Review: "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"
I'm anticipating the release of a lot of movies this summer, and the first hit theaters this past weekend. I've never been a diehard "Hitchhiker's Guide" fan, but I have read all the books and enjoyed them. Those who know me well are aware that I make moderately frequent references to the number 42 and the phrase "Don't Panic". So I was fairly excited about the movie.
WARNING: If you haven't seen the movie, there are some spoilers ahead, and even if you've read the book, anyone who intends to see HHG should probably not read on. My short-and-sweet review of the movie is that it's hit-or-miss, but the hits are so powerful they make it worth it. For a more detailed account, read on...
For starters, the introduction about the dolphins was fantastic, capped off by the "So Long and Thanks for All the Fish" theme song. This was one of the most ingenious moments of the film, and paved the way for more to come.
One flaw of the movie was the build-up to the demolition of Earth. The introduction of Arthur Dent (Martin Freeman), the human hero of the movie, was fine, though I would have liked it to be a little longer, and to have seen more with the bulldozers. But Ford Prefect (Mos Def), Arthur's friend who happens to be an alien, arrives quickly to take Arthur to a pub and inform him that the world is about to be destroyed. While there, Arthur tells Ford a story about the one who got away, a woman named Tricia McMillan (Zooey Deschanel) he met at a party. For fans familiar with the story, this is amusing because we know what it's setting up, but I imagine for novices it will come out of nowhere (hell, it sorta did for me).
Anyway, long story short, Ford and Arthur hitch a ride on the Vogon spaceship just before they blow up Earth. I personally thought the scenes on the Vogon spaceship didn't last quite long enough. However, the brief scene of Arthur and Ford in the airlock just before they get ejected into space is really funny.
They get picked up by the Heart of Gold, a universally-renowned spaceship with an Infinite Improbability Drive. The odd things that happen each time the improbability drive is engaged lead to some of the funniest moments in the film. Aboard the Heart of Gold, Arthur reunites with Tricia (now called Trillian), along with meeting her new beau Zaphod Beeblebrox (Sam Rockwell), who happens to be president of the galaxy. A brief newscast tells of how he defeated Humma Kuvula (John Malkovich) to attain the position. We also meet Marvin the Robot (body by Warwick Davis, voice by Alan Rickman). This character is hilarious and garners laughs every time he is on-screen, but is sadly somewhat underused.
Zaphod explains his life plan to Arthur and Ford: millions of years ago, a computer called Deep Thought was commissioned to find the Answer to the Ultimate Question. When it revealed the answer, people were disappointed, and began wondering what the Question was. Now Zaphod wants to return to Deep Thought's home planet of Magrathea to find out what the Question is and secure his place in the history books (no doubt fearful he might instead go the way of Millard Fillmore).
On the way to Magrathea, there's a brief sojourn to Humma Kavula's planet. This is a new idea created by Douglas Adams specifically for the movie. The scene where Kavula preaches mass (of sorts) is hilarious, but the character exits the movie too quickly. I would have liked to see more.
Long story short, Trillian gets kidnapped, the guys rescue her, make it to Magrathea (where the scene with the sperm whale, the absolute highlight of the movie, is so funny I actually cried), and the movie reaches its climax. The easter egg in the middle of the credits is also pretty funny.
So here's what didn't work for me: first, the entire character of Zaphod seemed somehow off (I like Sam Rockwell as an actor, but I'm not sure he fit in this role); the romance between Arthur and Tricia (not so much that it didn't work, I guess, but I didn't feel like it added anything); the scene of Tricia's abduction; the first half of the scene on Vogsphere; the scene with the mice on Magrathea (the buildup could have been better).
Like I said, the movie was hit-or-miss. But the Guide is handled very well, and the moments of hilarity make this a worthwhile movie for fans and novices alike. I'll give it a 7/10.
Song lyric of the day:
"You've got your head in the clouds
And your world's upside down
Get away from the life you're living
Get away from the man who's stealing your life"
- Velvet Revolver, Dirty Little Thing
WARNING: If you haven't seen the movie, there are some spoilers ahead, and even if you've read the book, anyone who intends to see HHG should probably not read on. My short-and-sweet review of the movie is that it's hit-or-miss, but the hits are so powerful they make it worth it. For a more detailed account, read on...
For starters, the introduction about the dolphins was fantastic, capped off by the "So Long and Thanks for All the Fish" theme song. This was one of the most ingenious moments of the film, and paved the way for more to come.
One flaw of the movie was the build-up to the demolition of Earth. The introduction of Arthur Dent (Martin Freeman), the human hero of the movie, was fine, though I would have liked it to be a little longer, and to have seen more with the bulldozers. But Ford Prefect (Mos Def), Arthur's friend who happens to be an alien, arrives quickly to take Arthur to a pub and inform him that the world is about to be destroyed. While there, Arthur tells Ford a story about the one who got away, a woman named Tricia McMillan (Zooey Deschanel) he met at a party. For fans familiar with the story, this is amusing because we know what it's setting up, but I imagine for novices it will come out of nowhere (hell, it sorta did for me).
Anyway, long story short, Ford and Arthur hitch a ride on the Vogon spaceship just before they blow up Earth. I personally thought the scenes on the Vogon spaceship didn't last quite long enough. However, the brief scene of Arthur and Ford in the airlock just before they get ejected into space is really funny.
They get picked up by the Heart of Gold, a universally-renowned spaceship with an Infinite Improbability Drive. The odd things that happen each time the improbability drive is engaged lead to some of the funniest moments in the film. Aboard the Heart of Gold, Arthur reunites with Tricia (now called Trillian), along with meeting her new beau Zaphod Beeblebrox (Sam Rockwell), who happens to be president of the galaxy. A brief newscast tells of how he defeated Humma Kuvula (John Malkovich) to attain the position. We also meet Marvin the Robot (body by Warwick Davis, voice by Alan Rickman). This character is hilarious and garners laughs every time he is on-screen, but is sadly somewhat underused.
Zaphod explains his life plan to Arthur and Ford: millions of years ago, a computer called Deep Thought was commissioned to find the Answer to the Ultimate Question. When it revealed the answer, people were disappointed, and began wondering what the Question was. Now Zaphod wants to return to Deep Thought's home planet of Magrathea to find out what the Question is and secure his place in the history books (no doubt fearful he might instead go the way of Millard Fillmore).
On the way to Magrathea, there's a brief sojourn to Humma Kavula's planet. This is a new idea created by Douglas Adams specifically for the movie. The scene where Kavula preaches mass (of sorts) is hilarious, but the character exits the movie too quickly. I would have liked to see more.
Long story short, Trillian gets kidnapped, the guys rescue her, make it to Magrathea (where the scene with the sperm whale, the absolute highlight of the movie, is so funny I actually cried), and the movie reaches its climax. The easter egg in the middle of the credits is also pretty funny.
So here's what didn't work for me: first, the entire character of Zaphod seemed somehow off (I like Sam Rockwell as an actor, but I'm not sure he fit in this role); the romance between Arthur and Tricia (not so much that it didn't work, I guess, but I didn't feel like it added anything); the scene of Tricia's abduction; the first half of the scene on Vogsphere; the scene with the mice on Magrathea (the buildup could have been better).
Like I said, the movie was hit-or-miss. But the Guide is handled very well, and the moments of hilarity make this a worthwhile movie for fans and novices alike. I'll give it a 7/10.
Song lyric of the day:
"You've got your head in the clouds
And your world's upside down
Get away from the life you're living
Get away from the man who's stealing your life"
- Velvet Revolver, Dirty Little Thing
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