140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW
Don’t say it takes too many liberties with the story. This is the movie that Douglas Adams wanted to make; he wrote most of the screenplay.
Spoiler-free Movie Review of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy…:
Sort of surprised to realize I hadn’t already reviewed this, as it’s one of my very favorite movies. It just always puts me in a really good mood.
Like virtually every movie based on a beloved book, it has a lot of detractors. Most seem to be upset that the movie is too American, too Hollywood, not British enough, different from the book. Your criticisms are noted – and irrelevant.
This is the movie that Douglas Adams would have made had he lived to see it. He wrote most of the screenplay and was the one who came up with every substantial new story element. He felt that only Arthur Dent needed to be British. And most importantly, Adams viewed his most celebrated work as a living thing; remember that it started not as a novel but as a radio play. He frequently revised his work as it morphed from radio to book to tv to computer game to theater production and all the way back.
All works need to be flexible if they are to make a successful transition to a new medium. All that matters is that you don’t lose the spirit of the original material as you adjust for the different needs of film.
So does it retain the spirit of Adams’ work? Damn right it does. The changes were needed; the book really doesn’t have a consistent narrative; it’s just things happening one after another. (Some still complain that the movie doesn’t do enough to change this and suffers from the same problem.) Trillian & Arthur needed more of a love story – an Adams addition. The only add that I don’t really get is the whole Humma Kavula character, but again, Adams created him.
The other issue that fans complain about is casting. Here I must wildly diverge from the fanboy base. I LOVE the casting.
- I don’t know who visualized Mos Def as Ford Prefect but they deserve a special casting Oscar. I think Mos is perfect, giving the whole affair a fresh feel; he’s got the attitude a planet-hopping hitchhiking writer needs.
- Similarly, Sam Rockwell is fantastic. If you feel that he’s too over the top, I hear you. But I think over the top is needed in a movie with so much dialogue and subtle humor.
- As for Zooey Deschanel, she is a bit inconsistent. Her first scene aboard the Heart of Gold is really awkward – she just seems to be having trouble playing off of Marvin the Paranoid Android. But if you don’t let that early scene influence your impression you’ll realize the way she plays Trillian lends some credibility to the character and why someone would go parading around the galaxy.
- I don’t hear any bitching about Martin Freeman, with good reason, as he is as perfect an Arthur Dent as could ever be expected.
Hammer and Tongs, the pairing of director Garth Jennings with his producer Nick Goldsmith, were recommended by Spike Jonze after he passed on directing the film. Coming from a music video background, Jennings brings a wonderful visual style to Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. The production design and visual effects are top shelf and unique, which can be very difficult in science fiction.
Really I can’t see why people don’t like this movie. Bill Nighy and Helen Mirren drop by for great roles, the Guide itself is a lust-worthy thing of beauty (and voiced by Stephen Fry), the opening song is magnificent, Douglas Adams’ mum has a cameo, Deep Thought is so cool, Marvin is played by Warwick Davis and voiced by Alan Rickman; it’s just a really fun movie.
Poster:
Trailer:
http://youtu.be/pmyNitDhMd8
Bechdel Test:
Fail
The Representation Test Score: C (6 pts)
(http://therepresentationproject.org/grading-hollywood-the-representation-test/)
| Main Cast | Martin Freeman Arthur Dent, Mos Def Ford Prefect, Sam Rockwell Zaphod Beeblebrox, Zooey Deschanel Trillian |
| Rating | PG |
| Release Date | Fri 29 Apr 2005 UTC |
| Director | Garth Jennings |
| Genres | Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi |
| Plot | Mere seconds before the Earth is to be demolished by an alien construction crew, journeyman Arthur Dent is swept off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher penning a new edition of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.” |
| Poster |  |
| Runtime | 109 |
| Tagline | Don’t Panic |
| Writers | Douglas Adams (book), Douglas Adams (screenplay) … |
| Year | 2005 |
