NationStates Jolt Archive

I want to get into Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy before I see the (probably inferior) film. Having wondered into my local Waterstones however I was confronted with a huge amount of Hitchhikers stuff. So I need your advice. Should I get:

1) The audio CD of the orginal radio show
2) The book series
3) The DVDs of the orginal TV show
4) The audio CD of the book
5) The film based books

Help me!

Get the origional book series, avliable in a handy compilation entitled "A hitchhiker's guide to the universe"

42.

Read the books.

Well, if your not much of a reader, then get the Audio CD of the book, otherwise get the book series.

Don't waste your money on books based on the movie!

I've heard good things about the radio show, but I've never heard it. I didn't even know there had been a TV show. You should probably wait on getting those until you've read the book, that way if you don't much care for it, you won't be mad that you wasted your money.

Great books by the way! :)

get the original radio show - its brilliantly done and fairly true to the book

get the original radio show - its brilliantly done and fairly true to the book


???

The radio show came first and spawned the book, not the other way 'round.

Orignal poster: #1 -- the most detailed and interesting of the options. The TV show was comparatively shoddy.

???

The radio show came first and spawned the book, not the other way 'round.

Orignal poster: #1 -- the most detailed and interesting of the options. The TV show was comparatively shoddy.
eh, thats not true is it? or are there 2 radio shows?
i'm talking about the BBC one from the 70s


edit: oh in that case i mean #4 (and i gotta hear #1... i never knew about that :eek: )

Yeah, this is an odd example of where the radio show came first, then the book. Of course, Douglas Adams had also worked on Dr. Who. I don't know if that makes things make more sense or less sense.

Wait, no. Dr. Who never makes anything make more sense.

On top of all the original readio script/book/TV/audio of book confusion, the BBC recently broadcast a whole new H2G2 series. I'm waiting for that on CD when it comes out.

Original radio series first.
Then read the books.
Then avoid the TV shows like the plague.
Then go see the movie.

On top of all the original readio script/book/TV/audio of book confusion, the BBC recently broadcast a whole new H2G2 series. I'm waiting for that on CD when it comes out.

That was essentially the third (I think) series of the radio show.

You see it started with the radio show, became books (with sutble alterations because of the change of medium and because... well, just because) which eventually extended beyond the original radio show scripts and also spawned the TV mini-series (which is where I got my first experiences, and I've not felt myself harmed or unable to appreciate the original radio serieses because of that) that involved yet more changes (again due to media constraints/allowances, again due to DNA mucking about with it) and DNA was prepping for the third (I still think, as mentioned above ;)) radio series as either back-adaptation from the books that overtook the radio, or based on his original radio ideas that only happened to be transfered to book form, except that he died, so it took a little longer to sort out but someone got it produced and even managed to (posthumously) get DNA to perform a character in it, by dint of taking test recordings he had made...

And then there's the upcoming film, which he'd been working on for a while, as I understand it, but well... ..it looks like it might be good. Let's hope it is.

As to the original list, my opinions:
1) The audio CD of the orginal radio show - Obviously the original, but the latest part of the show isn't available yet as only recently broadcast
2) The book series - Very intereresting, and the most complete series there is, amongst all media choices, but not quite the same as any other, because like they say "radio has all the best pictures", books are the same with sounds... Some people complain that the pronunciations in the radio show don't match those they imagined in their minds when reading... Don't let that put you off, though...
3) The DVDs of the orginal TV show - It was a ground-breaking TV spectacle [edit: with that very British take on Sci-Fi effects that I must say I prefer to the US ones, though not everyone is as biased as I am, I must admit], so I say "must watch", I am biased by that being my introduction, so don't take this as anything other than my own opinion,
4) The audio CD of the book - Obviously equivalent to the books, but handier if you don't have any reading time but can listen (e.g. you're a long-distnce trucker, given they're not supposed to be reading novels while at work... ;)) though I'd consider it a shame if the names are pronounced differently from the way they are on the TV/radio media, so hopefuly that all lines up correctly.
5) The film based books - I have no experience with these (has anyone, yet?) I'd say wait until you've seen the film before you go for this option, and then only perhaps if you want to complete your collection in all possible media*.


