Planetarion Forums - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Trailer!!!

XeeThot · 16 Feb 2005, 18:36

This one is real.

Pyr0 MK III · 16 Feb 2005, 18:55

Mos Def as Ford prefect! Excellent!

roadrunner_0 · 16 Feb 2005, 19:33

sweet

Fluffie · 16 Feb 2005, 19:36

**** **** **** shit cockbite

wow

dude!

pablissimo · 16 Feb 2005, 19:42

I'm impressed, and now eagerly awaiting April.

Ste · 16 Feb 2005, 19:51

cool.
Reckon they'll have changed much from the books?
I think I need a re-read before the film comes out!

John Malkovich, Alan Rickman and Bill Bailey provide voices

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0371724/

DukePaul · 16 Feb 2005, 21:38

I *think* I read sonewhere that they mixed several books together in one movie, but I'm not certain. From the looks of that trailer, I'd say Krikit (sp?) has an important role in the movie.

Nodrog · 16 Feb 2005, 21:42

I read the first book and half the second one recently and I dont understand why people like it so much. It seems like a second-rate version of discworld (yes I know it came first). There's no integration whatsoever in the plot, the individual scenes arent particularly great, and the characters have less personality than david beckham. A couple of amusing/interesting ideas here and there, but that's about it.

Structural Integrity · 16 Feb 2005, 21:46

The black dude just doesn't seem to fit in. I saw the old BBC mini-series though. This one seems more fun.

mpr0733 · 16 Feb 2005, 21:53

It's a shame the trailer on their site reveals nothing at all, not even a few glimpses of what they have in store for us.

Structural Integrity · 16 Feb 2005, 21:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by mpr0733

It's a shame the trailer on their site reveals nothing at all, not even a few glimpses of what they have in store for us.

Better special effects atleast. The BBC series was all about tonnes of LED's and cardboard spaceships.

Dante Hicks · 16 Feb 2005, 22:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nodrog

I read the first book and half the second one recently and I dont understand why people like it so much.

I watched the TV series when I was very young (maybe 7 or 8) and then read the books when I was about 11 or 12. As such it was my first introduction to certain philosophical (or scientific) ideas. In retrospect these ideas weren't particularly amazing but they are quite clever, albeit in a slightly glib fashion. Things like a computer to work out the meaning of life was very interesting to me (as someone approaching these questions for the first time).

The dialogue is very good (although some characterisation is missing). On the characters though, they do get more interesting. Zaphod starts off basically as a jerk but then you realise he's actually pretty smart as the books go on. Arthur goes from simple cretin to a protaganist you can sympathise / empathise with. I think the only character who severely lacks anything (in any version) is Trillian, but Adams said he couldn't write for / about female characters.

Also I like(d) the way the plot seems very random but then ends up having quite a lot of important continuity and symmetry. I found it utterly ace that a couple of throw away lines in the first book (or first bit of the raido series) linked into something in the third book, despite Adams having no intention of writing the latter when doing the former.

Maybe if I read them now for the first time I'd be less impressed, although obviously it's a difficult to tell.

On topic, I'm awaiting the movie with some interest. Partially because I loved the book but also because a friend of mine has been working on some of the visual effects for the last year or so. I don't think I will be able to enjoy the film - Mos Def as Ford Prefect really seems to jar with my internal representation of the book. It'd be like having a new A-Team movie with a ginger Mr T.

Kurashima · 16 Feb 2005, 22:48

Looks interesting , but , erm , Mos Def as Ford Prefect?

COME ON!

meglamaniac · 16 Feb 2005, 23:22

Nod, a good percentage of the books is about surrealism hence the plot doesn't have to be (indeed is probably not supposed to be) consistent.

Trailer looks interesting.
I will go and see the film regardless, just to check it out. I've read the trillogy (all 5 of them) more than once and got the original radio show on tape, so I might as well see how this stacks up.

