The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (the book series, not the movie)

[caco_killer]

I've been reading this book series, and it's been pretty good so far. The "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" and "Life, the Universe, and Everything" have been my favorites. There's a lot of funny stuff in them, like the naked women suddenly dropping from the sky in HGG, and when Arthur gets captured by Agrajag in LUE. "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe" and "So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish" were okay. I haven't started reading "Mostly Harmless," I hope it's a good conclusion to this series.

Did anyone think the movie version of the first book was any good? I thought it a terrible adaptation of it.

[Sharessa]

caco_killer said:

Did anyone think the movie version of the first book was any good? I thought it a terrible adaptation of it.

Please note that the book was an adaptation of the radio drama, which had a rather different plot. You could then say that the book series was a terrible adaptation of the radio drama. The radio drama, book series, TV miniseries, video game, and movie were all written seperately (all at least initialy written by Adams himself) and should be judged seperately. In that case, I thought the movie was pretty good, but fell a little short in the humor department (also the love story was a bit too much).

[Technician]

The movie fell with humor and timing. With an additional twenty mins I'm sure most people would have gotten the point behind many situations. The film could have used better explanations of events.

[darknation]

best movie about men in space = Dark Star.

Red Dwarf was also greater than hitch hikers for the first five or so series.

[Epyo]

Dirk Gently > Hitchhiker's Guide

Pity Adams' career was cut short so early.

EDIT: Speaking of Douglas Adams, wikipedia had him as the featured article today.

[Sharessa]

Technician said:

The movie fell with humor and timing. With an additional twenty mins I'm sure most people would have gotten the point behind many situations. The film could have used better explanations of events.

I agree that there should have been another half hour or so of film. It was rather short and all the scenes seemed like they were going by way too fast.

[Technician]

I'm just glad they took the time and money to use robotics instead of total cgi.

[caco_killer]

Danarchy said:

Please note that the book was an adaptation of the radio drama, which had a rather different plot.

Oh, I didn't know that. That would explain why it seemed so different from the book.

[insertwackynamehere]

Anyone who likes Douglas Adams should read Daniel Pinkwater. I read Pinkwater first, and longed to find someone else like him. Then I finally got around to reading Hitchhiker's Guide and was like "oh wow finally!"

[sargebaldy]

Mostly Harmless is the worst of the series, as Douglas Adams himself admitted. He said he was pretty depressed when he wrote it, and thought it was a sad way to end the series. Which is why he wanted to write a few more books. And of course, didn't get to it. I think I liked Restaraunt at the End... best, but it's been a while since I've read them. I like Dirk Gently as well, but not as much as HHG, really. Salmon of Doubt is necessary reading though, and I'd also strongly suggest Last Chance to See.