Adams would be proud!
It is
important to stress the tremendous impact of
Douglas Adams' "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the
Galaxy" on my life. Ever since I read it, it has
invaded every part of my life. It has influenced
my sense of humor beyond what it used to be. It
has allowed me to develop an ironic way of
looking at the world. It is more influential to
my life than anything else, and I hold it close
to my heart.
Naturally, I was worried about the film. After
all, the novel has no climax, no second
act...it's a series of ideas, jokes and rants
cleverly melded together on a simple, but
ingenious plotline: Arthur Dent wakes up one
morning to discover that his house is about to
be torn down to build a bypass. His best friend
Ford Prefect is actually a being from somewhere
in the vicinity of Betelgeuse. And a nasty,
bureaucratic alien race called the Vogons have
come to demolish the planet Earth in order to
make way for a new bypass. Oh, irony! Ford, a
writer for the book of the title, hitches a ride
on a Vogon ship and takes Arthur with him,
moments before the Earth is imploded. From
there, they endure Vogon poetry (the third worst
in the galaxy), and meet Zaphod Beeblebrox, the
president of the galaxy, his Earthling lover,
Trillian, and Marvin the extremely depressed
robot.
As any "Hitchhiker" fan can tell you, each
revision of the story is different: the radio
show changed when it became a novel, the novel
changed to become TV miniseries, the TV
miniseries changed to become a computer game,
etc. So naturally, there are revisions here
(Fans don't fret, most of the changes were
written by Adams before his tragic death in
2001) A new second act has been created
involving an evil cult leader and a trip to
Vogsphere, the Vogon home planet. Also put into
play is an Arthur-Trillain romantic subplot.
It's the weakest part of the movie, but when you
consider that Trillain was a weak and
superficial character in the other versions,
this slightly cheesy version is better than a
flat, boring character.
There have been many attempts to take Adams'
work to the screen for many years, and finally a
director had the balls to get it done. Thank you
Garth Jennings. This may be your first film, but
you have provided a well-paced, visually
magnificent film that manages to perfectly
preserve the feelings of the book. On a rather
low budget, Jennings has created a film that
looks double it's cost: the Vogon puppets look
infinitely better than CGI, the Magrathean
planet construction factory is truly out of this
world in its sheer brilliance, the designs and
atmosphere, while different than I imagined, fit
perfectly.
There was a huge debate over the casting. Too
many Americans? Ford is black? Well, I am proud
to report that every actor is stupendous. Martin
Freeman, whom I love on the British version of
"The Office," is the ideal Arthur Dent; I cannot
see anyone else playing the flabbergasted
everyman. Despite the noise over his casting,
rapper/actor Mos Def is a standout as the calm,
ultra cool Ford Prefect. Unlike so many other
rappers turned actors, Def is choosing actor's
roles, not movie star roles. He IS Ford for me
now. His dry delivery is almost Bill Murray-like
in it's genius. Zooey Deschanel brings humor and
warmth to Trillian and works his some of her
forced dialogue to make her an interesting
character. John Malkovich is hilarious as Humma
Kuvula, Zaphod's old political rival, in a role
created just for the film. Bill Nighy makes a
different, but thoroughly effective
Slartibartfast. Stephen Fry, as the voice of the
Guide is perfect and deadpan. Oh, and how can I
forget Alan Rickman, whose drawl is absolutely
perfect for Marvin. Also, keep your eyes peeled
for a wonderful Jason Schwartzman cameo as Gag
Halfrunt (fans will know him!)
The movie belongs to Sam Rockwell, though. It
has already been debated whether he's too
over-the-top or not, but it worked brilliantly
for me. He captures all of Zaphod's ridiculous
attempts to be cool. He has some moments that
had me in tears of laughter, just about dying.
Rockwell plays him as a combination of Bill
Clinton, George W. Bush and Elvis. Fans should
note that Zaphod does not have two head side by
side as he does in the book, but rather one head
under the other that pops out periodically
(let's face it: two heads side by side would
have been distracting and cheesy).
Perhaps I'm biased. After all, I went to the
theatre with my trusty towel and would have worn
a digital watch if I had one. Yes, there are
flaws and yes, some of the best lines have not
made it into the film. But by God, they have
falling whales, singing dolphins, planet
construction, alien poetry as torture, a
depressed robot, a religion about noses, etc,
etc. If every great moment and line had made it
into the movie, it would be four hours long!
So, if you fancy yourself a hoopy frood who
knows where his towel is, then head down to your
local theatre and check out "The Hitchhikers
Guide to the Galaxy." Adams would be proud.
Douglas
Adams: 1952-2001
"So Long and Thanks for All the Fish."
©
Written by Jacob Hall
Richard
Propes' Comment
I
admit it. I was wrong. "The Hitchhiker's Guide
to the Galaxy" is an unexpectedly entertaining
and often thought provoking film aided strongly
by a cast that seems to "get it," while also
never losing sight of having fun with it all.
The film enlightened me, in certain ways, with
aspects of the book I hadn't understood and
opened the door to the idea that I may have to,
after all, give the book another chance.
TC Candler's
Comment
I am
looking forward to catching the film on DVD.
