HHGttG movie

[tenaya]

I went to see Hitchhiker tonight and came away disappointed, which is curious. I'd have to say it was a faithful adaption of the book. All the jokes were there but it felt strangely flat. I think I'm might have smiled/chuckled three times. I've not read/listened to previous versions for years and years. Why didn't I find the movie more funny? Is it me or are others feeling the same way? Is it because it's dated now, or because it was a too faithful adaption of the book and movies have different needs?

Comments

[amalthia]

I'm not sure why the movie feel flat on it's face. I also left the moving feeling kind of exactly how you described. I think maybe wackiness works much much better in writing than it does on screen. I got annoyed with the characters more than once and I remember in the books everything made sense. I think maybe it was too faithful, I mean the Whale voice over just wasn't as funny as it was in the book.

[tenaya.livejournal.com]

I remember thinking the books were wild, imaginative, wacky and just very, very fun. My favorite form of the story was the radio show. There was a poignancy to Ford's voice that I found very appealing. Arthur was a bit of a prig. Arthur was more likeable in the movie as was Trillian, and while I like the actor that protrayed Ford, he was a little lacking as Ford for me. So maybe casting did mess with the ingredients.

I also remember being entertained by the allegories that made me laugh at those universal truths. I think that was totally gone from the film. The Vogons are the ultimate in bureaucrates, but maybe they were too over the top in the film?

I must admit the commercial I saw for the film that highlited all the great special effects made me get up and go see the film, but aside from the Malkovic character, I don't recall any new takes on the text. Actually, I don't remember that whole bit in the book at all (which just could be me) but that was the part of the film that really held my attention. That, and the character of Slarty; I so wanted them to focus on a glacier so we could see his signature embedded in it.