Demon Dave · 16 Feb 2005, 23:51

i'm skeptical at the least, but will probably go and see it. Going from that trailer alone, I think the BBC series (which i have on DVD

) was probably done better

Boogster · 17 Feb 2005, 02:56

It looked a bit like the book was going to be twisted into an action film; fancy explosions et al.

djbass · 17 Feb 2005, 05:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Demon Dave

i'm skeptical at the least, but will probably go and see it. Going from that trailer alone, I think the BBC series (which i have on DVD

) was probably done better

Thank god at least someone here is sane. I also own the series on DVD, and have to agree with you.

I don't understand why people never liked the series as I think the quirky cheesyness fits quite nicely with the general theme of HHGTTG.

I'm hopeful for the movie but that trailer makes it look a little too hollywood'ish. (and ffs, Ford is not black).

incidently I also still own a boxed copy of the game for C64

vampire_lestat · 17 Feb 2005, 20:29

why did they have to make ford black?
why didn't they just digitally remaster the bbc series and release that?
this is just wrong, so very very wrong. Obviously i'll watch it, but still WHY!!

MrL_JaKiri · 17 Feb 2005, 23:25

It's a very bad trailer, which is completely unindicative of how the film will be.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boogster

It looked a bit like the book was going to be twisted into an action film; fancy explosions et al.

There are a LOT of explosions in the guide you know.

Yahwe · 17 Feb 2005, 23:34

i'm very sorry to say. but it looked to me like that chap from the office. the one who can't act.
unless this is the point of that character (ie. that he is totally implausable and frankly stupid) i fail to see how it will do well.

djbass · 25 Mar 2005, 07:37

The latest trailer looks much more promising.

I think Sam Rockwell as Zaphod looks to be the only letdown, he's such a shit actor.

Chika · 25 Mar 2005, 09:16

oh how I love American movies.

MrL_JaKiri · 25 Mar 2005, 10:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ste

Reckon they'll have changed much from the books?]

Replying to this rather elderly comment, no, they haven't changed much from the books. The script is pretty much an edited version of Douglas Adams's "movie script" that he'd been working for the last god knows how many years.

SilverSmoke · 25 Mar 2005, 11:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chika

oh how I love American movies.

Bring that shit in! Uggh!
Yeah, the movement's in motion with mass militant poetry
Now check this out...uggh!
In the right light, study becomes insight
But the system that dissed us
Teaches us to read and write

So called facts are fraud
They want us to allege and pledge
And bow down to their God
Lost the culture, the culture lost
Spun our minds and through time
Ignorance has taken over
Yo, we gotta take the power back!
Bam! Here's the plan
Mother**** Uncle Sam
Step back, I know who I am
Raise up your ear, I'll drop the style and clear
It's the beats and the lyrics they fear
The rage is relentless
We need a movement with a quickness
You are the witness of change
And to counteract
We gotta take the power back

Yeah, we gotta take the power back
Come on, come on!
We gotta take the power back

The present curriculum
I put my fist in 'em
Eurocentric every last one of 'em
See right through the red, white and blue disguise
With lecture I puncture the structure of lies
Installed in our minds and attempting
To hold us back
We've got to take it back
'Cause holes in our spirit causin' tears and fears
One-sided stories for years and years and years
I'm inferior? Who's inferior?
Yea, we need to check the interior
Of the system that cares about only one culture
And that is why
We gotta take the power back

Yeah, we gotta take the power back
Come on, come on!
We gotta take the power back

Hey yo check, we're gonna have to break it, break it, break it down
Awww shit!
Uggh!
And like this...uggh!
Come on, yeah! Bring it back the other way!
The teacher stands in front of the class
But the lesson plan he can't recall
The student's eyes don't perceive the lies
Bouning off every ****ing wall
His composure is well kept
I guess he fears playing the fool
The complacent students sit and listen to some of that
Bullshit that he learned in school

Europe ain't my rope to swing on
Can't learn a thing from it
Yet we hang from it
Gotta get it, gotta get it together then
Like the mother****in' Weathermen
To expose and close the doors on those who try
To strangle and mangle the truth
'Cause the circle of hatred continues unless we react
We gotta take the power back

Yeah, we gotta take the power back
Come on, come on!
We gotta take the power back

No more lies (8 times, building to a crescendo)
Uggh!
Yeah!
Take it back Joe
Take it back, a-take it back
A-take it back Joe, come on!
Take it back Joe
Take it back, a-take it back
A-take it back Joe, come on!
Uggh!
Yeah!

