Deans HitchHikers Guide to the Galaxy Movie Review

 Firstly, let me say how great the books are, realy cynical and not afraid to make itself absurd or take itself seriously at all. It is a comic novel. So when the film misses the greatest dialogue pieces...it makes me sad, Adams admitted how he wasn't a great fan of a constant narrative, so the story followed on from the varied ideas of his own mind. The screenplay writers (not Adams by the way, original screenplay was but several people took different parts of it) could not fill the movie with all of the book obviously, but it cuts out the smart, sarcastic genius from the book. Letting the problems with the screenplay go and focusing on the acting now, and I have to say, Martin Freeman is going to be the next Simon Pegg. IF, he is allowed the oppertunitys.

Mos Def played Ford Prefect well here, but, as Hakeem pointed out in his great review, no one will know about the towels fully unless you have read the books, a large and not so secret in joke. Sam Rockwell as Zaphod...BIG PROBLEM. NOt so far as hsi acting which was a little "eh" but he only had ONE head. Very annoying, for the Zaphod character has TWO heads. Count them you damn filmmakers. TWO. The reason he is so "eh" is just because he played himself too cheery, maybe it's me remembering the sarcastic, almost drugged up (he wasn't but seemed to be) prick he was in book form, but well then again, if you haven't then you may like him. Too often the film relies on him though, which grated on me after a short while.

Zooey Dashanel as Trilian was, quite frankly, crap. I hated the lines she was given, and I hated the way she gave them, it just wasn't Trilian enough. Slartibartfast was as he should be, old and rarely heard, but a bit more of the guy wouldn't have gone amiss. Now for Marvin...good design, fair lines, bad voice, bad bad bad bad bad, just bad. Nothing good about it, it was Rickman for christs sake, where's the voice that I wanted? Who was that, well I don't know his name but if you are a fan of British scifi comedy Red Dwarf...the toaster voice, he was so suibtable for it (anyone wondering what I'm talking about is urged to find a clip of the talking toaster online).

The guide itself is well represented, but is used too often and contains too many references to the book for none fans and fans alike. Though at least Stephen Frys voice is right for the job. The animation done was great for me, it gave off the Dr. Who feeling which was greatly appreciated, but sometime in the film it seems like they couldn't be bothered and clumped together random aliens. Bad show sir. It is a decent film, but after waiting for just under 15 years for this, I feel like I've been screwed out of a good movie. Quote me on this: "They should have made it a trilogy dammit". Again 6/10.

Review by Dean Valent
http://www.game-reviews.ca