This movie spurred mixed feelings in both HGTTG fans and the uninitiated. My sons and I loved it because there were plenty of winks and nods to deep Adams fans; my wife, who only had cultural familiarity with the Adams universe, loved the movie because it was funny and well-produced and Mos Def was in it. Mos Def's _extremely_ understated performance epitomized the soft touch of the movie. There's a warmth and a fun to it that did not appeal to Adams fans with different expectations.
Of course, for another take on the Meaning of Life, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27-VCulMf0U
There were elements of the film I really didn't like because they struck me as entirely pointless, Hollywood-groupthink-type changes. (Why couldn't the Vogon ships have been bright canary yellow, like they are in the book? What graphic designer in a cubicle decided "Oh no, that would be stupid"?) On the whole, though, I thought the film was a lot of fun--not a great movie, but a good one, and filled with solid (if pleasant and genial, not gut-busting) laughs. Their landing on the Vogon homeworld, with the shovels that slap you if you ever think, was the best bit. And I agree with you about Mos Def--though I would argue that Bill Nighy's Slartibartfast is what really made the movie.
This movie spurred mixed feelings in both HGTTG fans and the uninitiated. My sons and I loved it because there were plenty of winks and nods to deep Adams fans; my wife, who only had cultural familiarity with the Adams universe, loved the movie because it was funny and well-produced and Mos Def was in it. Mos Def's _extremely_ understated performance epitomized the soft touch of the movie. There's a warmth and a fun to it that did not appeal to Adams fans with different expectations.
ReplyDeleteOf course, for another take on the Meaning of Life, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27-VCulMf0U
There were elements of the film I really didn't like because they struck me as entirely pointless, Hollywood-groupthink-type changes. (Why couldn't the Vogon ships have been bright canary yellow, like they are in the book? What graphic designer in a cubicle decided "Oh no, that would be stupid"?) On the whole, though, I thought the film was a lot of fun--not a great movie, but a good one, and filled with solid (if pleasant and genial, not gut-busting) laughs. Their landing on the Vogon homeworld, with the shovels that slap you if you ever think, was the best bit. And I agree with you about Mos Def--though I would argue that Bill Nighy's Slartibartfast is what really made the movie.
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