Rage on, comrade

Dante Hicks · 25 Mar 2005, 11:18

I like that song.

SilverSmoke · 25 Mar 2005, 11:32

Me too.

Demon Dave · 25 Mar 2005, 13:03

didn't i hear somewhere that bill bailey was going to do the voice of the whale? if i did then

Deepflow · 25 Mar 2005, 13:32

so do i, it does however seem to be unsuited to talking about america taking something from europe when its actually talking about how american education is too eurocentric... *shrug*

Chika · 25 Mar 2005, 13:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by SilverSmoke

Bring that shit in! Uggh!
Yeah, the movement's in motion with mass militant poetry
Now check this out...uggh!
In the right light, study becomes insight
But the system that dissed us
Teaches us to read and write

So called facts are fraud
They want us to allege and pledge
And bow down to their God
Lost the culture, the culture lost
Spun our minds and through time
Ignorance has taken over
Yo, we gotta take the power back!
Bam! Here's the plan
Mother**** Uncle Sam
Step back, I know who I am
Raise up your ear, I'll drop the style and clear
It's the beats and the lyrics they fear
The rage is relentless
We need a movement with a quickness
You are the witness of change
And to counteract
We gotta take the power back

Yeah, we gotta take the power back
Come on, come on!
We gotta take the power back

The present curriculum
I put my fist in 'em
Eurocentric every last one of 'em
See right through the red, white and blue disguise
With lecture I puncture the structure of lies
Installed in our minds and attempting
To hold us back
We've got to take it back
'Cause holes in our spirit causin' tears and fears
One-sided stories for years and years and years
I'm inferior? Who's inferior?
Yea, we need to check the interior
Of the system that cares about only one culture
And that is why
We gotta take the power back

Yeah, we gotta take the power back
Come on, come on!
We gotta take the power back

Hey yo check, we're gonna have to break it, break it, break it down
Awww shit!
Uggh!
And like this...uggh!
Come on, yeah! Bring it back the other way!
The teacher stands in front of the class
But the lesson plan he can't recall
The student's eyes don't perceive the lies
Bouning off every ****ing wall
His composure is well kept
I guess he fears playing the fool
The complacent students sit and listen to some of that
Bullshit that he learned in school

Europe ain't my rope to swing on
Can't learn a thing from it
Yet we hang from it
Gotta get it, gotta get it together then
Like the mother****in' Weathermen
To expose and close the doors on those who try
To strangle and mangle the truth
'Cause the circle of hatred continues unless we react
We gotta take the power back

Yeah, we gotta take the power back
Come on, come on!
We gotta take the power back

No more lies (8 times, building to a crescendo)
Uggh!
Yeah!
Take it back Joe
Take it back, a-take it back
A-take it back Joe, come on!
Take it back Joe
Take it back, a-take it back
A-take it back Joe, come on!
Uggh!
Yeah!

Rage on, comrade

I didn't read this, I just quoted it so I can look cool.... Like you did when you pasted it.

Ste · 25 Mar 2005, 13:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by Demon Dave

didn't i hear somewhere that bill bailey was going to do the voice of the whale? if i did then

yes.
Alan Rickman and Stephen Fry are in it too.

Stew · 25 Mar 2005, 13:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by Demon Dave

didn't i hear somewhere that bill bailey was going to do the voice of the whale? if i did then

IMDB confirms this.

MrL_JaKiri · 25 Mar 2005, 14:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chika

I didn't read this, I just quoted it so I can look cool.... Like you did when you pasted it.

I wish I hadn't read this, and I can assure you that I do not expect to appear cool by quoting you.

