The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Having read the book of the same name by Douglas Adams, I was curious about the film of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. My flatmate has said that the film doesn't match up to the book at all and I would agree with this. My last post was about The Da Vinci Code and I talk about how difficult it is to adapt a book into a film that genuinely matches up. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is another example of this.

It’s definitely not a bad film though. The book is very funny and keeps you captivated page by page. I think the focus with the film was to produce a visualisation of everything for the audience. In this respect the film does very well. I particularly liked Alan Rickman as Marvin the depressed robot. Alan Rickman has a voice that particularly lends itself towards the slightly depressed character. His manner in playing the character is absolutely spectacular and is completely how I imagined the character when reading the book.

Also, for me, Martin Freeman is perfectly cast in the role of Arthur Dent. It might just have been the fact that I knew it was Freeman who plays Dent when reading the book, but I could imagine him being completely comfortable as Arthur. His unique manner of acting lends him very favourably to this character. Martin Freeman has a way of delivering comedic lines which many people find entertaining and it is displayed very clearly in this film.

The other cast is very good too. I enjoyed Zooey Deschanel as Trillian. It’s is quite hard to tell the difference between an actor’s unique manner and them playing the same character in a lot of films. I thought there was nothing about Zooey Deschanel’s character that marked the performance out from anything else she’s done. I did like Mos Def as Ford, and there was a brilliant eccentricity about him in this film that perfectly captured the essence of Ford. I’m not sure what I made of Sam Rockwell as Zaphod though. It might just be because he played the character differently to how I imagined him, but I wasn’t convinced. He managed the zany character very well, but there was nothing that screamed ‘President of the Galaxy’ to me.

For me, it is the small parts that very successful actors and actresses have in this film that marks out how successful the book was. With Bill Nighy, Warwick Davis, Helen Mirren, Stephen Fry and John Malkovich all playing a role in the film it was obviously a big enough project to attract the big names. However, it was lacking something for me. While graphics are impressive for 2005 I felt a bit disappointed that the film added an extra scene at the end which wasn’t included in the book. I never like it when a film does this because the intention of the film is to adapt the book and by adding an extra scene at the end interprets the book in a way that the author may not have intended. It can also completely change the impact of the film. It is a shame that The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy does this, but ultimately I can get over it.

It’s never easy to adapt a book into a film, and especially with a science-fiction book there will always be people who don’t like it for one reason or another. Personally, although there’s no real problems with the acting or anything like that, I just don’t like that an extra scene was added. It doesn’t live up to the book at all and so I would read the book before you think about seeing the film. In all honesty, having read the book, I would avoid the film. 

Shaun of the Dead

As British comedy films go, it doesn't get much better than Shaun of the Dead, the first in the ‘ice cream and blood’ trilogy from Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright. It is a typical zombie movie, where the hero (Shaun, played by Pegg) and his friends (including Nick Frost) are some of the only survivors when a mysterious zombie plague affects most of the city. Naturally they have to find a way to survive and in doing so, entertains the audience in a number of ways.

With jokes and lines running throughout Shaun of the Dead it is still funny after a few watches. It got to a point where each time I watched it, I picked up on something new. However, now I can practically recite it so I think the novelty has worn off. It is fantastically written and each actor/actress delivers their part with a perfect level of comedy.

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost really broke through with this film (I think). At the very least this was the first point that I became aware of them. As a partnership they are fantastic and bounce off each other exceptionally well. The best part of their friendship on screen is that you can tell how close they are off screen. In the three major films that they have starred in together (the other two being Hot Fuzz and Paul), they are best friends as well, and for me it is this friendship that brings the whole film together. Both actors deliver an immensely comedic performance in Shaun of the Dead and they both manage to portray the best friendship perfectly, with all its little idiosyncrasies and quirks. Most of all they are believable as best friends (largely because they are I reckon).

The supporting cast is also very entertaining and there are a number of stars in the cast. Bill Nighy is every bit as deadpan as ever in his role as Shaun’s ‘father’ and works very well with Penelope Wilton. One of my favourite scenes of the whole movie is where Shaun is talking to his mother about the difficult relationship he had with Phillip as a child, and both Pegg and Wilton deliver perfect comedic timing in this scene, which makes it quite amusing (to me at least). Peter Serafinowicz appears as Pete, the flatmate of Shaun and Ed, and despite his role being relatively small, he does very well.

Kate Ashfield plays Shaun’s long-suffering girlfriend Liz, and works wonderfully with Simon Pegg to convey the difficulties of their relationship. She also works brilliantly with Lucy Davis and Dylan Moran to create a little friendship group. It’s just occurred to me that one of the main reasons why Shaun of the Dead is a very enjoyable film is because the characters are relatively relatable. Shaun is stuck in a job that he hates and his life has grown stale. His girlfriend hates this and decides to change things by leaving him. Throw in a zombie epidemic and the whole thing becomes much more entertaining. Dylan Moran works perfectly and delivers such a unique performance that he became one of my favourite comedic actors. I loved Black Books and find him so funny in every role he’s in. In Shaun of the Dead his dry and sarcastic attitude makes him one of the funnier characters of the film.

