Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Hello Ashreiy
Friday, May 20, 2005
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
I just saw the movie adapted from one of the most remarkable books to have come from the publishing houses of Ursa Major (or is it Minor?). Anyway, there are two views one can take. Look at the movie as one would look at any movie, and one would be disappointed. Look at it as a fan of the books would, and one would be in a quandary as to what to say exactly. I belong to the second category... so let me try to organize my thoughts...
The movie, on the whole, stays pretty true to the spirit of the book. In this respect, I guess the makers have done a decent job. Though I would personally disagree on some details as to the depiction of various characters in the movie, I think that it was a pretty faithful adaptation. Yes, even though the movie departs from the books, I think they maintained the irreverence to life through parody which is, I think, the basic nature of Adams' work.
However, the main problem is that the books are not really well-suited to be made into movies. They are a great read, and the biggest appeal these books have is the way they were written. While this style may be extremely effective in books, and even radio shows, it is just not suited for the big screen, and trying to do an adaptation would be a huge risk. Though I did enjoy the movie as a Guide fan, I must say that I wouldn't have sat through more than 20 minutes at the most if I hadn't already read the book. A lot of references made in the movie are left unexplained - hence becoming unintelligible to those who are not already familiar with what I would call the Guide-lore (unimaginative, yes). I was watching the movie with a friend and he was like, "Dude, what the hell's happening? And why are you laughing?" at many places in the movie.
Overall, I would give it a 7 on 10, but then, I could understand the movie. For those that haven't read the book, and haven't seen the movie, I would say: Take the book anytime; it is a much more enjoyable ride...
PS: That wasn't really even a decent job of "trying to organize my thoughts", was it?
The movie, on the whole, stays pretty true to the spirit of the book. In this respect, I guess the makers have done a decent job. Though I would personally disagree on some details as to the depiction of various characters in the movie, I think that it was a pretty faithful adaptation. Yes, even though the movie departs from the books, I think they maintained the irreverence to life through parody which is, I think, the basic nature of Adams' work.
However, the main problem is that the books are not really well-suited to be made into movies. They are a great read, and the biggest appeal these books have is the way they were written. While this style may be extremely effective in books, and even radio shows, it is just not suited for the big screen, and trying to do an adaptation would be a huge risk. Though I did enjoy the movie as a Guide fan, I must say that I wouldn't have sat through more than 20 minutes at the most if I hadn't already read the book. A lot of references made in the movie are left unexplained - hence becoming unintelligible to those who are not already familiar with what I would call the Guide-lore (unimaginative, yes). I was watching the movie with a friend and he was like, "Dude, what the hell's happening? And why are you laughing?" at many places in the movie.
Overall, I would give it a 7 on 10, but then, I could understand the movie. For those that haven't read the book, and haven't seen the movie, I would say: Take the book anytime; it is a much more enjoyable ride...
PS: That wasn't really even a decent job of "trying to organize my thoughts", was it?