As long as you don't get caught up in such extreme "purist" thinking of "but it wasn't like that in the book/radio show/tv programme" when witnessing the radio show/book/tv programme and getting upset by it (as opposed to intruiged, because a word-for-word rehash can be a bit boring) then you should enjoy them all. As to where you start..? Well, it's a bit like your "first Bond" or "first Doctor Who", insofar as you should love that...


(* a dedicated DNA fan is 'lucky', because once they get to grips with obtaining 'hard to get' material, they can essentially complete their collection, barring movie-related things that will be coming out, and then enjoy it and rue the loss of the Creator... whereas a die-hard Pratchett fan such as myself is being continually challenged not only by past products but a continuous stream of new stuff whizzing by... ;) No, actually I prefer a live Creator to a dead one, and I feel that DNA left us too soon and definitely do not wish cessation to PTerry and hence the Discworld universe, before anyone accuses me of thinking things I do not actually think...)

Calm down, just Have a Pans Galactic Gargleblaster, rest, and DON'T PANIC! :D

I want to get into Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy before I see the (probably inferior) film.
While there is nothing wrong at all to seek out the original source material when a version in a different medium is coming out, I'm going to provide a little lesson that I'll keep doing until the word spreads...

Instead of doing the "rrr-Hollywood bad...movie suck, grrr" you can do it a little more accurately. Because dammit, you've liked mainstream films. I'm not saying most or all-but good movies do get made. So, lets look at this one to find out-

Here (http://imdb.com/title/tt0371724/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxsbT01MDB8dHQ9b258ZmI9dXxwbj0wfHE9aGl0Y2hoaWNrZXJzIGd1aWRlfGh0bWw9MXxubT1vbg__ ;fc=1;ft=18;fm=1) is the imdb.com page on the film.

First, lets look at the screenwriter (http://imdb.com/title/tt0371724/fullcredits#writers), in this case plural. Here's a little bit of trivia that you'll now be stuck with-when the writting credits are for more than one person and there is an "and" it means that person was brought in to work on the first persons script, in other words it wasn't collabrative. If there is a "&" it means that the writers wrote it together. In this case there is a good sign, as you can see from the link, Douglas Adams himself is one of the screenwriters. He died so someone had to manage the script since then. So lets look at what that guy has done, here (http://imdb.com/name/nm0456732/) Honey I X the Kids and Rescuers Down Under don't sound promising, but he did write the screenplay for Chiken Run and James and the Giant Peach, both well done. So 50/50. With Adams providing the base script this improves the odds. Karey is also working on Charlottes Web and Curious George, so he has a taste for the odder adaptation. Good sign.

Now, the director (http://imdb.com/name/nm1134029/). Apparently the director of Blur videos. Haven't seen any. I have seen the opening sequence to Da Ali G Show, and thats pretty cool-but not a feature length movie. An uncredited appearance in Shawn of the Dead hints at his sense of humor. Inexperienced, which is a risk, and maybe a slave to style. I say a wash.

The actors-Martin Freeman (http://imdb.com/name/nm0293509/) as Aurther Dent-he seems to be pretty in demand. And how far is Dent from the character Freeman played on The Office. I say good choice.

Sam Rockwell (http://imdb.com/name/nm0005377/) as Zaphod. Sam seemed to do a bunch of big movies all at once and has been doing quirky ones ever since. At least he practiced for it.

Mos Def (http://imdb.com/name/nm0080049/) is the most controversal, but if you look at the list, he is hardly a novice-and in some serious projects. As Mau Mau in Bamboozled I thought he did really well. He's funny on The Chappelle Show. I say good choice.

