The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy; the movie

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the film adaptation of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," exploring participants' expectations, concerns, and reflections on the original works, including the books, radio series, and previous adaptations. The conversation touches on themes of adaptation quality, humor, and the legacy of Douglas Adams.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express skepticism about the film being a successful adaptation of the original material, citing concerns over remakes and the quality of special effects.
  • Others reflect on the clever use of language in the books and question how this can be effectively translated to film.
  • There are mentions of the long development history of the film, with some noting that Douglas Adams had mixed feelings about the adaptation process.
  • Several participants share their fondness for the original radio series and books, indicating that they may have lower expectations for the film compared to these earlier formats.
  • Some express hope that the film will capture the unique strangeness of Adams' work, while others are doubtful based on past adaptations of similarly quirky literature.
  • There are references to the number of books in the series, with some participants debating the count and titles, highlighting the confusion surrounding the "trilogy of four."
  • Humor is a recurring theme, with some participants finding enjoyment in the absurdity of the original adaptations, regardless of their quality.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally do not reach a consensus on the quality or potential of the film adaptation. Multiple competing views exist regarding the effectiveness of the adaptation, the legacy of the original works, and the expectations for the film.

Contextual Notes

Some participants express nostalgia for the original works and concern that the film may not capture the essence of Douglas Adams' humor and style. There are also references to the challenges of adapting complex literary works into a different medium.

Ivan Seeking
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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Action/Adventure, Comedy and Science Fiction/Fantasy
April 29th, 2005
http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/thehitchhikersguidetothegalaxy.html
 
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I smell another crappy remake of a classic.
 
i also hear that british are making "War of the Worlds" with mechanicall tripods machines and all the original stuff ? is that true ?
i know spielberg finished making hollywood version of "WoW" but i don't care about american movies no more.
 
ShawnD said:
I smell another crappy remake of a classic.

Unfortunately special effects are now considered a plot. Still, miracles do happen. I believe I believe... :biggrin:
 
I never heard of that until now, and unfortunately I don't have time to check out the site right now. Certainly I'll go see it, but I wonder how good it can be. Most of what I liked about the books was the extremely clever use of language to describe things that are
shown in a movie. How can a cup of liquid and a funny facial expression fully convey 'almost, but not quite, exactly unlike tea'?

Okay, that's weird. There was just a knock on the door and it turned out to be the RCMP. I figured, what the hell have I done now, but it's because some guy crashed into my yard. I heard it a couple of hours ago, but didn't pay any attention because there's construction going on next door. So now I've got 2 cops and a tracking dog prowling around my place. Life never ceases to be interesting. :rolleyes:
 
Danger..i tell you man, live without hockey makes people do some crazy things all over the place,i hope you are okay
 
stoned said:
Danger..i tell you man, live without hockey makes people do some crazy things all over the place,i hope you are okay
Thanks, dude. Everything's cool as far as I know. When Shane (cop) told me that he'd come in the east side of my property, my first thought was "if he hit my Roadrunner you'd better hope you find him before I do". Seems he just took out some bushes, though. He's lucky he's not hurt, because the bushes are narrowly spaced between some fairly sturdy spruce trees.
I don't know what effect the strike might have had on this particular fellow. It's a terribly un-Canadian thing to say, admittedly, but I don't watch hockey (or any other sport, for that matter).
Anyhow, I'll have a look in the morning before I go to work. I didn't bother tonight because they asked me to stay inside so's not to disrupt the dog. That was a bit over an hour ago, but I'm too lazy to get dressed and do it now.
 
stoned said:
Danger..i tell you man, live without hockey makes people do some crazy things all over the place,i hope you are okay

Fracking NHL and fracking NHLPA

I've gone a whole season without a trip to a Kings game. I'm just about violent from the withdrawals.
 
I'll definitely be going to see it at the cinema, but I have some strong doubts over whether it's going to be better than the original TV series. (And I know for a fact that it won't beat the original radio series, or trilogy of four.)
 
  • #10
Hmm... this reminds me of something that really needs to be done...
 
  • #11
franznietzsche said:
Fracking NHL and fracking NHLPA

Amen brother. Games on tape just aren't cutting it.
 
  • #12
brewnog said:
trilogy of four.)


THought there were five books...

Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy
Second one...forget the name...
Third one with the secret to flying, forget the name...
So long, and thanks for all the fish
Mostly Harmless.

Da?
 
  • #13
Hiker's guide
Restaurnat at the end of the universe
Life, the universe and everything
So long and thanks for all the fish
Mostly harmless.
 
  • #14
faust9 said:
Hiker's guide
Restaurnat at the end of the universe
Life, the universe and everything
So long and thanks for all the fish
Mostly harmless.

So i was right.

Its been so long since I've read them, six years just about.
 
  • #15
ShawnD said:
I smell another crappy remake of a classic.

