David Galindo
Screenwriter
- Joined
- Mar 30, 2003
- Messages
- 1,264
[c]The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (UMD)
Region 1 • PG • Dolby Digital • Available Now
[/c]
This was the best-selling UMD in the UK when it was released on the day of the PSP launch in September, and it looks like Buena Vista did the movie justice on UMD.
Thoughts on the Movie
I have not read the book, so I had absolutely no idea what to expect from this movie. While I didn’t understand some of the lingo and characters, I still had a great time watching this movie.
The plot: Earth is scheduled for demolition to clear a way for an intergalactic hi-way. Arthur is saved by an alien named Ford who takes him away as they hitch a ride on another spacecraft as they blow up the planet. From there all sorts of stuff happens, and the humor is mostly sly English mixed in with some hilarious visuals. Thankfully the humor isn’t full blown British humor, since I don’t care for that sort of stuff anyways.
What really surprised me is Mos Def, as the alien hitchhiker who is well groomed and levelheaded about everything. I’m a huge fan of Chappelle’s Show and seeing him in this role is just crazy, yet he fits in perfectly. The whole cast is great, especially the voice overs, which reminds me of the old Looney Tunes films that I can’t recall the title of.
The movie doesn’t really resolve anything at the end, which was expected anyways. I really enjoyed this movie. Make sure to watch the credits for another journal entry!
Video Quality
The ratio is 2.35, and looks pretty good. The whole film suffers from a very soft look, and the detail is lost in some close up shots. The black levels are OK, and the colors are great.
But the film is just a bit too soft for me, and it’s likely that was the fault of the transfer. It looks good, but not as good as some previous Buena Vista films.
3.5/5
Audio Quality
The movie could be a bit louder (my main complaint with pretty much all Buena Vista films since Sin City), especially since the clips in the bonus features are much louder than the exact same scenes in the film. The separation and base is great, and the audio is very clear (with the music sounding great).
4/5
Extras
The UMD menus are presented like the Hitchhiker’s Guidebook, and look very simple yet perfect. The music playing in the menu is excellent, by the way.
We get a good amount of features with this UMD. First up is The Making of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (8:55) which is very short for such a big undertaking of an extremely popular book, but is still good. We also get three Deleted Scenes (2:12) and then we get two Really Deleted Scenes (1:44) which are worth a gander. Finally, we get an Additional Guide Entry (:46) that is fully animated and easy to see why it wasn’t in the movie.
Not the most bonus features I’ve seen on a UMD, but some great features nonetheless (though like all BV movies, it has forced trailers at the beginning).
3/5
Overall…
The UMD is good...not quite amazing, but good. While I would have liked louder sound, a sharper video transfer and more features, the UMD as it stands is a very solid purchase.
3.5/5
Region 1 • PG • Dolby Digital • Available Now
[/c]This was the best-selling UMD in the UK when it was released on the day of the PSP launch in September, and it looks like Buena Vista did the movie justice on UMD.
Thoughts on the Movie
I have not read the book, so I had absolutely no idea what to expect from this movie. While I didn’t understand some of the lingo and characters, I still had a great time watching this movie.
The plot: Earth is scheduled for demolition to clear a way for an intergalactic hi-way. Arthur is saved by an alien named Ford who takes him away as they hitch a ride on another spacecraft as they blow up the planet. From there all sorts of stuff happens, and the humor is mostly sly English mixed in with some hilarious visuals. Thankfully the humor isn’t full blown British humor, since I don’t care for that sort of stuff anyways.
What really surprised me is Mos Def, as the alien hitchhiker who is well groomed and levelheaded about everything. I’m a huge fan of Chappelle’s Show and seeing him in this role is just crazy, yet he fits in perfectly. The whole cast is great, especially the voice overs, which reminds me of the old Looney Tunes films that I can’t recall the title of.
The movie doesn’t really resolve anything at the end, which was expected anyways. I really enjoyed this movie. Make sure to watch the credits for another journal entry!
Video Quality
The ratio is 2.35, and looks pretty good. The whole film suffers from a very soft look, and the detail is lost in some close up shots. The black levels are OK, and the colors are great.
But the film is just a bit too soft for me, and it’s likely that was the fault of the transfer. It looks good, but not as good as some previous Buena Vista films.
3.5/5
Audio Quality
The movie could be a bit louder (my main complaint with pretty much all Buena Vista films since Sin City), especially since the clips in the bonus features are much louder than the exact same scenes in the film. The separation and base is great, and the audio is very clear (with the music sounding great).
4/5
Extras
The UMD menus are presented like the Hitchhiker’s Guidebook, and look very simple yet perfect. The music playing in the menu is excellent, by the way.
We get a good amount of features with this UMD. First up is The Making of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (8:55) which is very short for such a big undertaking of an extremely popular book, but is still good. We also get three Deleted Scenes (2:12) and then we get two Really Deleted Scenes (1:44) which are worth a gander. Finally, we get an Additional Guide Entry (:46) that is fully animated and easy to see why it wasn’t in the movie.
Not the most bonus features I’ve seen on a UMD, but some great features nonetheless (though like all BV movies, it has forced trailers at the beginning).
3/5
Overall…
The UMD is good...not quite amazing, but good. While I would have liked louder sound, a sharper video transfer and more features, the UMD as it stands is a very solid purchase.
3.5/5
