Poll: Have you seen the H2G2 film yet?

I saw the Hitchhiker's guide film today. I'm guessing that I have lots of company. Have you seen it yet? No spoilers but if you haven't seen it yet keep your eyes open for easter eggs and make sure to stay till the end of the credits.

I haven't watched it and probably wont until it comes to my local rental store.
Besides not being able to stay awake during an entire movie making going to the theater an expensive nap.� I've read the books and would like to be in the comfort of my own home when for the disappointment.
I hear it's a great movie if you haven't read the book and very dissapointing if you have.
Anyone?

I am a major hitchhiker's nerd... and I absolutely adored the film.

Absolutely. Adored.

Here, here.� I thought the movie was hilarious and was so much�more than I even expected.

I saw it. It was quite enjoyable but sometimes disappointing. Took time to build, definitely.

It was funny and cool but seldom had me laughing my ass off like the book.

Some of the changes/additions worked..some just pissed me off.

Yeah, that's one of the only (series of) books that has made me laugh so hard, out loud, that I had to stop reading to catch my breath.

:)

While there were a *ton* of bits and pieces I loved (the Guide rocked my socks. Anything made by the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation was just marvy. "Tim" was excellent as Arthur) it never really jelled as a whole for me.

And the tacked-on and pointless romance between Trillian and Arthur? Ugh. Just ugh.

They grafted on some traditional film elements, a romance, and fight scenes, that don't fit in the H2G2 universe. Despite that every time I was about to get fed up they'd throw in some great touch and all was forgiven.

Even with any of my qualms, I'm still pleased as punch that it won the box office for the weekend.

And I really did like the movie. It wasn't everything I wanted it to be, but still better than the average movie. :)

I caught a snippet of the original on PBS earlier tonight. Made me want to see the new one. I read the book a year or so ago too, but it didn't blow me away. I should re-read that as well.

I love PBS...it's what I watch when I actually watch tv. (not taped stuff) Because I don't have cable. And it's good.

the book? which one?

I mean, I assume the version you read had the three major parts... but... what other "additives"?

the book? which one?

uhm...the book. "Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy." I believe this is the one i got out of the library.

oh!!
Just the first one!

Oh man... well, I'd say you should read the rest of the series... but... if you weren't into it, then, *shrugs*

I was blown away by the funny, m'self. :)

oh!!
Just the first one

yeah...just the first one. I'm planning on re-reading, because I think i read it at camp, in which case i may not've been paying attention.

(my camp is a day camp, that takes place over 6 weeks, but i read an insane amount between classes. i read 50 books during the course of those 6 weeks last year. including weekends.)

I believe I started the second one, but I had to return it. which is the second issue- reading so much at once. I've got two books to read for school, and i've got a stack at home as well. i'll put it on my list. :)

The increasingly innacurate titled "hitchhikers guide trilogy" has many parts:

1. The Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy
   
2. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
   
3. Life, the Universe, and Everything
   
4. So Long and Thanks for the Fish
   
5. Moslty Harmless
   
6. Young Zaphod [I forgot the rest of the title, shoot me now]

What else am I forgetting?

Young Zaphod Plays it Safe.

:-) I'll forgive you this time. But be careful in the future!

Ahh. All published in one incredibly thick volume, if I remember correctly. My friend jesse has it. He brought it to the state science fair.

When I got that I gave my individual volumes to my nephew.

What else am I forgetting?

the one that was released after Douglas Adams died..."Salmon of a Doubt"...i'm quite sure that was one of the Hitchiker books, yes?

i only read the first one so far and that was many years ago...i liked it, but wasn't rolling around laughing...very clever tho.� Richard and i both loved the film and i think that they pretty much stayed true to the style and humor of the book (what i can remember of it).� Alan Rickman was PERFECT as Marvin the Paranoid Android.� and Martin "Tim" Freeman was really great as the foppish Arthur (and kinda cute too ;-)).

No, it was to be a third Dirk Gently book.

The release is actually just a book full of random crap that hes written in the past (articles) and stuff they found on his computer.

To be honest, I actually haven't got to the salmon of doubt part.

but its delicious.

I know, I got the book as soon as I could.

I cried.

I saw it yesterday, at long last.

Overall, I liked it. It wasn't as funny as any of the previous incarnations, and it felt like they forced the plot, but it was definitely amusing.

Good things:
-The Vogons. Was I the only person reminded of older Peter Jackson. Bad Taste to be specific? In general, I thought the Vogons were the best executed aspect of the movie.
-The Marvin and Theme from the BBC series
-The dolphins
-Magrathea. The factory to be specific.
-The casting. Even when I wasn't too thrilled with the way characters were portrayed (see Zaphod), I thought everyone looked right.


Meh things:
-The way the love story was handled. I mean, there was always some tension, but not a "oh, I love you" feeling. I don't' mind that it doesn't follow the book (or radio, or television) but it did feel tacked on.
-While I thought that Zaphod was well cast, he was a bit more G.W. Bush than David Bowie, and I think the Bowie aspect makes for a more interesting character. I'm still not sure about the two heads. I like them better side-by-side, but then again this is better than him having a very obvious puppet on his shoulder.
-The timing was just a bit off. There were funny bits, but not nearly so many as the previous incarnations.
-For this one, I'm going to disagree with most reviews. I didn't like the guide illustrations as much. The BBC wire frames fit better than the flash-esque animation.

I'm still not sure about the two heads. I like them better side-by-side, but then again this is better than him having a very obvious puppet on his shoulder.

...it was a PUPPET? i NEVER NOTICED! :D

That's because they used trick lighting to make his real head look fake and pale, while the latex-skinned puppet head appeared to be the actor's real face.
It was quite an interesting exercise in meta-puppetry.

memo to myself: do the dumb things I gotta do...

Touch the puppet head

I like the puppet head. Yes it looked absolutely ridiculous but doesn't that fit in the H2G2 universe?

I never really mind bad special effects, as long as the purpose of the effect to to convey an idea as opposed to being entertainment in itself. Perhaps that is why I think Doctor Who is the greatest TV show ever. I always thought the cheesy effects were part of the charm. My alltime favorite was a spaceship which looked like a pack of cigarettes with a cigarette glued to each side then the whole thing was painted gold.

Oh, I'm all for bad special effects, but they have to be consistent. The puppet was great for the tv series, but it would have looked out of place in this movie.
Now, if it were a bit of a better-looking puppet, or if they went a different direction and made it non-human, it would have fit fine.


My favorite cheap special effect is from Star Trek IV. I was putting together a model of a Klingon ship (the only model I ever made) while watching it, and the thingy Bones puts on Chekov's head was the same part I had in my hand ;-)

I thought they'd do it with cgi. I can't imagine that would be that difficult to do.

If it were alien, they could do it, but we're good at noticing our own, and it's hard to get humans to look completly real in CGI.

It's hard enough to do humans in action scenes (the key room in the first HP movie, or the rooftop fight in the second matrix both stand out as blatant cartoon people).

Then again, I was once going to go into that field, so maybe my eyes are just more sensitive to it. Now, I'm much more a fan of puppetry when at all possible.

the key room in the first HP movie

and neville falling off the rooftop. VERY obvioisuly CGI.

BEST PART OF THE MOVIE!