Open Water Movie Reviews

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

(I thought I'd start an open-water movie review, for larger participation.  I couldn't find one except in the closed threads, sooo.)

I just finished watching the movie The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

It had a tribute at the start:  "For Douglas" which I really liked.

Previously, I had read several interviews on youtube and elsewhere, of Adam's that made me re-think things, regarding the movie.

One was, that Adams had been working on a movie-version screenplay about his beloved series for literally 20 years.  In fact, it was finally "in the works" shortly before his untimely death.

And, I remembered that Adams believed that nothing was sacrosanct - especially words written by Adams himself.  I remembered that there was a series of Hitchhiker books, a radio-play, a TV series a stage-play, a PC-text game and other adaptations of the seed-idea over the years.  All at Adam's behest, and with his blessing (more or less).  And none of them exactly alike-- each genre brought a different flavor to the original idea.

It was with that mindset that I set out to watch the latest in the long-lived series.

And I thoroughly enjoyed the whole movie.

I think that Adams would have been pleased with the results.

Although the much-beloved Marvin was in a reduced-role, it was true to character. The costume was worn by Warwick Davis, but the voice was done by Snape--err--Alan Rickman, and was very Marvin-like.  There's a very Marvin-esque bit near the end of the move-- it's so apropos that you either laugh or cry or both. 

Author Dent was well-played (Martin Freeman), and very true-to character, I think.  Very Author Dent-ish. But, not quite as useless a person as the original started out to be-- the book had plenty of time to allow Author to grow as a person. The movie was short, so Author started out more rounded-- and more believable, too, I think.

Ford Prefect was also done very well-- different than previously, but very believable and true-to-character.  Using a black actor was an interesting change-- and as Adams was all about global-thinking, I do not consider it was just for "PC".  In the book, Ford's skin color was never explicitly spelled out. I liked the slightly different character-style, though.  Less "British"[whatever that means ] and more "other-worldly" than previous actors.

Trillian's character was played by Zooey Deschanel, and with dark hair.  This is a direct departure from previous incarnations, as Adams had deliberately described Trillian as blonde, but anything but dumb.  In fact, in later books, she is described as one of the Universe's better mathematicians.  (second only to camels---or is that a different series? I think that Adams had intended to put the classic "dumb blonde" against brilliant mathematician as a sort of subtle joke. But, that is missing from the movie-- but I did not notice, until I was writing this review, actually.) However, that Trillian is brilliant is very clear from the beginning of the movie.  There is a very good flash-back conversation between Trillian and Dent that is priceless, to me. It's quick, but contains several bits of Adam's-type wit.  But, this Trillian is also more rounded than the book's starting out character. More depth at the outset.  I think it could reflect a maturing of Douglass' writing style, as the screen-play is credited to him at the beginning.  Later, both Adams and Karey Kirkpatrick are given credit.

Sam Rockwell plays Zaphod, and in this version of the story, Beeblebrox has a diminished role.  Which I think is a good thing, as the movie has less time for tertiary characters anyway.

There are some new jokes and puns-- which I think Adams would have approved of.  If you want the original ones, go read the book!

Go look at IMDB for the rest of the credits, if you're really curious. 

The book has a diminished role, too, and is not the dominant character it was in the TV series.  But, this movie is about the people-- and what happens to them.

Final Thoughts.  For real book-fans looking for a movie-rehash of a beloved series of books-- you'll be greatly disappointed.  It's not the book-into-a-movie at all.

For true Douglas Adams fans, this will be a treat.  It's a different medium, and is therefore a different experience.  As it should be.  It clearly has Adams' touch, wit and humor written all over it.  There are several visual-jokes that could only be done with movie-budget media.  Loads of CG effects.

Well worth renting -- buy it if you're an Adams fan, and watch it more than once - I seriously think it will grow on you.

[Vita Curator]

Hi all!  I just had to also write and recommend a movie that I saw last night.  It is called The Pursuit of Happyness (happiness is spelled that way for a reason). 

I highly recommend this movie, I hope that many of you have the chance to get out and see it; it was one of the best movies I have seen in a long time.

It is based on a true story and the main character, Chris Gardner (played by Will Smith), is such an inspiration!  His strength of character, determination and perseverance to try and break out of the cycle of poverty is simply awe-inspiring.  Anyone that tends to cry at movies, please take plenty of tissues, I had tears streaming down my face several times.

Two quotes by Thomas Edison came to mind as I watched this:  "Success is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration" and "Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."

Again, if you are looking for a very worthwhile, inspiring movie to see over the holidays, go and see this one!

Happy New Year! 

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

(from another less-visible thread)

My brother, got me Star Trek, the animated series for Christmas this year. All 22 episodes in a nice white collector's box.

This was a Saturday-morning cartoon series made in the 70's, using the original voices of the original series, with Shatner as Kirk, etc.

Since it was animated, they kept to the original themes of Star Trek, but had new and interesting aliens and situations, not cheaply possible in the 70's without looking cheezy.

Roddenberry is listed on the credits, so his hand (and vision) is evident in the stories so far.  Each is only about 20 minutes long, and the animation is typical 70's style:  minimalist movement of the backgrounds.

However, there is little cartoon-y feel about the animation.  No surreal or larger-than-life aspects of the characters.  It's very similar to comic-book adaptation series of the same period, like the original Spider Man animated series, the original Fantastic 4, the original  Sea-Quest.  It is very similar to the original Johnny Quest style as well.

So far, the stories are as good as I remember: akin to good to very good SciFi short stories using well-known characters and background.  Plots are not complex, as would be expected with 20 minutes to develop and resolve.  But, the subjects are not shallow at all-- in keeping with the better plots of the original TV series.

But, for Trek-fans, it is a must-have.  For the mildly curious, I would suggest renting one or two of the discs first. (And I cannot fathom it NOT being available for rental very soon.)

I'll review more, and in more detail, as I watch through all of the 22 episodes, and look at the special content.