I had much the same reaction. But I think that Simo's was simply more a listing of what wasn't in the movie that he thought should be there, when in reality the writers and director couuld do whatever they wanted (after all, most versions of h2g2 have been different). He didn't bother to consider why the writers changed and deleted what they did - simply that they did so. A lot of favorite jokes were deleted - so what? That's what makes the books and the TV series wonderful. The movie has it's own flavor, which while it is not the same as the books and tv series and radio series, is still closely related. And it had to appeal to a larger audience - not just play only to previous fans of Adams. What Simo wanted was simply impossible.
Or so I thought.
I saw it a second time when I got home from Radford and vastly enjoyed it - the changes made more sense the second time round, and I sort of "got" the movie on its own merits rather than trying to only compare it to its predecessors.
The changes were fine for me too, the problem is that - as you say - it should appeal to a bigger audience, not just to the fans, and I think he is right that there are so many unexplained things and loose ends (and beginnings) - even compared to all the other versions - that perhaps the film only makes sense to fans(?) And it's fine to delete jokes, but it's true that it's a pity to delete great jokes to put really bad ones in instead. ;)
Very true - the only complaint of his that I give much creedence to is that non-fans may be completely lost when watching the movie. The professor running my senior seminar went to see it with her husband, and she said she had to explain everything to them - what little she knew from reading my thesis on H2G2, otherwise she would have been lost as well. :-/
Yeah, there are some really bad jokes... but it could have been worse. At least they kept with the essential spirit of previous versions, if not the exact words.
Definitely getting it when it comes out on DVD. :-D
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Or so I thought.
I saw it a second time when I got home from Radford and vastly enjoyed it - the changes made more sense the second time round, and I sort of "got" the movie on its own merits rather than trying to only compare it to its predecessors.
My two cents. ;)
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And it's fine to delete jokes, but it's true that it's a pity to delete great jokes to put really bad ones in instead. ;)
However, I loved it! :)
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Yeah, there are some really bad jokes... but it could have been worse. At least they kept with the essential spirit of previous versions, if not the exact words.
Definitely getting it when it comes out on DVD. :-D
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HUG
I loved the movie, I figure, hey DNA changed every version he wrote....
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