See? Now that we remove that boogie man "Hollywood" we have a reasoned assessment of what the movie might be. Could it be wrong? Sure. But this beats beating on the horses based on the name...

EDIT: Forgot some key positions...
Cinematographer (http://imdb.com/name/nm0415315/)..Haven't seen 'em. Mystery.

Production design (http://imdb.com/name/nm1231186/) Another blank slate.

Some interesting people in the art department. Anyway, you get the idea...

--snip--
See? Now that we remove that boogie man "Hollywood" we have a reasoned assessment of what the movie might be. Could it be wrong? Sure. But this beats beating on the horses based on the name...

Well said! I'm just gonna go see it with as open a mind as I can. I re-listened to the radio scripts about a week ago and they'll have faded into mid-memory, which is right where I want them.

Give it a chance. I wasn't too pleased with a live action X-Men, being a huge John Byrne fan, but loved both movies and am excited to see the obviously hinted-at Phoenix in the third. You never know.

As far as the movie version goes, this review certainly seems to damn it to hell:

http://planetmagrathea.com.nyud.net:8090/shortreview.html

"The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy movie is bad. Really bad. You just won't believe how vastly, staggeringly, jaw-droppingly bad it is. I mean, you might think that The Phantom Menace was a hopelessly misguided attempt to reinvent a much-loved franchise by people who, though well-intentioned, completely failed to understand what made the original popular - but that's just peanuts to the Hitchhiker's movie. Listen..."

...and after that it starts to be less charitable to the piece.

I would get the recordings of the original radio show in preference to other media, I particularly like the second series, most of which never made it into other versions. As another poster said, the BBC recently broadcasted a third series, based off one of the novels, but it really doesn't stand up to well compared to the first two - it relies too much on plot, which was never Adams' strongpoint.

I don't think the TV version is too bad either, in fact, I can't really think of any major shortcomings taht it has.

As far as the movie version goes, this review certainly seems to damn it to hell:

http://planetmagrathea.com.nyud.net:8090/shortreview.html

"The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy movie is bad. Really bad. You just won't believe how vastly, staggeringly, jaw-droppingly bad it is. I mean, you might think that The Phantom Menace was a hopelessly misguided attempt to reinvent a much-loved franchise by people who, though well-intentioned, completely failed to understand what made the original popular - but that's just peanuts to the Hitchhiker's movie. Listen..."

...and after that it starts to be less charitable to the piece.

I would get the recordings of the original radio show in preference to other media, I particularly like the second series, most of which never made it into other versions. As another poster said, the BBC recently broadcasted a third series, based off one of the novels, but it really doesn't stand up to well compared to the first two - it relies too much on plot, which was never Adams' strongpoint.

I don't think the TV version is too bad either, in fact, I can't really think of any major shortcomings taht it has.
To counter-balance though, here. (http://www.filmfocus.co.uk/review.asp?ReviewID=263) From a link on that other dudes website, it was even endorsed by him. That guy seems to have gotten a lot of flack for his review and I got the impression that his review was in the minority, but I haven't read everything yet.

I'd recommend you get one of the versions that isn't a book. Though the book is my favourite way to enjoy the actual story, it lacks one thing the rest have. The theme tune. now it rocks beyond all reason, and that should be enough to convince you that you need it. Aside from that... I'd say the books are all you need. The radio show if you want the original also, I suppose.

http://planetmagrathea.com.nyud.net:8090/shortreview.html

"The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy movie is bad. Really bad. You just won't believe how vastly, staggeringly, jaw-droppingly bad it is. I mean, you might think that The Phantom Menace was a hopelessly misguided attempt to reinvent a much-loved franchise by people who, though well-intentioned, completely failed to understand what made the original popular - but that's just peanuts to the Hitchhiker's movie. Listen..."

...and after that it starts to be less charitable to the piece.


Gee ... someone ripped off Roger Ebert's review of Rob Reiner's "North".

