HHG2G is crap ... Time to PANIC

Zombrex

Saw this on Slashdot. Adam's biographer has seen the Hitch Hikers movie and says it is "Phantom Menace" bad

Oh well, hollywood f**ks up another classic ... oh well.

http://planetmagrathea.com/shortreview.html

http://slashdot.org/articles/05/04/10/1447214.shtml?tid=97&tid=214

Goodshape

Just reading over some of the stuff they left out. Tragic.

# The Guide entry on alcohol or any mention of a Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster
# The description of the Vogon ships hanging in the air "in exactly the same way that bricks don't"
# The second part of the Guide entry on Babel fish, about proving the non-existence of God
# Most of the Vogon poetry scene
# Most of the 'space is big' Guide entry including "a long way down the road to the chemist's" and the bit about Bethselamin
# The Guide entry on 'Stress and nervous tension'

and so on...

arseblankets anyway. earlier reviews suggested good things.

KdjaCL

la la la la la im not listening la la la la


kdjac

OfflerCrocGod

GOD NO!!!!!!!!!

:mad: :mad:

/Offler breaks down and cries

Pigman II

Wicknight wrote:

Saw this on Slashdot. Adam's biographer has seen the Hitch Hikers movie and says it is "Phantom Menace" bad

Ah well, at least he doesn't rate it 'Attack of the Clones' bad. That would be a pity.

Besides the trailer makes it look crap anyway, like a more expensive/less interesting version of the TV show from 1982.

Sarky

That was a depressing read. Sounds like the creators completely missed the point. Time to spend the price of the film ticket on the DVD of the TV series, then...

RuggieBear

bastids

ixoy

Ah well, is anyone really surprised? TBH, the trailer didn't impress me that much anyway. Shame but I expected as much.

mike65

Most of Arthur's conversation with Slartibartfast

Sorry to include a spoiler but really, thats one the great chats in history.

"Did you ever go to a place ... I think it was called Norway?...that was
one of mine. Won an award you know. Lovely crinkly edges"

Looking through that list I weep but in a small way cos I frankly expected no better from Hollywood.

The Hitchhiker's movie is, in summary, a train-wreck of a film. The plot is strung together randomly without cause and effect or motivation.

So that just about wraps it up for HHGTTG...with any luck the Beeb will be inspired to re-run the Tv series.

Mike.

aidan_walsh

/me anticipates the "H2G2 RoXXoRz, fcuk da cirtics" thread...

Sarky

If that review could turn me, I doubt such a thread will appear.

Aside: Depressing as the review was, did anyone else find it highly entertaining anyway?

Capt'n Midnight

mike65 wrote:

Sorry to include a spoiler but really, thats one the great chats in history.

SLARTIBARTFAST: wrote:

You must come with me, great things are afoot, you must come now or you will be late.

Having first heard in on the radio, I was plesently suprised by how good the TV series was considering the state of special effects and liked the graphics from the book, that review was scary..

I loved the little bits at the end of the radio shows..

If you would like a copy of the book, ’The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’, please write to Megadodo Publications, Megadodo House, Ursa Minor. Enclosing three pounds, ninety-five for the book

plus five-hundred-and-ninety-seven-million, eight-hundred-and-twelve-thousand, four-hundred-and-six pounds, seven-p, postage and packing.

http://www.clivebanks.co.uk

Graced with a wonderful cast, brilliant scripts, and filled to bursting with special effects, the show is best known - and rightly so - for its amazing computer graphics, used to represent the entries of the Book. Which is quite remarkable, considering that they weren’t computer generated at all, but were actually made by animating reversed-out line drawings on acetate, using lighting gels for the colours.

You learn something new..

Rabies

I never read the book before and only heard about it on boards about a year or two ago. Know sweet fvck all about the plot. Prob go and see it because I don't know what to expect.

Basq

Awful, awful news!!

But in a way.. i can't say i'm suprised! Don't get me wrong... i was really looking forward to it. But as i said here a while back, it was probably not a suitable first film for a first time film director.

Still... terrible news! But i'm gonna ignore the review and still stay stoked about it!

Sarky

About a month and a half ago, myself and some friends were involved in the radio play for NUI Galway's college station. The memories came flooding back. Such perfect lines, that script was pure gold. How could they cut the Arthur/Prosser bit? How? And leave out Marvin's best lines?

Cormic

"Bandwidth Limit Exceeded" from the planetmagrathea site

I hate that message

Goodshape

Hold the phone - Empire review gives 4/5.

Also a more favorable review from a /. reader here

Going to have to remain optimistic about this one then.

steveland?

Well the film always had very big shoes to fill but I shall reserve judgement till I'v e seen the yoke.

Which by the way I still can't wait for...

herobear

is there a boxset of the books available ?? me want

never read it before either

Goodshape

There's loads of versions of the books available - one at a time paperbacks, all inclusive bumper editions, box-sets, etcetera.

You'll find it in any half-decent bookshop. Can't recommend them enough.

herobear

boxsets on play.com ?? im lazy

Goodshape

How lazy can you be?
Play.com has a search feature. Try that.

projectmayhem

herobear wrote:

boxsets on play.com ?? im lazy

surely you're not so lazy as to "click" a button or two

mycroft

projectmayhem wrote:

surely you're not so lazy as to "click" a button or two

Thats damn lazy.

Oh c'mon people, care to tell me how you'd film the vogon poetry? It's funny because of the description (One reviewer escaped by eating his own arm) the actual poetry isn't and couldn't be as bad as how it's set up to be in the book.

As for the rest of the spoilers;

The god bit was going to go always. It's like people demanding a "preacher" film, never going to happen people.

