Blindspot 2018 review: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005)

Plot: Mere seconds before the Earth is to be demolished by an alien construction crew, journeyman Arthur Dent is swept off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher penning a new edition of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.”

We have imagined life on other planets and within the universe numerous times and with varying success, yet none more so unique than the book written by Douglas Adams.

I read the book before venturing into the movie, and I will have (hopefully) posted the book review before you see this post (Okay no you will have to wait). This series is far out of my comfort zone, and it was with great skepticism that I ventured into both.

So, I hope all the big fans will forgive me, but I think the more wine you have in your body, the better this movie. It is okay, especially if you consider the oddness of the material and how hard had to have been to create a film the fans would enjoy and make it intelligible to people who hasn’t read the book. I had both these types in my watching committee, and they all claim to have enjoyed the film the first time around.

Martin Freeman plays the role of Arthur Dent, the man who survives the destruction of earth by moving onto a spaceship managed by the bureaucratic Vogons with the help of his alien (unbeknownst for the duration of their friendship) friend Ford Prefect (Mos Def). They are booted off the ship almost immediately, and saved by Zaphod Beeblebrox (Sam Rockwell), who is accompanied by none other than the human girl who slighted Arthur at a party. Trillian (Zoey Deschanel) has no clue Earth has been destroyed and is quite surprised at finding Arthur on her new lover’s ship.

Even after reading the first book, I should have probably finished the series before watching the movie. There’s a lot that happens in the film that doesn’t happen in the book. I watched with people who had read the entire series and they could confirm these things were in the books, so I guess I should read all of those books at some stage.

I enjoyed Martin Freeman in his role of Arthur. Freeman has a knack of playing a slightly washed out character and making him interesting, and the main character of this series is certainly that. I also thought Sam Rockwell was pretty perfect to be Zaphod, the hapless and possibly dangerous to his own safety President of the galaxy. The depiction of Zaphod’s second head was rather disgusting and very well done – my imagination would never have come up with that on its own. Deschanel does her typical bug eyed look in the film and is as adorably quirky as the persona she has created for herself in all her roles.

The best decision however was to cast Alan Rickman as the voice of Marvin, the robot with human emotions who is eternally depressed. No other voice could have been better suited to the robot than his truly, and I wish I could have had a robot like that in my life.

I don’t have too much more to say about this film – it is a weird fandom film that fans will enjoy and not too bad if you are a semi-enthusiastic watched. But like I said – the more wine the better the quality.

Rating: 6.5/10

July 26, 2018 by Natasha Categories: 2018, Blindspot, Movies, movies, Review, UncategorizedTags: Alan Rickman, Arthur Dent, Douglas Adams, Ford Prefect, Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy, Martin Freeman, Marvin, Mos Def, Movies, Reviews, Sam Rockwell, Zoey Deschanel 9 Comments

Movie Review: 500 Days of Summer (2009)

500 Days of Summer jumps between the 500 day span of the two leading characters, Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Summer (Zoey Deschanel).

Tom Hansen meets Summer Finn at work when she is introduced as his boss’s assistant. Tom, although qualified as an architect, works for a greeting card company. After a karaoke night, McKenzie (Geoffrey Arend), Tom’s drunk co-worker and supposed to be friend tells Summer that Tom likes her. Even though she makes it clear she doesn’t believe in labelling relationships and don’t want anything serious, Tom, who is very serious about relationships, starts dating her.

Tom and Summer eventually break up. Summer leaves the company and Tom deteriorates. Later Tom attends a colleagues wedding and Summer is also there. They dance together and she falls asleep on Tom’s shoulder on their way back. She invites him to a party she’s having and he decides to attend. What he thinks will happen at the party and what actually does is vastly different. Instead of reconciliation, Tom sees Summer’s engagement ring.

Tom is deeply depressed again. After a few days of only leaving the apartment to get more alcohol and food, Tom arrives at work and quits. He becomes dedicated to being an architect again and starts going on interviews.

Tom finds Summer at his favorite spot and he questions her decisions. She tells him that she found out that she believes in love and relationships but that he wasn’t the right man for her. She tells him she is happy he is doing well and he tells her that he really hopes she stays happy.

A few days later, Tom meets a beautiful woman applying for the same position as he. They start talking and it is obvious that they share common interests. Tom asks her on a coffee date and she agrees, and she tells him her name is Autumn. The movie ends with an animation of number one, showing that a new relationship is starting.

Rating: 6.5/10

The movie was progressing fine, a bit depressing, but well shot and original. Then they named his next girl Autumn and started it at day one and I was like you have got to be shitting me. Hasn’t this poor man had enough trouble with SEASONS? No, let’s just give him more grief.

I understand that I am perhaps the only person on the planet that didn’t like the movie. It grossed 27 times its original budget, so it is obviously popular stuff.

So I thought why I didn’t like it and these are my best reasons:

• I classified it in the wrong genre – I thought perhaps it might be a romantic comedy or a romantic movie but alas now, it is a comedy-drama (dramedy?). So I went in expecting something and got something entirely different, so my utter confusion is perhaps understandable. Also, I watched Sleeping Beauty before it so the difference is VAST and WIDE.
• Mark Waters produced * it. I did not know this little fact before the movie, but now it is all clear. He also directed the massive failure of a movie of one of my favorite series, Vampire Academy. PS: He also directed Mean Girls and Friday. Mean Girls is probably his best work because Freaky Friday was INCREDIBLY freaky.
• It is utterly depressing. I might have had more of a positive feeling at the end if they didn’t put that (1) in where Autumn enters. Cue massive disappointment.

I really like Joseph Gordon-Levitt and have always felt that he is under appreciated in Hollywood. I mean, the guy is awesome. I truly felt sorry for him as Tom because he was really into Summer. I thought Summer was a selfish girl but honest about it, so it wasn’t really appropriate to dislike her. Chloë Grace Moretz also finally had a role where I didn’t want to slap her as Tom’s sister.

What did you think? Did you like it?

*The original post said Mark Waters directed it. I stand corrected 🙂

March 12, 2014March 12, 2014 by Natasha Categories: Movies, ReviewsTags: 500 Days of Summer, Chloe Grace Moretz, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Movies, Reviews, Summer Finn, Tom Hansen, Zoey Deschanel 14 Comments