Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

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Originally Posted by Mzo

And the television series made baby Jesus cry.

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Lies!

I didn't really like it.

BTW, I loved the first book, but enjoyed the series less and less with each book.

Okay, let me explain why I didn't like the movie- it seems that some things that are hilarious on the written page sometimes don't translate well into a visual medium. Things that were really funny on a page just kind of fell flat and came across as long-winded when given a voice. People in the theater were laughing, but I got the impression that they were laughing because they were fans of the book and were charmed to see things they had read taken shape on the screen, not because they were genuinely amused.

And I agree that the new stuff that wasn't in the book completely sucked. I mean, wasn't there enough stuff to cover in the book to begin with? They should have left out the John Malkovich crap. I was especially annoyed how fast they skimmed past Earth's destruction- there was some witty dialogue between Arthur and Mr. Prosser, the guy who was wrecking his home, and it was a bummer that it was skipped over for the most part.

How they handled Zaphod's extra head was stupid.

And I agree that everything came off rushed and overally "zany." A dryer, Monty Python-like approach would have been better. Basically, I agree with most of what sethsez…um, says.

Things I DID like:

Mos Def rocked as Ford. I doubted him when I heard the casting choice, but it was unfounded. He was perfect.

Marvin was great.

Trillian was a cutie.

The Guide was handled really well.

Loved the Improbability Drive stuff.

The Heart of Gold was pretty cool.

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Originally Posted by Mikey

Why is everyone comparing it to the books; the books this, the books that? The original Hitchhiker's was a radio play, which is far closer to a film than a book. They weren't necessarily adapting the books.

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Yes they were. Have you ever heard the radio plays? Has anyone? No. No one gives a shit about the radio plays.

Welcome back dole.

Thank you, sweetie.

Your av/sig are turning me on, for some reason.

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Originally Posted by Dolemite

Yes they were. Have you ever heard the radio plays? Has anyone? No. No one gives a shit about the radio plays.

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The radio plays, while not quite as good as the books, are still awesome. And yes, I have them all.

Anyway, after watching the BBC series and listening to a good chunk of the radio plays, I have to say that overall, this movie has my favorite interpretation of the characters of all the non-book versions. It may have missed the boat with some of the jokes, but the characters are dead-on (which is almost as hard to pull off).

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Originally Posted by sethsez

The radio plays, while not quite as good as the books, are still awesome. And yes, I have them all.

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Really? Where'd you get 'em?

I give it 3 out of 4 stars.

So, if this isn't the last in the series what are the other books about?

Well the potted plant tries to get revenge on Arthur and they meet Hotblack Desiato and go to the Restaurant at the End of the Universe and all sorts of shit happens. Flying parties and the like. Good times.

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Originally Posted by Opaque

I give it 3 out of 4 stars.

So, if this isn't the last in the series what are the other books about?

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The Restaurant at the End of the Universe is about a restaurant that travels in time to replay the End of the Universe over and over again. There's some time travel business that fucks everyone up somewhat. You also find out who the real ancestors of man were, and why Arthur's brain was useless to the mice (that was slightly different in the movie, no mention of this was made, I guess in case they never get around to explaining it).

Life, the Universe, and Everything is about an alien race that's been quarantined off from the rest of the Universe, and their decades-old plan to destroy everything. Also yaks and supernovas.

So Long and Thanks For All The Fish deals with the Earth having been created in a Plural zone (ZZ Plural Z Alpha, wasn't it?), Arthur coming home, a Rain God, and falling in love with Fenchurch.

Mostly Harmless has a hostile takeover of the Guide, a new, entirely more bird-like version of the Guide, Arthur teaching an ancient civilization about sandwiches, and Random Dent. Say what you will about the last book, but it does a great job of being conclusive and making sure more don't follow.

Haven't read them in years, so the line between Restaurant and Life is very hazy right now. I think I'll give them a go tonight.

PS - JUST READ THEM, they're short, easy, and fun.

I agree with MZO.

If this is your first time watching, READING, or listening to Hitchhiker, this movie is going to come off like a complete clusterfuck.

I watched it last night, I was impressed, it wasn't great, but it was not terrible either. I give it a 6.5, which really, is more than I expected, so I am not dissapointed in the least.

Anybody catch Adam's head being used twice in the movie?

Mos did a good job, but he really wasn't used all that much.

Zaphod was exactly as I alwasy pictured him, Trillian was not.


"Yes, I think I'll call it ground"