Don't Panic

[kingandy]

Just been to see the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Without spoiling anything, I think I can say that it is everything I hoped it would be, right down to a couple of throwaway lines that made me very happy indeed.  "Purists" may be annoyed at certain alterations - events were relocated, motivations were tucked, certain details were embellished or left out entirely - but most of the revisions are entirely natural and indeed necessary mutations in order to get the beast to work in a 110-minute chunk.  A lot of the original story was, as it were, made up as Adams went along; coming to the first chapter with a lot of the ideas he had later on meant he was able to make the whole thing flow a lot more smoothly.  And anyway, to those purists I would ask whether they are being pure to the book, the radio play or the TV series.

I was slightly sad that the movie didn't open to the familiar strains of the Journey of the Sorcerer^[1], but the opening sequence was both fantastic and hilarious, and very much set the tone for the rest of the movie.  Watch for a number of cameos from the old series, including the original Arthur and Marvin (or a very good facsimile).

Also:  Best.  Hyperdrive.  Ever.

[1] Yes, I had to look it up.

Comments

[paulgregory.livejournal.com]

Given that the original was 4x30min chunks, I'm still wary of some of the reported truncations to essential dialogue. (By essential I mean consisting of the essense of the joke rather than being essential to the plot.)

I am glad to hear that what has been put in in place is entertaining. Which was of course the main point of the original.