Gaz
05-12-2005, 06:35 AM
I must issue a caveat here: I am a fan of the Hitchhiker “Trilogy.” I have read it a couple of times and listened to the audiobook version a couple more times. Yes, I am a geek, thank you very much.
Okay, I knew that no one could compress “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” into a 2-hour movie. I knew that. Really. I hoped that they would capture the silly fun of the book and translate it into a visual medium. Gimme the highlights of the book, some funny gags and kick my butt with some major eye candy and ripping sound.
THGTTG attempts to be many things: a silly romp, biting social satire, an action flick, an eye-popping FX extravaganza and a heart-warming love story. Unfortunately, it fails on every count. It is frankly amazing that a frenetic, quick-paced frenzy of a film could grind to a halt over and over again. The funny bits [what truly funny bits there are in the film] are mildly amusing, but I kept noticing that they could have been a lot funnier. There is zero screen chemistry between Arthur and Trillian, so the love story does not work. The special effects are good and the sequence where we see a planet under construction are impressive, but so are the FX in a bazillion CGI-fests. I realize it sounds like a petty complaint, but Arthur is simply not “British” enough for the farce to work properly.
On the plus side, the “So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish” tune is quite catchy and the Vogons are very nicely done.
I really wanted to like THGTTG. But it fought me tooth and nail. It limped and lurched and plodded along, wasting time on what should have been throwaway gags and extending throwaway gags to near-painful length. I was ready for the final credits long before they scrolled up on the screen.
Anyone who has read the Hitchhiker books will be disappointed at what is left out and also at what was wedged in. Anyone who has not read the Hitchhiker books will probably be very confused. Critical plot points are glossed over, while meaningless trivia is expounded upon ad nauseum. A major disappointment for a Hitchhiker fan. A confounding mismash for a non-fan. Bad news all around.
This one gets 2 Hoots. The eye candy was nice and there were a couple of cute bits. Lost in Space” did the stupid science fiction with great eye candy thing better. And“The Fifth Element” did the wacky space opera thing much, MUCH better.
Wait for the DVD and rent it on Dollar Day, but do not expect too much.
xoxo~
Gaz
Recovering his crushed and broken geek expectations for some other film.
Okay, I knew that no one could compress “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” into a 2-hour movie. I knew that. Really. I hoped that they would capture the silly fun of the book and translate it into a visual medium. Gimme the highlights of the book, some funny gags and kick my butt with some major eye candy and ripping sound.
THGTTG attempts to be many things: a silly romp, biting social satire, an action flick, an eye-popping FX extravaganza and a heart-warming love story. Unfortunately, it fails on every count. It is frankly amazing that a frenetic, quick-paced frenzy of a film could grind to a halt over and over again. The funny bits [what truly funny bits there are in the film] are mildly amusing, but I kept noticing that they could have been a lot funnier. There is zero screen chemistry between Arthur and Trillian, so the love story does not work. The special effects are good and the sequence where we see a planet under construction are impressive, but so are the FX in a bazillion CGI-fests. I realize it sounds like a petty complaint, but Arthur is simply not “British” enough for the farce to work properly.
On the plus side, the “So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish” tune is quite catchy and the Vogons are very nicely done.
I really wanted to like THGTTG. But it fought me tooth and nail. It limped and lurched and plodded along, wasting time on what should have been throwaway gags and extending throwaway gags to near-painful length. I was ready for the final credits long before they scrolled up on the screen.
Anyone who has read the Hitchhiker books will be disappointed at what is left out and also at what was wedged in. Anyone who has not read the Hitchhiker books will probably be very confused. Critical plot points are glossed over, while meaningless trivia is expounded upon ad nauseum. A major disappointment for a Hitchhiker fan. A confounding mismash for a non-fan. Bad news all around.
This one gets 2 Hoots. The eye candy was nice and there were a couple of cute bits. Lost in Space” did the stupid science fiction with great eye candy thing better. And“The Fifth Element” did the wacky space opera thing much, MUCH better.
Wait for the DVD and rent it on Dollar Day, but do not expect too much.
xoxo~
Gaz
Recovering his crushed and broken geek expectations for some other film.