I've been a HHG fan since it started on the radio in 1978 (vividly remember having to choke laughter at the "dingo's kidneys" comment because I was taping it off the radio and didn't want to spoil it!). I was a total geek about the whole thing (OK, I still am!) and went to the Slaribartday in 1981 ish, met Douglas, Mark Wing-Davey etc, bought the book of the radio scripts etc...
Going in to the film last night, I was thinking whether it was even possible for me to love the film - if it's as good as the radio series and books, then why did we need a film, but if it didn't live up to them,...
On the whole I have to say I enjoyed it and think it adds positively to Adams' collection.
My favourite bits:
1. Zaphod - as ebullient and egotistical as Wing-Davey, but in a different way. May just have been my political perspective, but I found many not-so-subtle "Stupid President = GWB" references in his performance.
2. Marvin - when I saw the still pictures, I was horrified, but the person who said his body language was perfect was spot on - and Alan Rickman does a superb job!
3. The point of view gun - if that wasn't an Adams' creation, I want to know who did it! Inspired!
My least favourite:
1. Trillian - just didn't catch me right.
2. The "love interest" - OK, I can see why they want to add something along these lines, but did it have to be so sappy?
3. Ford and Arthur - Mos Def did a very good job, but could have been more eccentric; Martin Freeman did OK, I think he could have done a better job of being the repressed, self-doubting Englishman, and again, that love interest thing...
All in all, I think you have to remember that this was NOT a Douglas Adams film - his early death was a tragedy that deprived the world of one of its' funniest people, but the reality is that other people had to finish what he started wihtout his unique sense of humour. As such, I think they do a very good job.
To answer my initial question, was it possible for me to love the film? Well, no, with Adams gone, I don't think there is a scenario where it was possible for me to love it. However, I think they did a very good job mixing old material to keep it faithful to the original radio series, but with enough additional material to avoid it being simply a recanting of it (which is what I think the TV Series was). Adams himself always said that when redoing HHG for new mediums, he always tweaked (/gutted!) the plot, both to make it fit that medium better, and simply because he was a perfectionist who was never satisfied! The film does this too!
I'll have to see it a second (and, well, yes, third!) time to be sure how I feel about it.
Oh, one other point - the books came SECOND. The radio series was first, so "keeping it faithful to the books is a contradiction!.
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I've been a HHG fan since it started on the radio in 1978 (vividly remember having to choke laughter at the "dingo's kidneys" comment because I was taping it off the radio and didn't want to spoil it!). I was a total geek about the whole thing (OK, I still am!) and went to the Slaribartday in 1981 ish, met Douglas, Mark Wing-Davey etc, bought the book of the radio scripts etc... Going in to the film last night, I was thinking whether it was even possible for me to love the film - if it's as good as the radio series and books, then why did we need a film, but if it didn't live up to them, ...
On the whole I have to say I enjoyed it and think it adds positively to Adams' collection.
My favourite bits:
1. Zaphod - as ebullient and egotistical as Wing-Davey, but in a different way. May just have been my political perspective, but I found many not-so-subtle "Stupid President = GWB" references in his performance.
2. Marvin - when I saw the still pictures, I was horrified, but the person who said his body language was perfect was spot on - and Alan Rickman does a superb job!
3. The point of view gun - if that wasn't an Adams' creation, I want to know who did it! Inspired!
My least favourite:
1. Trillian - just didn't catch me right.
2. The "love interest" - OK, I can see why they want to add something along these lines, but did it have to be so sappy?
3. Ford and Arthur - Mos Def did a very good job, but could have been more eccentric; Martin Freeman did OK, I think he could have done a better job of being the repressed, self-doubting Englishman, and again, that love interest thing...
All in all, I think you have to remember that this was NOT a Douglas Adams film - his early death was a tragedy that deprived the world of one of its' funniest people, but the reality is that other people had to finish what he started wihtout his unique sense of humour. As such, I think they do a very good job.
To answer my initial question, was it possible for me to love the film? Well, no, with Adams gone, I don't think there is a scenario where it was possible for me to love it. However, I think they did a very good job mixing old material to keep it faithful to the original radio series, but with enough additional material to avoid it being simply a recanting of it (which is what I think the TV Series was). Adams himself always said that when redoing HHG for new mediums, he always tweaked (/gutted!) the plot, both to make it fit that medium better, and simply because he was a perfectionist who was never satisfied! The film does this too!
I'll have to see it a second (and, well, yes, third!) time to be sure how I feel about it.
Oh, one other point - the books came SECOND. The radio series was first, so "keeping it faithful to the books is a contradiction!.