ZayZayEM - kickin' moron ass since 2002: Towels are handy: I can't feel my lips

Last night I went out with some of the girls (and one of the few guys) from my uni course. We went and saw Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, which was thoroughly enjoyable, because while I sort of knew key plot points, I didn't actually read the book so couldn't be disapointed that Mos Def was in it and whatever else is irking mega-BBC-geeks out there.

Just because its not faithful to the original incarnation does not make it crap. Just as being faithful to the original won't make it great.

The movie was actually quite good, and because it wasn't totally philosophical it isn't go to spawn of stupid cults lik Star Wars and The Matrix (and I'm starting to suspect LOTR too). Too bad the radio serial didn't manage that.

The line from the newspaper (which I presume is sort of official and be bandied about everywhere) is probably the least likely way to explain the movie, it also gives it only 2.5 stars... it is at least a good ol' Ron's 3.5:

"Earthman Arthur Dent finds himself suddenly finds himself hitching a ride on a passing spaceship when he is told the Earth is about to be destroyed to make way for a hyperspace byway. He soon learns everything he needs to know can be found in the book: The Hitchhiker's guide to the Galaxy."

I don't mind the first sentance, a bit long, a bit bulky, but generally gives the correct idea. But the second notion ("everything he needs to know can be found in THGTG") isn't even explored in the film. Maybe a bit in the credits (I caught at least one of these, and so did the others because I was getting out of my seat until I saw at least one - THGTG excerpts were also nicely animated and Stephen Fry does a good VO). I would've gone for something like:

"Englishman Arthur Dent is having a bad day, first his house is ordered to be demolished for a motorway bypass, his best friend reveals he's an alien and that the entire planet is to be demolished, and to top it off he found the girl of his dreams last week, but lost her soon after. After sneaking aboard a passing vessel filled with the most repulsive species known in the galaxy, things can only get better. Dent along with his best friend Ford, Questulor Rontok, the half(and another half)witted president of the Galaxy, Marvin the Paranoid* Android, and Trillian the girl of his dreams set out to discover the answer (and maybe the question) about Life, the Universe and Everything."
*he seemed more melancholy or overbearingly depressed than paranoid...

And I'd give it 4 stars. So go out and see this movie.

It is quite a lot better than National Treasure which I saw earlier that day. It only served to reinforce my feeling that American Nationalism is a moronic tool of propoganda generated by neo-Nazis and stonecutters (who in the good ol' days were one and the same).

Also don't eat an entire Maxi (medium) popcorn anymore.
I swear even the small (MIDI/mighty) is bigger than larges used to be.
I still can't feel my lips properly because of the damage all that salt caused (I was very hungry because I spent half the day fasting for a blood test).

PS - Another movie better than National Treasure -- Martian Eclipse