The MOVIE Assessment
So...
I saw it. And, like Wheelson, I'm trying not to compare it to the books. It was a pretty good movie on its own - I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5 on its own merit.
My favorite part was when they were painting the Grand Canyon. And I really liked the sighing doors and Eddie the Ship Computer. Also - Slartibartfast kicked ass.
1. It has been dumbed down somewhat for the mass market.
2. All of the characters other than Trillian are excellent. I'm not sure if it was Zoey or the writing, but Trillian is very one-dimensional.
3. Those who haven't read the books won't understand some of the things the characters do (i.e. the whole towel thing, why they keep putting on their sunglasses, why they smash the pretty crabs, etc.)
4. Those who haven't read the books won't get annoyed that they cut out all the best come back lines (i.e. "Yeah," said Zaphod with a sudden evil grin, "you'd just have to program it to say What? and I don't understand and Where's the tea? - who'd know the difference?")
5. It looks like they've totally left it open to do the next, er, book/movie.
6. The opening sequence was killer. I'm still singing the damn song!
posted by Trillian @ 8:41 AM
6 comments
6 Comments:
I think I'm going to have to reread the book now, before I see the movie, because I can't remember anything about crabs, pretty or otherwise.
Which probably means going out and buying another copy - I'm guessing there'll be a waiting list at the local library, and I recycled mine years ago.
Hey sxKitten. The crabs were just mentioned in passing, actually, and got a bigger role in the movie than they had in the book. Here's what was said in the book:
"Meanwhile, the natural forces on the planet Vogsphere had been working overtime to make up for their earlier blunder. They brought forth scintillating jeweled scuttling crabs, which the Vogons ate, smashing their shells with iron mallets."
Ah, now I remember. Thanks!
I may well read it again anyhow, because Douglas always deserves another reading, right?
No movie can ever live up to the promise of the book. The cinematic vessel is infinitely smaller than the literary, theatre-of-the-mind one. Still, directors have to try, and we have to keep watching to see how well they do.
I'm in the middle of re-reading it, and will go see the movie when I'm done. Thanks for giving this the attention it deserves. We would have otherwise been debating the merits of Vin Diesel vs. Ice Cube. Gaa!
Vin Diesel and Ice Cube have merits?
We loved the movie (my son and I) so we are now listening to the audiobook and loving that, too. It may have been better to see it first and read it second, although my daughter is a MAJOR HHGG fan and still liked the film.
The opening sequence was incredible... as was the animation for the book on-screen. I loved, also, Zaphod's second head!
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