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Let's be very
clear about this: if the Studio charm offensive is to be believed then
this is everything that Douglas wanted for twenty years. The new
material in the story was written by him. The people who made the
movie are all fans of DA's work and, at first, felt nervous about
making the movie precisely because they thought they could never do it
justice. Doubters should pick up the 2 disc DVD Special and spend some
time going through the Audio Commentaries and "Making of" Documentary
(this lasts over an hour and is on the second disc).
Sure, you can
pick holes in the character of Marvin, or the shape of the 'Heart of
Gold' spaceship but these are minor points. There was a lot of very
clever creative input into this movie over and above the central story
by Douglas. Although the money came from the Hollywood Studios the
extent of their 'interference' appears to have been to ensure that an
awful lot of eccentric English wackiness was injected into the making
of the film. Hence you have the likes of the League of Gentlemen
supplying voices for Vogons (created by the Jim Henson Creature
Workshop). What a combination! Brilliant. Nothing short of genius. Like
such cult movies as Terry Gilliam's "Brazil" or Ridley Scott's
"Bladerunner" this movie will never be truly appreciated in its own
time. It will just get better with age.
There is clear
linearage here back to Monty Python. The U.S. audiences loved Monty
Python and knew better than to try and mess with that sort of genius.
However wacky the books and the five minute sketches where; they don't
always make big-budget movies hence proper screenplays have to be
written. Lot of people have to get involved who know how to make
something look good on screen. The 'Heart of Gold' doesn't look like a
Tennis Shoe because time has moved on since that line was written and
the film makers found it simply wouldn't be funny any more. It just
looked stupid. So all the insanely irreverent stuff (that seemed so
bewildering the first time around) all kind of gels together properly
after the third run. You have to get under the skin of this movie.
When you do you will see that it is probably a genuine source of 'new'
Douglas Adams material. If you like, it is the sixth book of his five
book trilogy!
There is a big thumbs up for the casting and performance of Martin
Freeman (Shaun of the Dead, Love Actually, The Office) as
Arthur Dent. Who would have thought anyone could replace Simon Jones
(who has a brief cameo in the movie)? Martin's character is new and,
yes, different from Simon's performance. However, this is intentional
and the makers didn't want to copy any previous interpretations.
More big
approval should also be paid to John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell.
although Zaphod is annoying... Well, he is MEANT to be annoying! There
is also great casting in a whole host of UK talent in the voicing of
so many of the weird and wonderful Aliens, Computers and other
creatures that inhabit this world. Stephen Fry is the Book, Bill
Bailey as the Whale, Helen Mirren as Deep Thought and Alan Rickman as
Marvin. Who could forget Bill Nighy (Love Actually, The Constant
Gardener) as an actor who has made the role of Slartibartfast his
own? Unforgettable.
Before this
movie I had never heard of either Mos Def or Zooey Deschanel. I am not
sure too much about the former but the latter was gorgeous and we hope
to see more of her.... Maybe in the sequel. There was much hope and
talk on the DVD of possible sequels. Douglas certainly turned out
enough material and THIS does deserve to be a franchise like The Lord
of the Rings or Harry Potter. However, any such follow-up better be as
good as the first! My fear is that, as Douglas's original work
dwindles into history that it will become less HIS and more THEIR's.
If that happens then the criticisms of a few die-hard fans for the
first Movie will be borne out in the second. |
