The Guide

[plonq]

We went to see Hitchhikers Guide last night.  The movie was okay, but not great.  I was a bit disappointed over how they had all the setup for some of the best quotes from the book, and then ended the scene without delivering the line.

For instance, one of my favourite lines from the book that didn't make it to the movie took place in the Vogon airlock.

"You know," said Arthur, "it's at times like this, when I'm trapped in a Vogon airlock with a man from Betelgeuse, and about to die of asphyxiation in deep space that I really wish I'd listened to what my mother told me when I was young."

"Why, what did she tell you?"

"I don't know, I didn't listen."

Comments

[ramalion.livejournal.com]

Yeah...after seeing the movie I started reading the books again (I'm about mid way through "So Long and Thanks for all the Fish"), and I can see where they missed quite a bit. However, they had 5 books of material, and had to condense it down to a little over 90 minutes. It's hard for everything to be in there.

[ramalion.livejournal.com]

...though...you have to admit the opening 'song' was funny as hell. :)

[ceruleanst.livejournal.com]

Actually, the musical number had me convinced that the movie was going to be unbearable from beginning to end. I was relieved when the rest of the film turned out to be not quite so bad.

[plonq.livejournal.com]

To be honest, I found myself squirming through the musical number.

[ramalion.livejournal.com]

*hehe* I heard the song on the movie music channel on XM before I saw the movie...and I couldn't figure where they were going to stick it.

Hold on, hold on

[crowgod.livejournal.com]

Why couldn't they have locked all the actors into five year contracts and done one movie a year for the next five years? Harry Potter and LotR have proved that this kind of filmmaking is possible and profitable. Hell, even that last two Matrix movies proved that.

I'm all for Stephen King's 'Gunslinger' series done this way.

Re: Hold on, hold on

[ramalion.livejournal.com]

Let's try that comment under the correct user. :)

Simple, they didn't know how well it would do. Overall, it didn't do great, nothing like 'The Lord of the Rings' or 'Harry Potter'.

[anthony-lion.livejournal.com]

They didn't include that line?

SHEESH!
The nerve of those hacks! Messing with the classics!

Next, you'll be telling me that Zaphod didn't have two heads, side by side, either?
And that Arthur Dent wasn't surprised about it when they met...

[pierrekrahn.livejournal.com]

Although the movie wasn't perfect, I did enjoy it alot.

I'm surprised it took you so long to go out and see it.
I'm equally surprised that this wasn't mentioned at lunch.

[plonq.livejournal.com]

I think I'd have enjoyed it more if I hadn't read the books. They cut out much of the humor.

[orleans.livejournal.com]

Yeah, "okay" seems the best way to describe it. Not great; not as bad as it could have been. It was strange that the things they changed were just so unnecessary, it was almost random. :O