As for the rest of it. The guide was great on description. Really evocative turns of phrase. You can't film a turn of phrase.

You're going to lose some stuff from the books and radio play. It's just going to happen. Accept it and try to move on and see the film on it's own merits*




*I reserve the right to change my mind about this if they lose the bit about
"I won awards for Norway"

Goodshape

I understand they have lost that bit. But anyway, watch the old BBC TV series for how to film a turn of phrase. You use naration and guide animations - it worked beautifully. Best thing about the old show.

mycroft

Goodshape wrote:

I understand they have lost that bit. But anyway, watch the old BBC TV series for how to film a turn of phrase. You use naration and guide animations - it worked beautifully. Best thing about the old show.

And the worst being Zaphod's paper maiché second head.

Capt'n Midnight

mycroft wrote:

Oh c'mon people, care to tell me how you'd film the vogon poetry? It's funny because of the description (One reviewer escaped by eating his own arm) the actual poetry isn't and couldn't be as bad as how it's set up to be in the book.

They managed it in the TV series ...

Prostetnic Vogon Jeltz wrote:

Oh freddled gruntbuggly thy micturations are to me
As plurdled gabbleblotchits on a lurgid bee.
Groop I implore thee my foonting turlingdromes.
And hooptiously drangle me with crinkly bindlewurdles,
Or I will rend thee in the gobberwarts with my blurglecruncheon,
see if I don't!

See Also:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/hitchhikers/vogonpoetry/lettergen.shtml

mycroft

Capt'n Midnight wrote:

They managed it in the TV series ...

See Also:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/hitchhikers/vogonpoetry/lettergen.shtml

See I didn't think the TV series was that funny........

Capt'n Midnight

mycroft wrote:

See I didn't think the TV series was that funny........

It wasn't as funny as the radio series, and as you say the second head was a disaster, but the rest wasn't that bad considering the budget and technology they had to work with.

The film just doesn't sound as good as the TV series, despite having more people and money throw at it. It's like they had too many resources so they didn't have to think around constraints.

Cactus Col

might be possible that some reviewers didn't like the film because they're favourite bits were left out, which doesn't mean the film isn't good ... in any case I'll make my own mind up when I see it.

sleepwalker

just another case of an adaptation being slated by the fanboys, most reviews that i have seen seem to be positive

read the book good read but i dont think id be arsed seeing the film

Karl Hungus

Jesus christ lads, have a bit of cop-on!

This is coming from Douglas Adams' Biographer ffs, you'd be hard pressed to find a more biased opinion there. Has Christopher Tolkien's repeated slatings of the Lord of the Rings films tought you nothing here?

Just see the ****ing film, and make your opinions then.

KdjaCL

Just seen Tv spot on UK Gold or one of them UK channels, looks even better


kdjac

Stark

Karl Hungus wrote:

Jesus christ lads, have a bit of cop-on!

This is coming from Douglas Adams' Biographer ffs, you'd be hard pressed to find a more biased opinion there. Has Christopher Tolkien's repeated slatings of the Lord of the Rings films tought you nothing here?

Just see the ****ing film, and make your opinions then.

Well said.

I'm still looking forward to the film and I'll make my judgement after I've seen it. I've still hopes for it, the casting is spot on for one imo.

Memnoch

Not to upset anyone, but I wasn't really that impressed with the books myself.

RuggieBear

Memnoch wrote:

Not to upset anyone, but I wasn't really that impressed with the books myself.

stone him....

Agent Orange

If years of reading SFX magazine have taught me anything, it's that MJ Simpson has absolutely terrible taste.

Wait until the reviews by 'proper' reviewers come out before drawing any conclusions.

Fysh

Karl Hungus wrote:

Jesus christ lads, have a bit of cop-on!

This is coming from Douglas Adams' Biographer ffs, you'd be hard pressed to find a more biased opinion there. Has Christopher Tolkien's repeated slatings of the Lord of the Rings films tought you nothing here?

Just see the ****ing film, and make your opinions then.

See, I'd disagree. I'd argue that, as someone who has a fairly strong interest in the material, he'll be quite well placed to tell me (although maybe not everyone else) if I'm going to like it. As a fan of the original material, I've seen more cases of horrible adaptations than I have good ones. (For example, most reviews for Constantine ranged between mediocre and reasonably good, but I found it to be easily the worst film I've seen in the last year or so - both as a film in its own right, and as an adaptation of the comic).

I'm all for adaptations changing some aspects of the original material - I understand why it's necessary not just from the perspective of making the transition between media, but also to avoid alienating the audience. But if you start hacking out what made the original good in the first place (in the case of Constantine, for example, it was the character of John Constantine and how he interacts with those around him. In the case of H2G2, it was the jokes.) then what you're ending up with is something effectively original, with a known name attached to try and get it to sell. And, judging by the longer review, that's what seems to have happened. One of the most memorable exchanges (the one about getting the plans) seems to have had all its humour trimmed out, apparently in the interests of shortening it. It is this, combined with the speedy progress the film has made after Adams kicked the bucket (compared to the 20-odd years of feet-dragging prior), that makes me think this just isn't going to satisfy me as a fan of the books.

OY

ixoy wrote:

Ah well, is anyone really surprised? TBH, the trailer didn't impress me that much anyway. Shame but I expected as much.

I agree with this. On other threads i have said that i am nervous about this movie. So i will not be suprised when it is bad.
But i also agree that i will wait and see it myself and see what it is like.

ObeyGiant

It'll be a cold day in hell before I start paying attention to the opinions of fanboys.