However, don't you even entertain the possibility that someone has read (or at least heard many times) the lyrics to a song that they apparantly like? Want me to post the lyrics to some Nick Cave tracks so you can quote me and get your rather pathetic fixation on your apparant superiority appeased? I know that I haven't read the lyrics to Hallelujah or Fifteen Feet of Pure White Snow, would those do? Or would you prefer me to quote something more visceral, more "down wit da kids" as SS's post was? How about some Bad Religion? They're a rocking jive group, I hear.

A new age of reason
Brain treason to trick the mind
What good is searching
if nothing's there to find
We arrive at this place
of no return my brothers
Only to discover that our minds have led us away
so far from the painful truth
of who we are

What's right is wrong
what's come has gone
what's clear and pure is not so sure
It came to me
All promises become a lie
all that's benign corrupts in time
The fallacy
of Epiphany

Come forth bear witness
see the profit from your loss
Beg for forgiveness
only after you tally the cost
We arrive at this place
of no return my sisters
Only to discover that our values ran us aground
on the shoal in the sea of what
we could be

What's right is wrong
what's come has gone
what's clear and pure is not so sure
It came to me
All promises become a lie
all that's benign corrupts in time
The fallacy
of Epiphany

If it's real for me do I have to prove it to you
Why do revelations fade to cold blue untruths
It's oh so relative
Subservient in total to one's perspective

What's right is wrong
what's come has gone
what's clear and pure is not so sure
It came to me
All promises become a lie
all that's benign corrupts in time
The fallacy
of Epiphany

Here you are Chika! Prove your superiority over the poor fools!

xtrasyn · 25 Mar 2005, 15:27

This thread is going disturbingly off topic again.

Anyway the link provided by xee gives me some gaywad amazon commercial. I guess the problem was leeching?

Deepflow · 25 Mar 2005, 15:28

i think mark wins the bullshit competition

djbass · 25 Mar 2005, 17:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by xtrasyn

This thread is going disturbingly off topic again.

Anyway the link provided by xee gives me some gaywad amazon commercial. I guess the problem was leeching?

It was the same as trailer 2 on the apple trailers site, but not really worth watching anyway as it makes the film out to be a highly americanised pile of dribble. Trailer 3 that I posted is much better as it doesn't have as much of the whiney americans making toilet gags & slapstick humour.

djbass · 30 Apr 2005, 12:53

Apparently, no threads on this yet, but I watched it 2 days ago.

Overall, quite good, I really need to see it a second time though to fully take it in as I was a bit tired & hungry at the time and didn't have the oportunity to fully enjoy it. Part of this may have been how simular it is to the tv series for the first hour or so, so many hey I've seen this already type moments ensured.

I did enjoy the more original takes on it all though, and additionally the many cameos from various aspects including an appearance of the original Marvin robot and other character voices from the series.

It did also seem a little short, not quite covering enough material that someone who hasn't read the books before could peice everything together, but then I realise it finishes where the first book did. Hopefully this means they might make a 2,3,4 & 5 (or maybe an abridged version), and much like Star Wars you need to see the complete set to fully appreciate the movie.

pablissimo · 30 Apr 2005, 13:14

Saw it last night, felt that the Malkovic thread was perhaps unnecessary but I certainly enjoyed the film. Especially the song over the opening titles. Mos Def was great as Ford, Zaphod was casting genius and I want my own Trillian for her delicious blue eyesseseseeses.

Friends I was with who hadn't read the book said that they lost what was going on a couple of times, for instance my flatmate didn't think the Infinite Improbability Drive was explained properly. I told her to shut up.

1-X · 30 Apr 2005, 13:51

Saw it yesterday too ... as djbass said the first half seemed to follow the original a little too closely and there were already twats sitting nearby smugly reciting the book. It got better, though it was never great. It's hard to judge it objectively when the story is so ingrained in your head already.

