So. I went to see The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy today.
I should've saved my money.
Don't get me wrong. I would really recommend this movie to anyone. Who hasn't read any of the books from the series.
For anyone who has read one or more of the books, let me give you this advice: Skip it!
Let me preface any further comments by saying that it's been almost five years since the last time I read THGTTG and the details are kind of foggy in my mind. But I remember most of it.
As the movie begins, it remains pretty faithful to the book--for about the first half-hour. At that point, it begins to go "off book",as it were.
But then it goes crazy. Without giving away too much of the plot, let me say that in none of the 5 books of the "trilogy" do our heroes ever go to the planet Vogsphere, or visit the home of the worshippers of The Great Green Arkleseizure (read the book!) or end up trapped on Earth (Mark II) in Arthur Dent's rebuilt house.
Let me just say that after seeing this movie, I have to believe that Douglas Adams is spinning in his grave.
Yes, he died about 3 years ago. (pause here to weep a single tear)
And yes, a lot of the lines from the book are in the movie, but this does not mean that it's a faithful adapation.
Why? I'll give you an example. I have no problem with the producers casting a black actor in the part of Ford Prefect (again, read the book!), but couldn't you at LEAST have cast a British actor, or at least trained him to speak with a British accent?!
All in all, I have to say that the funniest part of seeing this movie came while I was standing in line to buy my popcorn. I saw a man buying a ticket to the movie, and he had a cast on his hand--he had at least a broken thumb. Get it? He could not stick out his thumb!
The logo for the movie is a hand with an extended thumb.
What. Am I talking to a wall here?!
You people have no appreciation of irony!
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