Sunday, May 01, 2005
The Guide: Mostly Harmless
If there is one thing that all the bloggers at ZS have in common, I'd dare say it's a shared love of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. That said, I was a little worried about a movie adaptation of the book, much more so than I was about the movie adaptation of the Lord of the Rings. On paper, it seemed like it would be impossible to translate Douglas Adams' absurd and deadpan humour into a movie. The early reviews did not look promising either. So, I went to see the movie on Friday (yes, first day and all that) with considerable skepticism.
The movie was a pleasant surprise. No, it is not about to break box-office records like LOTR did, though it did top the box-office in its opening week. Yes, it comes as no surprise that the tone of Adams' humour is caught better in the written word than on screen. If you haven't read the book, don't bother with the movie. The in-jokes alone with frustrate you. If you are familiar with the book though, I think you'll really enjoy the movie. Marvin the Paranoid Android (voiced delightfully by Alan Rickman) was, for me, the highlight of the movie. John Malkovich plays Humma Kavula (a character not in the original series, but created by Adams for the movie) with aplomb.
At the movie theatre I watched the movie in, about 50% of the audience were laughing throughout the movie. The remaining 50% were wondering why. I think that about sums up the movie. If you get it, you'll laugh. If you don't, maybe you should treat yourself to the book. It's May Day after all.
The movie was a pleasant surprise. No, it is not about to break box-office records like LOTR did, though it did top the box-office in its opening week. Yes, it comes as no surprise that the tone of Adams' humour is caught better in the written word than on screen. If you haven't read the book, don't bother with the movie. The in-jokes alone with frustrate you. If you are familiar with the book though, I think you'll really enjoy the movie. Marvin the Paranoid Android (voiced delightfully by Alan Rickman) was, for me, the highlight of the movie. John Malkovich plays Humma Kavula (a character not in the original series, but created by Adams for the movie) with aplomb.
At the movie theatre I watched the movie in, about 50% of the audience were laughing throughout the movie. The remaining 50% were wondering why. I think that about sums up the movie. If you get it, you'll laugh. If you don't, maybe you should treat yourself to the book. It's May Day after all.
