The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

----- Original Message -----
Sent: Thursday, May 05, 2005 9:17 AM

Did you see hitchhikers? My nerdy students said it was awesome.

-dp

I sure did! I thought it was quite good, too. Of course there were changes (as there always are when things are adapted for the screen), and those changes made ripples which lead to huge plot holes.... but only if you think about it. Fortunately, the movie lets you not think about it and just enjoy the ride, so it's a non-issue in my book.
You'll never get all of the fantastic humor of Adams on the screen because it lives in the finely-crafted language, but the movie uses voiceovers to give you a flavor of his language and it works well.

For a scathing review (and a long one at that), look at
http://www.planetmagrathea.com/longreview1.html. It's a 4-page review of a premier by a true fan and someone who's been very very close to Hitchhiker's for a long, long time. He's reviewing a preview, so some elements are different in the actual theatrical release. It's also loaded with spoilers (if you care).
The thing about it is.... I agree with everything he says. All of the complaints he has are absolutely valid. But...

If you want to see Hitchhiker's put on the big screen, designed for an American audience--that's what we've got. So don't think too much, just go and enjoy the experience.

I do recommend it.

H