There wasn't enough Marvin, and he looked stupid, so no-one cared when he got shot. The Malkovich thread did seem pointless/padding unless they're planning to use him more in sequels and had to introduce him. It all ended suddenly, no question, no restaurant but that was half-expected and at times, it threatened to become a romantic comedy but just about avoided it. Biggest laughs were actually slapstick, on the planet where they got smacked in the face for thinking

Dante Hicks · 30 Apr 2005, 14:10

I saw it last night at the Empire in Leicester Square. A couple of people in the audience were dressed in their dressing gowns which I thought was so cool.

But anyway, it was OK. Random unstructured comments :

- Agree with djbass - seemed too short. I half expected the movie to continue to the Restaurant at the End of Universe when it ended. I think this was the pace of the movie though, where everything was moving at break neck pace and they cut a few of the (better) book bits

- Marvin did indeed look a bit stupid, and although Rickman was a good choice he sounded a little too camp. Also, he read some of the lines rather flatly. I've heard the radio series so many times that my judgement is warped.

- The casting of Arthur, Slartibartfast, the book and Marvin (as stated) were all excellent. Mos Def didn't do as badly as I expected as Ford, but he was still a wrong choice (they had to add a line in about the accent, ffs). Zaphod could work as an American but they went too far and he sounded like a GWB. Trilian looked very good but her voice was out of place (again).

- Some of the dialogue seemed to be lost at times because of overpowered SFX.

- Enjoyed almost all of the Guide bits (although they cut some of them unnecessarily - e.g. the Babel fish bit). The visual effects for the Magrathea bit were pretty good. Having said that, Zaphod's "other" head looked worse than the BBC version.

- Agree about the Malkovic bit, although the Point of View gun was a good idea.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1-X

there were already twats sitting nearby smugly reciting the book.

I found myself doing that.

MrL_JaKiri · 30 Apr 2005, 14:25

I haven't seen this yet, but I'm worried. They seem to have cut the verbose word-play, which was by far the best bit of Adams's writing, and replaced it with... nothing.

At least watching a film expecting something poor will get better results than expecting something superb, given that most things lie somewhere in the middle.

Marilyn Manson · 30 Apr 2005, 15:31

I know absolutely nothing about Hitchhicker's Guide to the Galaxy. It's just one of those things that has passed me by.

Marilyn Manson · 30 Apr 2005, 15:43

Well, I know the basics of it all. What I mean is that I've never read any of the writing or listened to it or whatnot.

Phang · 30 Apr 2005, 15:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deepflow

i think mark wins the bullshit competition

and the good song competition!

djbass · 30 Apr 2005, 16:13

*WARNING, POTENTIAL SPOILERS*

Well, I'll list things I thought were pros & cons:

Cons:

Opening dolphin song dragged on a little too long I reckon, also I now understand the 'monty python' reference in some reviews.
The beer thing at the bulldozing scene, while funny I rather liked the original plot line.
Same scene as above, didn't like the simplfied story of the notice for demolition of Arthur's house.
Vogon guards, anyone else think they were a little childish in nature? Just because they have the intelligence of a three year old doesn't mean they have to sound like one.
Not enough weirdness from the infinite improbability drive, they also needed to explain better its creation.
Marvin should have had more dialogue.
That whole Trillian love interest, kidnapping diversion thing.
Vogon planet, see above, didn't really contribute anything to the storyline.
Deep Thought scene was explained better in TV series.

Pros:

Ford greeting the car.
Vogon captain.
The animation for infinite improbability drive.
Ford & Arthur as sofas.
The friendly doors.
Rather familier ships computer voice.
Rehash of original theme tune & title.
Cameo of original Marvin robot.
Margrethea planet message.
Whale scene.
Cameo of Ayers Rock (only because it is a local landmark, overseas people wouldn't understand)

MAdnRisKy · 30 Apr 2005, 16:16

I was more than slightly impressed...

Demon Dave · 30 Apr 2005, 16:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phang

and the good song competition!

wrong thread

I went to see it today and i feel i have to agree with most of the things djbass has said. although i liked the dolphin song. Also, Bill Nighy as Slartibartfast was casting genious!