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19940722/REVIEWS/407220302/1023

"I hated this movie. Hated hated hated hated hated this movie. Hated it. Hated every simpering stupid vacant audience-insulting moment of it. Hated the sensibility that thought anyone would like it. Hated the implied insult to the audience by its belief that anyone would be entertained by it."

I want to get into Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy before I see the (probably inferior) film. Having wondered into my local Waterstones however I was confronted with a huge amount of Hitchhikers stuff. So I need your advice. Should I get:

1) The audio CD of the orginal radio show
2) The book series
3) The DVDs of the orginal TV show
4) The audio CD of the book
5) The film based books

Help me!

I'd suggest either the original radio series (1) and the book series (2). Probably 1 more than 2, though 2 is still worthwhile since some of it is original material.

The original series has dated terribly, limited budget and the time it was produced makes it look very camp. Though it is interesting, but I'd get it if you see it cheap rather then full price. Either that or ask aroud to see if anyone has it recorded, that's how I managed to watch it.

Gee ... someone ripped off Roger Ebert's review of Rob Reiner's "North".

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19940722/REVIEWS/407220302/1023

"I hated this movie. Hated hated hated hated hated this movie. Hated it. Hated every simpering stupid vacant audience-insulting moment of it. Hated the sensibility that thought anyone would like it. Hated the implied insult to the audience by its belief that anyone would be entertained by it."

Both Ebert's review and the one about Hitchhiker's serve to tell me, yet again, that we need a term that seperates a bad review from a review that says a movie is bad. These reviews both tell you that the movie is bad, but to call them "bad reviews" is an insult. Those reviews are awesome. And "awesome" is a word I never, ever use.

http://planetmagrathea.com.nyud.net...hortreview.html

"The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy movie is bad. Really bad. You just won't believe how vastly, staggeringly, jaw-droppingly bad it is. I mean, you might think that The Phantom Menace was a hopelessly misguided attempt to reinvent a much-loved franchise by people who, though well-intentioned, completely failed to understand what made the original popular - but that's just peanuts to the Hitchhiker's movie. Listen..."

...and after that it starts to be less charitable to the piece.Gee ... someone ripped off Roger Ebert's review of Rob Reiner's "North".

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19940722/REVIEWS/407220302/1023

"I hated this movie. Hated hated hated hated hated this movie. Hated it. Hated every simpering stupid vacant audience-insulting moment of it. Hated the sensibility that thought anyone would like it. Hated the implied insult to the audience by its belief that anyone would be entertained by it."I thought it was more a rip-off of the whole "Space is big..." intro in/by the Book itself...

i.e.:Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist*, but that's just peanuts to space.

Compare this and the orignal H2G2 movie rant.


(* - NB "Chemist" is British for what the US calls "Drug Store". For the sake of left-pondians I thought I might mention this... ;))

I thought it was more a rip-off of the whole "Space is big..." intro in/by the Book itself...

Indeed, although 'pastiched' is probably a better term than 'ripped off' here.

Indeed, although 'pastiched' is probably a better term than 'ripped off' here.Yes...

Or "homage" is probably what I would have used had I not been too hasty with the words...

If you really want to get into it, I'd recommend the radio show and the books.

The radio show is, in fact, the first version, and it's very funny.

The books are undoubtly the most poplular form, and are also very funny. The first time I'd heard of them was when my friend Nicole read aloud the beginning of the first book. Just that made me get all the books and read them. And then semi-annoy my mom by reading bits aloud to her.

I'm not going to judge the movie until I see it. Douglas Adams himself had made jokes about how all the versions contradict each other. The way I see it, the only way they can go wrong is by making it not funny.

I'll see.

For those of you who want to know how the story ends:

I bought the book of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy today (£2 off in WH Smiths hooray!) and I got the Resturant at the End of the Universe free with yesterdays Sunday Observer. Thanks for the advice people.