Ah, the utter insanity that is The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. A trilogy in five parts and longer than The Lord of the Rings. Pity the Americans mangled it producing a mediocre film.
The BBC produced a television and radio series several years ago, both of which are vastly superior to the recent film. The special effects might not have been the greatest and the acting just a little bit strained, but it was far more enjoyable.
It might just be me, but Hollywood does not have the most sterling reputation when it comes to remakes or films inspired by books. Take Hannibal by Thomas Harris for example. Various plot lines from the book fail to appear, the ending is completely different and much of the imagery created by Harris is dropped.
Fortunately, Hollywood does sometimes get things right. The production of Red Dragon, again by Thomas Harris, is a superb rendition of the book. It follows the story almost exactly, right down to the method Dolarhyde (played by Ralph Fiennes) uses to torture and kill Freddy Lounds (Philip Seymour Hoffman).
Films produced from games tend to be a mixed bag when it comes to success. Tomb Raider did quite well, though it's sequel wasn't so well-received. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within was another mediocre hit, although Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children has proven to be a big hit.
This last film, was created with the fans of the game firmly in mind. The fight sequence between Tifa and Loz in the church displays some of Tifa's well known limit break moves from the game (Back flip and Meteor Drive are particularly well done). It ends with Tifa knocking Loz into the ground and a few seconds later the music from a successful fight can be heard.
As anyone who has played a Final Fantasy game will tell you, this music is almost instantly recognisable. Later on in the film, the music from fighting a boss can be heard as Barrett and the rest of Avalanche fight Bahamut-Sin.
With any luck, Hollywood will listen to the audience and especially the fans when it comes to producing or reproducing certain films. Well, I can hope, can't I?
till next time,
Alex.
The BBC produced a television and radio series several years ago, both of which are vastly superior to the recent film. The special effects might not have been the greatest and the acting just a little bit strained, but it was far more enjoyable.
It might just be me, but Hollywood does not have the most sterling reputation when it comes to remakes or films inspired by books. Take Hannibal by Thomas Harris for example. Various plot lines from the book fail to appear, the ending is completely different and much of the imagery created by Harris is dropped.
Fortunately, Hollywood does sometimes get things right. The production of Red Dragon, again by Thomas Harris, is a superb rendition of the book. It follows the story almost exactly, right down to the method Dolarhyde (played by Ralph Fiennes) uses to torture and kill Freddy Lounds (Philip Seymour Hoffman).
Films produced from games tend to be a mixed bag when it comes to success. Tomb Raider did quite well, though it's sequel wasn't so well-received. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within was another mediocre hit, although Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children has proven to be a big hit.
This last film, was created with the fans of the game firmly in mind. The fight sequence between Tifa and Loz in the church displays some of Tifa's well known limit break moves from the game (Back flip and Meteor Drive are particularly well done). It ends with Tifa knocking Loz into the ground and a few seconds later the music from a successful fight can be heard.
As anyone who has played a Final Fantasy game will tell you, this music is almost instantly recognisable. Later on in the film, the music from fighting a boss can be heard as Barrett and the rest of Avalanche fight Bahamut-Sin.
With any luck, Hollywood will listen to the audience and especially the fans when it comes to producing or reproducing certain films. Well, I can hope, can't I?
till next time,
Alex.
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