Overall I think Shaun of the Dead is a unique idea. Obviously the zombie genre is not unique or original, but Shaun of the Dead takes a typical zombie film and reshapes it to the style of Pegg and Wright. This works perfectly, and with a fantastic cast who link very well together the whole film becomes very entertaining and immensely engaging. I love watching Shaun of the Dead and it makes me laugh every time I do so. The success of Shaun of the Dead has resulted in two ‘sequels’ being made, with Hot Fuzz being equally successful and The World’s End which has just been released.

If you haven’t seen Shaun of the Dead yet then you really must see it as soon as possible. It is an exceptionally funny film and will be guaranteed to entertain you in one way or another. It’s an original British comedy film with a very amusing cast which shines in this film.

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Paul - http://mattsthoughtsonmovies.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/paul.html

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

The second Pirates of the Caribbean movie was definitely not as good as the first. Dead Man’s Chest was born of the incredible and unprecedented success of the first film. I thought it was a good film, but it was a lot more transparent as an attempt to bleed more money from a successful film. The plot was good, and I really enjoyed it, but it didn't live up to the expectations set by the first film.

The plot sees Captain Jack Sparrow attempt to track down the heart of the legendary Davy Jones, stab it, and become the captain of the Flying Dutchman, sailing the seven seas forever. It is the first part of a two-part series, and nicely introduces a couple of legends of the pirate mythology. Jack’s quest naturally puts him in a number of hilarious situations, such as being lauded as a God by natives of an island. Johnny Depp returns with his brilliant, funny and unique style to the role of Captain Jack Sparrow, who has lost none of his wit and eccentricity. Orlando Bloom also returns, but this time, Will Turner is a much stronger and less ‘whiny’ character, and has much more of a key role to play than in the original film.

Keira Knightley, who I didn't talk about in the first Pirates of the Caribbean post, plays a very similar character in both films. She is confident, headstrong, defiant and immensely strong willed, and this is a marvellous way to present a character who stereotypically would be some helpless maiden at sea with pirates. She is very clever and immensely divisive, as shown by her acceptance of Norrington’s marriage proposal in the first film, by her sacrificing of Jack to the Kraken, and by her role as Pirate King in the third movie. Still there is a much more sentimental side to her and she is a very different character when she is around Will. From the start of the franchise it is obvious that she is in love with him, and the way that they are torn apart at the start of this film is quite sad. Not as tragic as the way they are torn apart at the end of the third film though.

I thought that the plot around the rising power of Cutler Beckett was a nice backdrop to these films, and definitely added a sense of ‘background’ to the ‘one-off world’ feel that we got with the first movie. Beckett is a reprehensible character, but the audience’s attitude towards him is another example of the marvellous manner in which the director makes the audience like the bad guy. Throughout the franchise I was always rooting for the pirates, and so the way the films are presented to the audience are very good. I’m not sure if all the points I’m making here can be extended to On Stranger Tides because I haven’t seen it, and so I’m not going to consider that particular (disappointing) instalment in this series of reviews, but I plan to watch it at some point.

In Dead Man’s Chest we are introduced to Davy Jones, who is exceptionally portrayed by Bill Nighy. Nighy is one of the most recognisable British actors going at the moment, and is one of my favourites. As ever, he doesn't disappoint in this role, and the way he is presented by the visual effects team is incredible. To have him and his crew slowly developing into a part of the ocean is such an original idea, and makes the crew of the Flying Dutchman all the more scary. He is a fierce and powerful character, and Bill Nighy does such a good job in this role that I found myself looking forward to more instances of him on the screen, much like Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight. In the third film we are presented with more of his history, but in the second film he is a continuous threat, and there is a sense that he is always hanging on the shoulder of Jack and his quest. The resources he has available to him are also quite imposing. His ship is faster than the others, and can even sail under the sea. When the ship emerges from the sea it is quite threatening, and serves to strike fear into the hearts of the crews that he captures. The scariest thing about Davy Jones is his control of the Kraken. The Kraken is another masterpiece of visual effects, and the film crew has produced a terrifying beast with this particular monster.

Overall, Dead Man’s Chest is a good film, but does not live up to the lofty standards of the first film. It is enjoyable though, and seems to be a continual series of events leading to the climax. It’s one of those films that keeps you entertained and I never checked my watch to see how long was left. If you have seen the first movie, then watching the second one is not a bad idea. However, if you are planning to get into the franchise, Dead Man’s Chest is not the one to start with. The twist at the end for starters is only understandable if you have seen the first film.