FanUnity B(uzz)log

For a long time, I’ve been surrounded by people making references to The Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Little snippets here and there snuck into conversations, and everyone but me would laugh, as if they were telling a joke I didn’t get because, you see, I seem to be the only person on the planet who hasn’t read this book.So when the movie came out, I was quick to see it. See, my own wife, being someone on the planet who’s not me, was among those who read the book and made the references.

My first reaction after seeing the movie? I’m not reading the book. I didn’t enjoy the film as I watched it. It was exceedingly odd, but not gripping, filled with characters that were quirky, but overdone, and thus lacked any emotional impact. To top it off, the entire thing just felt smug, as if the film were blaring “Look at me! I’m the Hitchikers movie, and that means I’m so GREAT!” Nor did it come across as very funny. It was as if the movie too, were telling a joke I didn’t get.

But when I sat back to think about this, it probably was. Those who got the most out of it were those who read the book. They got to see the images they read about displayed on the big screen, and they seamlessly filled in any holes with their own prior knowledge. I didn’t have that, and I was left wanting, which says to me that the book had something the movie didn’t.

Hitchikers is a good example of how movies and books tell stories differently, and how the same story is not conveyed as effectively in all media. Hitchikers is a satire, and one that relies on a lot of asides and exposition to get its point across. Based on what I’ve seen of the movie, it sounds like the book has enough charm to pull off these breaks in continuity and story without undue harm. But in a film, asides and exposition have a bigger impact. The story format simply doesn’t work as well on screen as it does on the page.

Which leaves me wondering if maybe the book wouldn’t be such a bad read after all. The movie, however, gets safely filed in the “done that, don’t need to do it again” category.

–Clifford Horowitz