcerer” which has become known as the HGTTG theme. The minute I heard the banjo I knew what music was coming next. I think that is originally where they had the title of the movie but someone made them put it in the front of the film too. The rest of the music works well and harkens back to the electronic music used in the original radio play.
There were numerous in-jokes for fans of whatever form you first found HGTTG. For me it was the book and then the radio play. For my younger brother and sister it was the radio-play then the books. The jokes are all throw away gags. If you see it or hear it great if not well just keep up with what is going on. I missed hearing the word ‘Belgium’ until the second time I saw it. Then there is Douglas Adams himself as the last image on the screen before we cut to the credits. Simon Jones makes a cameo as the voice (and face) of the automatic answering machine at Magrathea.
The Q in the office where they go to get Trillian released is almost all characters from the TV series including the TV Marvin. Some are 3-D representations of things that were in the book in the TV series but I looked carefully the second time and only couldn’t identify one of them.
It was interesting for me since the movie made me feel at home almost from the start. Like slipping into a comfortable pair of pajamas and slippers and opening up a copy of the book for a good read.
I want to make a copy of the point of view gun. I think I can even make it with the flash.
I am grateful that this movie was finally made.
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Date: 2005-04-30 06:02 pm (UTC)I want to make a copy of the point of view gun. I think I can even make it with the flash.
Gah, me, too. :)
I pretty much agree with your assessment. Rockwell's Zaphod didn't quite work for me, but it wasn't much more than a speedbump on an otherwise great trip. :)