Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy Movie!

[HOBBIT]

Dirk Gently seems to be back in print. It was out of print when I wanted to read it several years ago. I checked amazon.com, and on the cover of Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency it says "author of the bestselling book The Salmon Of Doubt" - On the original editions it said author of the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy. The Salmon Of Doubt came out after Douglas Adams passed away in 2001, it is a compiliation of various Douglas Adams short stories and letters and part of an unfinished novel that was to be called "The Salmon Of Doubt"


So the reprint is recent.


About the movie -

Zaphod does have two heads in it - just not two heads in the same way as in the BBC miniseries. His second head is sort of under his first head and it pops out.

Watch the trailers and you will see it. He also still has his third arm.

This movie has been in the works for a LONG TIME. Douglas Adams wrote the screenplay and was heavily involved in it (he had been trying to get it made into a motion picture for a while) before he died in 2001 - that set it back a bit.

Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy started as a Radio Show then went into a great many different adaptations such as the novels, BBC miniseries, and other forms. Hopefully this adaptation is very good

[HOBBIT]

Here - attached is a picture showing Zaphod's second head.



Picture linked to from the Cinema Blend site.

Their hitchhiker story page with a lot of screenshots from the trailer : http://www.cinemablend.com/review.php?id=646

[Falagar]

Have been awaiting this film since I first stumbled upon the official site a few months ago. Have been in love with Douglas' works for many years now, really looking foreward to this movie (though I'm afraid it won't live up to the expectations; trying to lower them).

A Hitch-hiker's-queue is planned outside Colosseum the (a few) day(s) before it arrives here, in...august, I think it is. Sign up!

[emily leonard]

this looks like a great movi i have to go and see it

[Last Child of Ungoliant]

billbailey is the voice of the sperm whale, how appropriate is that, a perfectly and stupidly funny role for one of britain's best comedians, i am not sure about martin freeman as arthur dent, though, nor alan rickman as marvin, i don't know who stephen fry is playing, but he is bound to be brilliant, and the other actors i have not heard of

[katya]

I just can't get over Ford being black. Not that I have any problem with black people or actors but just not for Ford. And, I don't know... none of the actors really match my imagination pictures. Marvin is adorable though. He could be like my little robot pet or something. Not how I pictured him but cute. I think I'm going to go see the movie on Saturday though. I don't have anything else to do, after all.

Have any of you played the text adventure game? It's the coolest, but I did get lost in the Heart of Gold and never progressed any further. I love this: "Wake Ford" "Rather like trying to wake the dead." Man, that was fun.. it's been too long.

[katya]

Sorry to reply to my own post- I guess that's a little tacky. Anyway, I just got back from seeing the movie. It was all right, mostly. I didn't get bored, or disgusted (except maybe by the Vogons, but that's a good thing, right?) but I didn't laugh that many times either. To me it seemed like it was too much of a real movie, you know? Beginning, middle, end, and making you want to follow the story instead of just laughing about it, etc. I was happy the part with the petunias was in there though- I loved that part for some reason. I did wonder about whether a lot of that was really in the books though. And the characters- Zaphod's heads were kinda weird, and Marvin was so cute. And Ford was of course nothing like I thought he should be, but Mos Def kind of sounds like Mos Eisley, and that is marvelous.

Oh yeah, and there was Star Wars preview. I'm so excited! I love Darth Vader. He's such a dork.

[HOBBIT]

I saw it friday night. I liked it.

Katya, I thought that you had read the books, so why don't you know whether some parts were in it or not? If it is a case of reading them a while ago, I recently re-read most of the first book (which the movie is based on) and listend to episodes 1-10 of the radio series, the original form of "hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy" (and book 1 is basically episodes 1-4). So I can tell you all the changes and differences. Just ask


Things made up for movie:
1. Humma Kavala
2. Trip to Vogosphere (and kidnapping of Trillian)
3. The kidnapping of Zaphod's head
4. The Point of View Gun
5. the vice president girl

[katya]

Yeah, that's about what I though. Yeah, I read the first book and parts of the others, but that was in 7th grade (I'm in 11th now) and I can't find my copy. And it's checked out of the library right now. By the way, have I mentioned I love the Zaphod quote in your signature?

[azalea]

I saw it and it was pretty good for a movie adaptation.

