Trillian: Marvin… you saved our lives!
Marvin: I know. Wretched, isn’t it?
After reading Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and having mixed feelings, I decided to watch the movie.
Arthur Dent’s life is falling apart, quite literally. His home demolished and the Earth vaporised mere seconds later, he hitches a ride with his friend Ford, who happens to be from an alien planet. From there he journeys on spaceships and travels to other worlds as he comes to terms with how life as he knows it will never be the same.
I think I found it easier to digest in the sense that I felt the movie didn’t go on long-winded tangents and, if they did, it was in a way which made sense.
The movie plot differs slightly from the book however, I’ve heard the books differ from the radio and TV series, so I wasn’t that surprised.
What I Liked:
The Cast.
I will say I thought the cast were great.
The character I really enjoyed from the book was Marvin and I think Alan Rickman’s voice was perfect! Helen Mirren as Deep Thought and Martin Freeman as Arthur Dent were also brilliant.
The Difference in Plot.
I understand that the books are part of a series but I liked the ending to the movie a lot more. I felt there was more of a purpose. Not much of one, but enough. I also liked that the characters from Earth (Arthur and Trillian) actually seemed to care that the Earth was destroyed, and I think the movie gave them more of a backstory which I enjoyed.
The Humour
As the book did, the movie had some funny moments, especially the one-liners.
What I Didn’t Like
Practically everything else. Yes, it has some funny moments and is good for a bit of mindless entertainment, and I understand it but there’s something which disconnects me from the story.
I don’t hate it but I don’t love it either.
Part of me wants to continue with the books, but we’ll see.
Conclusion
I’m so glad I finally read the book. I’d watched the movie years ago when it came out in the cinema but I don’t have a lot of memories of it. I’m glad I watched it again though. It helped me to understand and visualise some of the elements from the book.
I want to love the franchise, I just think I need to spend some time thinking about it to understand it fully.
