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Hitchhikers movie
Cut tag for anyone who has yet to see it.
I enjoyed it. It's certainly not the best film I've ever seen, but it's far from being the worst either.
Things that particularly worked for me included the Vogons. They look like the exaggerated characters in old political cartoons with an overlay of a Dickensian accountant (I've been searching the web to try and find a good example of what I have in mind, but failed to find an apropriate one.)
I love their totally bureaucratic culture and the way Arthur takles them by their own rules in order to rescue Trillian. I can imagine Arthur filling in forms to rescue the woman he loves, wheras running in with all guns blazing would have lacked conviction.
Arthur was very well cast, so was Zaphod. Slartibartfast was well-nigh perfect. I can see so many of my friends in the engineer who is passinate about his work, but who has little idea how to cope with people in the flesh.
The Arthur/Trillian love story makes sense. They had to have some over-riding story to make it work as a movie. Movies need plot and Hitchhikers doesn't really have one. The ultimate question isn't discovered in the first part of the story, so you can't make it the main plot line.
I wansn't too keen on Zaphod's pop up head, but I can see why they did it that way. Two heads done as well as possible (using CGI) would probably still look odd. Zaphod's manic body language could well have been lost if they'd gone for the double.
I didn't care for the rationale behind the second head and was actually quite glad when it was removed.
ZAphod isn't quite as immoral as in the original (eg. he signed the order for the destruction of Earth by accident rather than as part of a deeper plot, but then I'm not sure the original motive would make sense in a movie.)
My favourite special effect beyond doubt was the workspace on Magrathea. That was fantastic and just as I always knew it should look.
I liked the book as well. The graphics looked suitably crude, but also quirky.
Ford was okay, and definitely slashy! (If they had made him too manic, then Zaphod would have been less strong by contrast.)
Trillian was okay, but could have been better. However, I'm not too sure what I'd have done to improve her. She has to be adventrous enough for Zaphod, but sane enough for Arthur. She represents a lot of what Arthur would like to be, but can't quite bring himself to dare.
One inevitably misses favourite lines from the radio series, but a movie is a lot shorter than a radio series and as a result a lot has got to go. Even more has to go because you want to spend some time on purely visual images. Some has to go after that as you need to create something new as well - you cannot tell exactly the same story, not with H2G2.
So, although my brain was occasionally trying to add in a line that I was expecting, I was pretty okay with what they did dialogue-wise.
I shall certainly go and see it again if the opportunity arises. Richard was unable to see it with us on Saturday as he was working, so I expect the two of us will go together some time soon.
PS.![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
scarlatti, if you think US cinema prices are expensive, you've obviously never been to a UK cinema!
I enjoyed it. It's certainly not the best film I've ever seen, but it's far from being the worst either.
Things that particularly worked for me included the Vogons. They look like the exaggerated characters in old political cartoons with an overlay of a Dickensian accountant (I've been searching the web to try and find a good example of what I have in mind, but failed to find an apropriate one.)
I love their totally bureaucratic culture and the way Arthur takles them by their own rules in order to rescue Trillian. I can imagine Arthur filling in forms to rescue the woman he loves, wheras running in with all guns blazing would have lacked conviction.
Arthur was very well cast, so was Zaphod. Slartibartfast was well-nigh perfect. I can see so many of my friends in the engineer who is passinate about his work, but who has little idea how to cope with people in the flesh.
The Arthur/Trillian love story makes sense. They had to have some over-riding story to make it work as a movie. Movies need plot and Hitchhikers doesn't really have one. The ultimate question isn't discovered in the first part of the story, so you can't make it the main plot line.
I wansn't too keen on Zaphod's pop up head, but I can see why they did it that way. Two heads done as well as possible (using CGI) would probably still look odd. Zaphod's manic body language could well have been lost if they'd gone for the double.
I didn't care for the rationale behind the second head and was actually quite glad when it was removed.
ZAphod isn't quite as immoral as in the original (eg. he signed the order for the destruction of Earth by accident rather than as part of a deeper plot, but then I'm not sure the original motive would make sense in a movie.)
My favourite special effect beyond doubt was the workspace on Magrathea. That was fantastic and just as I always knew it should look.
I liked the book as well. The graphics looked suitably crude, but also quirky.
Ford was okay, and definitely slashy! (If they had made him too manic, then Zaphod would have been less strong by contrast.)
Trillian was okay, but could have been better. However, I'm not too sure what I'd have done to improve her. She has to be adventrous enough for Zaphod, but sane enough for Arthur. She represents a lot of what Arthur would like to be, but can't quite bring himself to dare.
One inevitably misses favourite lines from the radio series, but a movie is a lot shorter than a radio series and as a result a lot has got to go. Even more has to go because you want to spend some time on purely visual images. Some has to go after that as you need to create something new as well - you cannot tell exactly the same story, not with H2G2.
So, although my brain was occasionally trying to add in a line that I was expecting, I was pretty okay with what they did dialogue-wise.
I shall certainly go and see it again if the opportunity arises. Richard was unable to see it with us on Saturday as he was working, so I expect the two of us will go together some time soon.
PS.
scarlatti, if you think US cinema prices are expensive, you've obviously never been to a UK cinema!
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