Hi guys

Well, just to throw the cat amongst the pigeons I have to say that I actually enjoyed the movie, and believed it upheld Adam’s tradition of making every new version of the story “the best.” 

Of *course* there are things that aren’t in the movie, and the movies going to be different.  Books are a literary media, film are visual.  So a lot of the witty narration is, yes, cut out, instead using neat visual gags (okay, some of them don’t work, but some of them are wickedly funny) which fit into the “vibe” of the story.  MJ Simpson’s “list” of things tht should have been in the movie is churlish and geekboy-tastic, and smacks of the same outrage that wanted the X-men to be in yellow latex and, more relevantly, Ford Prefect not to be black (a great move, IMHO).  Perhaps Mr. Simpsons real problem is that he senses his “baby” (not his of course, but certainly something he’d like to claim a degree of ownership over) as being taken away from him, and changed.  Like when Daddy’s little girl comes home with a hickey.

I really would encourage everyone to see this movie, and judge it for yourselves.  And remember of course that the filmmakers are given the task of creating something that will appease both veterans and newcomers, and its a line that I believe they treaded brilliantly.  So Mr. Simpson can go jump off the edge of the universe, for what I care.

I just saw HHG2TG in a finished version. “Major suckage” is overstating it. There’s nothing major about the film. “Minor suckage” is closer. It does a few things right and feels like it gets the whole enterprise wrong. Im very disappointed.

I’m not expecting a carbon copy of the book for the very reasons that so many have pointed out already; Adams often adapted the story quite a bit when moving it from one format to another. However I would hope that what made the books great, the dialog, would come through.

Still, being unemployed, I’m not likely to see it anytime soon so it’s a mute point for me.

I trust Simpson’s review more than Yoz’s. I met Simpson about a year ago, and he seemed very much a reasonable person and knowledgable about comedy and sci-fi. Yoz Graham is peripherally attached to the film production, and gave a talk last year at NOTCON where he hyped up the film quite a lot.

Marvin, in my opinion, should look more like Bender from Futurama than this blobby mess. Okay, not quite like Bender, slightly more mechanical and with lots of “flashing lights and computer screens” (props: Arthur Dent).

I will probably go and see it. I won’t sit there as, apparently, the Harry Potter fanboys do and compare the film with the book. But I have my hopes quite low for it being any good.

Yeah. That’s why I think the 2000 version sucks. Ah well…

I have quite a few favorite books. I live in fear of certain studios ever getting ahold of them to adapt them for screen (big or small). Disney is five of them.

That said, this version of HHGTTG will probably end up being a bit like the two versions of Dune. They serve different purposes. If you want the hardcore spirit, the rich visuals, the use of metaphor, the atmosphere…see the 1984 David Lynch version. If you actually want a coherent story…see the 2000 Artisan Entertainment version.

I have this new philosophy in dealing with movies.  Expect very little and you are almost always peasantly surprised.  Especially when Disney corp. is involved.  If you expect the studios to chop your favorite book into sushi when they make a movie, it makes many films easier to watch.

    That being said, I really hope they didn’t botch it.  it’s one of my favorite books.

Personally the ads have left me wondering about the movie.  Especially Marvin.  Way too cute, and not human looking enough.  I definitely didn’t imagine him as this short, round thing.

Here is a scary piece of news? Anyone with iTunes Music Store popped to the store to check out the “soundtrack” to the movie?

Most of it is situational music or background music, but there are a few tracks:
The Dolphins
So Long & Thanks for All the Fish
Vote Beeblebrox
Reasons to be Miserable(His Name Is Marvin)

It just doesn’t bode well for the movie.

Ohhh…my day was going so well. What an awful let-down.