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LAist Watches: Hitchhiker's Guide
It's been a BBC radio play, a BBC television show, an Infocom video game, a hugely popular novel and a towel.
That's right, It's Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy which adds to the ever growing list of Hitchhiker's properties by opening in theaters today as a full-fledged movie.
While Douglas Adams' co-wrote the script and worked tirelessly on getting a movie version made before his death two years ago -- fans have been desperate to know if the whole she-bang would actually hold up to the glory that is Arthur Dent.
Well... LAist has some good news and some bad news.
The good news is this: If you have ever read a Douglas Adams' book and you have chuckled along with his quirky sense of humor... If you have ever memorized the words to any Monty Python song... If you have ever been endlessly entertained by people being hit in the face -- this movie is for you.
For fans of the book, who are well-versed in the world and can, generally, remember the basic plot lines of Adams' yarn -- you will love this movie. Seeing everything from The Heart of Gold to the actual Hitchhiker's Guide to Marvin the Paranoid Android will make you giddy with excitement. Watching Arthur and Ford tied up, having to deal with listening to the horrid poetry of the Vogon commander will make you squeal with laughter. Watching the Earth be destroyed to make way for an interstellar highway will, well, allow you to watch the Earth be destroyed to make way for an interstellar highway.
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For those who have never picked up a Douglas Adams-anything, there will be confusion and pure uncomprehended insanity. From Arthur stuffing a fish in his ear, to mice hell bent on brain-excavation to the three-handed, two headed Zaphox Beeblebrox... You will be lost beyond comprehension. You will watch in awe as an entire sequence recreates the movie using only string (an event that the Improbability Drive on the Heart of Gold has influenced) and wonder if you're watching Mr. Bill or a feature length film. You will walk out feeling like someone hit you on the head, from behind, and stole your wallet while in the process of doing so.
The best advice LAist can give you is this: If you are a fan of the book and you have an inkling of what the whole story is about, check out the film. If you have never read a thing, but you are a fan of Monty Python or Charlie Kaufman or any kind of obscure British humor, check out this film. If you can't wait for Monster In Law or got angry while watching Mulholland Drive -- our advice is stay away. Besides -- isn't XXX: State of the Union opening this weekend? Hell yeah!
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Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
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Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
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