Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Screening Reviews

Doctor Monkey writes "Initial reviews are up at Ain't It Cool News from a 'work-in-progress' screening of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in Pasadena, CA. Reaction seems mixed-to-positive, mostly due to some uneven performances. But it looks like the film is not a complete bastardization of Adams' work."

Comments

Re:404 File Not Found

[whats_a_zip]

Nice movie, thanks for the fish!

toys and such from the movie

[spoonyfork]

Here's a linky to the toys and office products from the movie. Marvin looks too cute and I want one of those mugs!

that isn't damning by faint praise, either...

[ed.han]

michael quoth: "looks like the film is not a complete bastardization of adams' work."

this is actually IMHO the best a fan should ever hope for WRT film adaptations of a cherished book/series/whatever.

ed

Fight Club

[trickster5378]

I watched the movie first and then read the book later. I couldn't believe how close the two were. And I honestly enjoyed the ending to the movie better than the ending to the book. (The only thing that was really changed).

Re:Fight Club

[Ender Ryan]

The author of the book even liked the movie better. I forget where I read that... Either somewhere on the special edition DVD, or the book.

Either way, both were great, and the film is a good example of a book to film adaptation done right.

tv spots

[Gunark]

"not a complete bastardization of Adams' work" -- Doctor Monkey ... wonder if they'll use that one in the TV commercials.

Re:tv spots

[cmpalmer]

I think they should, it fits right in with the humor of the original books.

Here's the BBC Series

[pdhenry]

In other news, the BBC series is available on Netflix.

Roger Rabbit,?

[AtariAmarok]

"Can someone please give examples of when a book converted to a movie was anywhere near as good as the book"

Here's one: "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" (adapted from "Who Censored Roger Rabbit")

i dont want to ruin the plot but

[acousticnoise]

It's 42

Re:i dont want to ruin the plot but

[Anita Coney]

Sorry to disappoint. Hollywood didn't think "42" was a cool enough of an answer. The full answer is now, "Two lesbians in 69." And I should also point out that the answer is delivered by Pauly Shore's "Weasel" character.

Re:Book to movie?

[rackhamh]

Shawshank Redemption.

Okay, it was a novella, not a book, but how many people had heard of the story before the movie? Both the story and the movie were quite good, IMO.

Actually, the fact that the original story was a novella probably helped a lot, since the movie was able to include pretty much the whole story. When you try to convert a full-length book, a lot gets left out by necessity.

In related news...

[hollismb]

There's also a fairly good Q&A with the film-makers at Coming Soon!. It's hard to take much of what you read at AintItCool seriously, when you consider that the guy reviews movies from the standpoint of a five year old at best.

AICN

[Skyshadow]

The thing about AICN is that they're complete and utter jibbering idiots.

They routinely give lousy movies glowing reviews ("Freddy vs Jason was top-notch fashizzle!"). Some of it I can understand -- these folks like movies and get excited about them, so they're more optomistic in their reviews. Fine, whatever, what still doesn't mean anyone should ever listen to one of their reviews. Ever,

The only usefulness I ever, *ever* get out of them is in determining which movies are at the absolute bottom of the heap. If AICN says that a movie's bad (or gives it "mixed reviews"), that generally means it's so god awful that St. Peter will keep me out of heaven when I die when he finds me carrying the ticket stub.

Impossible to bastardize

[nganju]

"But it looks like the film is not a complete bastardization of Adams' work."

Since the original radio scripts were substantially different from the books, and the books were substantially different than the TV special, there really hasn't been any single consistent version of the story line.

Actually, since incessant change is the only thing that is consistent, the only way to not bastardize the spirit of the original story is to substantially change it.

Re:Book to movie?

[RyuuzakiTetsuya]

Passion of the Christ.

Oh wait..

This is really radio to movie

[rufusdufus]

Hitchhickers guide was originally a radio program. The books are derived from the radio scripts.

Not applicable

[JLavezzo]

Douglas Adams seems to have looked at everything as a work in progress. His attitudes are generally the opposite of the tendency that many folks have to "canonize" works. "The Hitchhikers Universe" is really a Multi-verse like Adams tried to portray in "Mostly Harmless." The book he wrote was different from the earlier radio show he wrote and the movie (he helped write) will be different from the book and the radio show. Different, not wrong, incorrect or inaccurate. And if it turns out to be bad, it can be just bad (or not great) without that judgment carrying any moral connotations.

I can't really think of any parallels that match very well. The closest thing I can think of is the way old (pre 1900) folk songs used to 'mutate' or be adapted to suit the new singer(s). Lyrics would change, rhythms would change. The new way of singing it wasn't a 'wrong' way, just different. And the artist was able to make a new statement and connect with his audience. This hasn't happened much since the dawn of strong copyrights. The very unusual aspect of H2G2 is that it's the original artist who's doing the adaptations.

I for one hope it's a great film. I don't, and in many ways am glad, expect it to be the book pulled out of my imagination and put on screen. If Disney messes it up, it won't ruin the books for me.

Re:Book to movie?

[Kiryat Malachi]

If it's supposed to make ears bleed and victims gouge out their eyes, would it be played to the audience? (I doubt anything Hollywood comes up with would have the same effect.. knock on wood)

Obviously you have never seen Waterworld.

and this is news because?

[amnesiaWind]

i'm a fan of Adams' work, but i hardly think some random opinion of a movie that isn't even finished yet is news worthy...

Re:how can it NOT be a complete bastardization....

[advocate_one]

since when did Marvin have a gun????

question

[mohrt]

How do you convey vogon ships hanging in the air much like a brick doesn't on the big screen?

Re:Book to movie?

[Naikrovek]

read the forward in the book. they were written in unison.