The HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy:ugh*spoilers*

[Mullet Fish]

(My post, copied from the PlayStation Forums:)

I saw this movie last night, and was sorely dissappointed.
I had high hopes for this movie, hopes that were boosted higher by a well done opening scene. However, after the title the movie went steadily downhill.
It first became apparent that the movie was going to be quite awful during the bulldozer scene. In the book, Arthur Dent lies in front of the bulldozer to stop his house from being demolished, while in reality his planet is about to be demolished. Ford Prefect comes along to tell him the news, and to bring Arthur to the bar for a pint. Through some absurdly hilarious logic Ford convinces the foreman to pretend Arthur is lying in front of the bulldozer while they **bleep** off for a beer.
In the book, however, Ford comes with a cart full of beer and peanuts and makes the crew promise him to not demolish his house until they've finished.
The next bug dissappointment was Zaphod Beeblebrox. In the book, Zaphod is a cool, smooth character with an enormous ego, but is ultimately likeable. In the movie, he wasn't really all that likeable. Mainly, I think it was the actor they casted for Zaphod. I think Owen Wilson would have made a perfect Zaphod.
Next thing that bugged me was that they cut out the part about towels. Basically, the extent of the towels bit was Ford going through the rubble of Arthur's house saying "you've got to have a towel." They don't elaborate, saying how towels are the most useful device a HitcHHiker can have, and go on to explain some of it's multiple uses. They completely omitted that bit, and itwas a crucial bit.
As if that wasn't enough, they twisted the plot beyond recognition. I mean, what was the deal with Trillian getting kidnapped? And where the HELL did that part about the gun come from, and Zaphod losing one of his heads?? What's the deal with that?
Then there was all that bull**bleep** about Trillian falling in love with Arthur. The extent of their relationship in the book: Arthur sells some of his sperm to buy a ticket to some place. Trillian, whose whereabouts are unknown to Arthur, decides to have a child, and since Arthur's is the only human sperm, she has his kid. There's no romance. Arthur falls in love with some girl on new earth who abruptly dissappears without a trace.
Of course, you get all the idiots who have quite obviously never read the book saying stuff like "that was SUCH a good movie" when it was over.
All in all this movie left me feeling very taken advantage of, and wishing I hadn't paid 10 bucks to see it. What bothers me even more is that they're going to make a sequel.

Brad

[zoinq]

There are two ways to see this film, as a fan of the books, as above, or as someone just there to watch a movie. If you are a fan of the books (don't explode on me, I have the leather-bount quadrilogy and read it about once a year...) you will be utterly dissapointed. Especialy with the treatment of Zaphod and the forced romantic sub-plot between Dent and Trillian.

However if you go expecting the average Hollywood sthick, you may end up plesentaly suprised. It is slightly better than your run of the mill movie, and the parts that are on are dead on. The casting for Dent is nearly perfect, and Rickman as Marvin is definitly a highlight. So go see it, if at a dollar theater, and just go expecting a movie, and a way to get out of the summer heat.

[Mullet Fish]

I thought of that already, and tried seeing it from a different perspective. Even then, I thought it was a dissappointing movie. I mean, the actor who played Trillian was so bad it was irritating to look at the screen during one of her solo moments.
I think Owen Wilson would have been a perfect Zaphod. They could just animate a second head on his shoulder properly. Owen Wilson would have been perfect for the role. He's good at those sort of, subtly arrogant characters, like Zaphod.
But honestly, they should NOT have tampered with the plot like that. The book was so perfect, it needed no editing.
Marvin was, I think, an overrated part of the movie. Granted, in relation to the rest of the cast, he was good, but he just didn't have the depth that made him what he is in the books.
And the doors! They lost so much of the humour that was in the doors. They sighed. Wow. Hilarious.
I think the character that was most true to the books was Slartibartfast, but only once he got warmed up.
All in all I think the movie would have been way better if they had made it more like the old BBS series. That was well done, they simply lacked the technology to do it really well. They had the right idea with Zaphod's second head, even if the best they could do was a foam head taped to his shoulder. It wasn't exactly a high budget production. The acting was good.

[zoinq]

Like Red Dwarf... now there was a lowish budget mixed with good acting. For those not familiar with it was good, case in point my sister, who has never touched the books, enjoyed the film, so it couldn't be all that bad.