This one has been in the making for what...20 years now? (not literally...but there have been many false starts, dropped scripts, etc.)

Seems like Douglas Adams was mostly positive about the latest attempt (there's some discussion of it in the book "Salmon of Doubt") but perhaps not 100% sold. I suspect his not being around now does not help things (had he not died, he would have certainly helped the filming on some level).
 
  • #16
Phobos said:
This one has been in the making for what...20 years now? (not literally...but there have been many false starts, dropped scripts, etc.)

Seems like Douglas Adams was mostly positive about the latest attempt (there's some discussion of it in the book "Salmon of Doubt") but perhaps not 100% sold. I suspect his not being around now does not help things (had he not died, he would have certainly helped the filming on some level).

I don't see how they can capture the strangeness of Adams and still sell a big budget movie. But I'm still hoping for something unusual. It could be fun.
 
  • #17
Ivan Seeking said:
I don't see how they can capture the strangeness of Adams and still sell a big budget movie. But I'm still hoping for something unusual. It could be fun.
I was thinking the same thing. Seems akin to making a Tom Robbins book into a movie. I was pretty dissapointed by the film version of "Even Cowgirls Get The Blues", but I might have just been biased because that's one of all-time favorite novels. The quirkiness of the story and the writer's style did not translate very well onto the screen. Of course, people who hadn't read Robbins probably liked it just fine.

I think it will probably be the same situation with the hardcore Douglas Adams fans.
 
  • #18
"You live and learn. At any rate, you live."

"In those days spirits were brave, the stakes were high, men were real men,
women were real women and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri were
real small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri."

"In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people
very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."
 
  • #19
russ_watters said:
Hmm... this reminds me of something that really needs to be done...

Matrix 4: The Reloaded Revolution
 
  • #20
Ivan Seeking said:
"You live and learn. At any rate, you live."

"In those days spirits were brave, the stakes were high, men were real men,
women were real women and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri were
real small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri."

"In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people
very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."


Ah, Douglas Adams.

And of course, the tea, which was not quite entirely unlike tea.

And Bistro math!

Ah. I'm going to have to read the whole serious again now. Damn you all. As if i was not unproductive enough already.
 
  • #21
franznietzsche said:
THought there were five books...

Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy
Second one...forget the name...
Third one with the secret to flying, forget the name...
So long, and thanks for all the fish
Mostly Harmless.

Da?

Mostly Harmless was 'the fifth book in the trilogy of four'.

:smile:

RIP DNA.
 
  • #22
I'll consider myself fortunate. I have the British television program on video tape. As far as the new movie goes I will probably go see it, but I won't have very high expectations. Douglas Adams is a master at his craft, pointing out how inane humanity is.
 
  • #23
To me, since the books were a real low-point compared to the original BBC radio series, I don't think I'll see this movie.
I was unfortunate to glance upon a television episode once; that was horrible..
 
  • #24
That's the point. They were so horrible they were ridiculously funny. I laughed for hours at how horrible it was. That's probably what I'll do at the movies as well.
 
  • #25
Huckleberry said:
That's the point. They were so horrible they were ridiculously funny. I laughed for hours at how horrible it was. That's probably what I'll do at the movies as well.


Zaphod Beeblebrox's extra head, (made of papier mache) did it for me. I wet myself the first time I saw that on TV.

Somehow I think the film might use some more sophisticated special effects.
 
  • #26
***WARNING-SPOILER LINK******

http://planetmagrathea.com/longreview1.html

After reading this review(btw it gives a play by play of the movie, so don't click if if you like to be surprised)... actually disappointed sounds more like it.

From this review of the preproduction final cut of the film, it got butchered. They cut out some of the best parts from the book and turned it into a commercial film with tons of product placement. IOW, you know how the lord of the rings films were unbelieveably told, followed Tolkien's vision of the story, and a joy to watch?

This would be the polar opposite.
 
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  • #27
brewnog said:
Zaphod Beeblebrox's extra head, (made of papier mache) did it for me. I wet myself the first time I saw that on TV.

Somehow I think the film might use some more sophisticated special effects.

Wouldn't it have been funnier if Zaphod's two heads were adopted and raised by separate parents? They might not even speak the same language. "Gweth Berk quiloplapa donk" "Excuse me Zaphod, my babblefish seems to have come loose. What did you say?" "You're mother dresses you funny."

Huck
 
  • #28
Ive never seen the original or whatever so i have nothing to be depresseda bout after seeing it :D
 
  • #29
Pengwuino said:
Ive never seen the original or whatever so i have nothing to be depresseda bout after seeing it :D

Have you read the books? I'm afraid that if you see the movies and they fail to convey Douglas Adams' sense of humor then you might not be interested in reading the book. It's been a long time since I've read the books myself but I remember them as being some of my favorites, so I have an interest in encouraging as many people to read them as possible.

Go memes, Go!
Huck
 
  • #30
Did he know about this before he died?
 

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