Don't Panic
I just got back from seeing The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Excellent movie. Being a fan of the old BBC mini-series, I feel there are a few very important things that they left out or downplayed in the movie, but it was still pretty good overall. The four largest things missing or almost missing:
- They never explain the true significance of the Babel Fish. (if you've seen the movie but don't know anything more about it than what they said, I'd be more than willing to explain it to you. Easily the best part of the whole story in my mind.)
- They never give the actual Question (at the end of the mini-series we find out what the Question is).
- They never explain the "Restaurant at the End of the Universe."
- Needed to further explain and explore the Infinite Improbability Drive.
Other than that I was very pleased with the movie. The special effects were solid, the acting was decent (not fantastic, but not bad), and the music was excellent. They have a great song where the chorus starts out "So long and thanks for all the fish...," absolutely hilarious if you know the joke, confusing if you don't. The theme music is much improved over the mini-series, which is really the same music through a high-pitched synthesizer (literally painful to listen to). Here's a link to a sample of the theme as it is now (and, to my understanding, the way it was originally written by The Eagles before they wanted to use it for the mini-series):
Final verdict: Excellent movie. Truly quirky British humor at its finest and definitely worth seeing. If you like it, try to find a DVD of the old mini-series or read the book (I'd like to, but haven't for lack of time and too many other good books higher on my priority list).
Have you seen it? What did you think (*hint* comment here! *hint*)?
In other news, Edgar and Dustin are now Ernie and Bernie respectively. This primarily applies to when you desire to address them together. The reference is due to their striking resemblance to the Jamaican jellyfish with those names in the movie Shark Tale.
posted by Shawn @ 12:11 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Since I had to work when you all were watching Shark Tale, I wouldn't know, but I am a little confused as to how Dustin and Edgar relate to Jamaican jellyfish... surely they don't look like jellyfish...
The movie was a little disappointing where it ended. But overall really good - follows Adams' plot very well, and for the merit of humor just plain hilarious at some parts. The acting is better in this one than the miniseries for some of the characters, and yes, the music is better. A lot was cut for the sake of time, unfortunately. That's the only major problem.
Regarding The Question: I'm under the impression that the movie ends rougly where the first book in the "Increasingly Misnamed Trilogy" ends. And the first book ends before everyone visits the Restaurant at the End of the Universe. The second book picks up from there, telling of the visit to the Restaurant, how everyone nearly dies in rock concert special effect, how Zaphod and Trillian meet the real ruler of the galaxy, and how Arthur and Ford become stranded on prehistoric Earth, and there learn the answer to the Ulitmate Question of life, the universe, and everything.
In short: They probably didn't reveal the answer to the Question because they're saving it for the sequel.
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