First, my relationship to the source material; loved the books, liked the BBC series with it's flaws, and never heard the original tapes. I've been waiting for this film since 1990, so I'm sure that I would never be completely happy with any result. But I had hope for this movie because of something Hammer and Tongs said, they felt that the reason why the books were so popular were because everyone believes that they 'get it' better than anyone else. So true, sadly not everyone gets everything the same way.
That being said, and acknowledging that Douglas Adams had a hand in most of the major script changes, I have to admit that I enjoyed the parts much more than the sum of it's whole.
If you are not familiar with the HHGG Universe, I wouldn't recommend this to be your inaugural visit. It's too compressed and kinetic (Garth Jennings did just leave the video venue) to soak in the storyline. It has it's merits, and I'll discuss them by act.
The Opening: The one consistency between all of the H2G2 scripts is how Arthur woke up one morning to find out from Ford Prefect that the world was about to end, so you better drink your three pints in a hurry. Well done, classic, and the transition to the Vogon ship was nearly perfect.
When they made it to the Heart of Gold is when I felt the American influence was a little too strong. I've never seen Sam Rockwell be less than excellent until now; not that he was bad, but his performance seemed a little forced. Zooey was good as Trillian, although I always pictured her to be a little colder. Marvin...well, Alan Rickman's voice was more than adequate, but I never could see the robot model as Marvin.
The Humma Kavula/Vogon Planet: To me, this is where the movie lost me for a while. Bits and pieces of the almost always inconsistent 'trilogy' were fit in for the fans, but the flow of the story went somewhere I couldn't fathom. Complicating it was that while I know Adams approved the Trillian/Dent relationship; it didn't feel right.
Third Act, Slartibartfast and the mice: Okay, back to 'normal.' Things took a big change but oddly enough, except for the ending with Trillian and Arthur, the story culminated reasonably well (if you include So Long and Thanks for All The Fish). Thankfully they never mentioned the Planet Kricket.
Overall: The directors clearly loved the books, and they brought individual pieces together in a respectable, if not brilliant, homage. The Voice and Graphics of the Guide were perfect, as was Martin Freeman as Arthur. Mos Def as Ford and Zooey Deschanel as Trillian worked better than I thought they would, Rockwell as Zaphod worked worse (which surprised me).
For a fan of the books, see the movie, you won't be laughing like you do at the text, but you will smile in acknowledgment that the filmmakers laughed as hard as you did. If you haven't, I would recommend saving your money until the DVD.
7/10
That being said, and acknowledging that Douglas Adams had a hand in most of the major script changes, I have to admit that I enjoyed the parts much more than the sum of it's whole.
If you are not familiar with the HHGG Universe, I wouldn't recommend this to be your inaugural visit. It's too compressed and kinetic (Garth Jennings did just leave the video venue) to soak in the storyline. It has it's merits, and I'll discuss them by act.
The Opening: The one consistency between all of the H2G2 scripts is how Arthur woke up one morning to find out from Ford Prefect that the world was about to end, so you better drink your three pints in a hurry. Well done, classic, and the transition to the Vogon ship was nearly perfect.
When they made it to the Heart of Gold is when I felt the American influence was a little too strong. I've never seen Sam Rockwell be less than excellent until now; not that he was bad, but his performance seemed a little forced. Zooey was good as Trillian, although I always pictured her to be a little colder. Marvin...well, Alan Rickman's voice was more than adequate, but I never could see the robot model as Marvin.
The Humma Kavula/Vogon Planet: To me, this is where the movie lost me for a while. Bits and pieces of the almost always inconsistent 'trilogy' were fit in for the fans, but the flow of the story went somewhere I couldn't fathom. Complicating it was that while I know Adams approved the Trillian/Dent relationship; it didn't feel right.
Third Act, Slartibartfast and the mice: Okay, back to 'normal.' Things took a big change but oddly enough, except for the ending with Trillian and Arthur, the story culminated reasonably well (if you include So Long and Thanks for All The Fish). Thankfully they never mentioned the Planet Kricket.
Overall: The directors clearly loved the books, and they brought individual pieces together in a respectable, if not brilliant, homage. The Voice and Graphics of the Guide were perfect, as was Martin Freeman as Arthur. Mos Def as Ford and Zooey Deschanel as Trillian worked better than I thought they would, Rockwell as Zaphod worked worse (which surprised me).
For a fan of the books, see the movie, you won't be laughing like you do at the text, but you will smile in acknowledgment that the filmmakers laughed as hard as you did. If you haven't, I would recommend saving your money until the DVD.
7/10