Hobbit: Don't forget on the changes (at least from the book; I haven't heard the radio play) -- the whole romance with Trillian! It's been a while, but aside from the party when she runs off with Zaphod, the only romance I remember Arthur having was with Fenchurch. I remember that he and Trillian had a daughter via artificial insemination, but not the romance ending with them together.
Anyway, I liked it overall, and it would have been impossible to do it all. My favorite parts were the ones where the Guide is talking. I liked the point of view gun, and Marvin using it to save them (didn't something similar happen in the books?). Best line from the movie: "Don't worry, I'm British. I know how to queue."
I agree with katya about Ford -- I actually liked the guy from the miniseries a lot, and I guess that's always how I'll picture him.
The only thing I didn't understand was the addition of the vp woman, since it was never fully explained.

[HOBBIT]

the arthur trillian romance isn't the biggest change, and isn't really that big of a deal.

and i can see that this movie would be mega-confusing for anyone not familiar to the books/radio series/tv series.

Still, for all of its flaws (many flaws), it is still an enjoyable movie and came out #1 this weekend in the box office.

Probably my least favorite of all the various incarnations of the Hitchhiker's Guide.

Still the best movie of 2005 that I have seen so far Might be topped by Episode 3 though.

[rohirrim TR]

I havent read the books but it was still an awesome movie my favorite part would be the whale "hi ground will you be my friend" (explosion, mushroom cloud)

[Falagar]

*tries to stay away from spoilers*

*almost succeeds*

They got the whale! Stupid Norwegian cinemas.

[Pytt]

Originally Posted by Falagar

*tries to stay away from spoilers*

*almost succeeds*

They got the whale! Stupid Norwegian cinemas.

Echo. I'll probably know the whole movie before I see it...

[The Gaffer]

Originally Posted by azalea

the whole romance with Trillian!

IIRC, there is reference to possible romantic interludes between Arthur and Trillian at the start of whatever the fourth/fifth book was called. In response to a hypothetical question of "what is the matter with this Arthur Dent? does he not [fornicate]??", Adams (as narrator) comments along the lines of "what do you think they got up to on all those tedious voyages? it just wasn't important until now..". And then Dentarthurdent gets off with Fenchurch.

Can't wait to see it *hides eyes from spoilers*

[Telcontar_Dunedain]

I saw it today. I haven't read the books yet, so I didn't see the flaws that happened refer to the books and consequently really enjoyed it.

[azalea]

No, it's not a big deal, and it was done to give the movie a more cohesive plot than in the books (which were more about things happening to Arthur as opposed to Arthur doing things). But it is made a major centerpiece of the movie, whereas it was hardly the focus of the book (at least, not the first one/ two).

So long, and thanks for all the fish. (I enjoyed the song, btw.)

[HOBBIT]

The movie is very good and is the best movie that I have seen so far this year. Later movies will likely win that title though (like Episode III, etc).

Only those of us who have read the books or listened to the radio series or seen the tv series would know that it could have been much much better. .

As every version has been different so was this - although this is THE most different anything has been from all the other "Hitchhiker's Guide" incarnations.

Some of the changes I LOVED, some I thought were ok, some I thought were horrendous.

Overall, a well done film in the spirit of douglas adams. This should expose a ton of people to his books (mostly these, because that is what the film is adapted from) and then some may realize that there is a well done radio series (it came first in fact) and then maybe will realize that there is a well done BBC TV series made in 1981 that still holds up - and they did some parts better than this new movie did.


Liked the old Arthur Dent better, but this one was ok.


WOAH what a change for Zaphod - in all other forms he is this cool, laid back guy but in the new movie he is just an IDIOT.

Still, go see this.



READ THE BOOK



READ THE BOOK


READ THE BOOK

it is even online for free if you know where to look.... but seriously, it should be bought.

[Rosie Gamgee]

Well, I've not read the books, but I did go see the movie. I will venture to say this: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was, by far, the silliest, dumbest, stupidest movie I have EVER watched in my entrie life. It was a complete waste of money and time. It was fantastic.

[Khamûl]

My girlfriend thought it was going to be monumentally stupid, but despite that, I think she rather enjoyed herself. I really liked it. The only thing that bothered me was that Zaphod didn't go back for his other head, so the Humma Kavala storyline was never really resolved.

On a side note, I bought The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy today, which contains all five books and a bonus short story in one volume.