The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Movie Reaction | First Time Watching

[@briandalke5946]

The thing with the towels is that towels are the "most useful item in the galaxy". Keeps you dry, can provide shade, can keep you warm, can be use as a whip weapon, can hug them for comfort, etc

[@ItsScottS]

The thing in the movie with the towels was that it is something the fandom has latched onto and the movie needed to prove it was aware of how much the fandom liked it.

[@rgoodwyn]

@@ItsScottS Well it would have been pretty odd to have a Hitchhiker adaptation and not mention towels lol

[@ItsScottS]

@rgoodwyn But the towels don't need to be mentioned every 5 minutes.

[@kosh6612]

and if memory serves, you could dip part of it in nutrients and suck on the corner when in a tight spot. It wasn't explained at all in the movie, even the BBC series glossed over it.

[@Cobinja]

And iirc, each colour has a different flavour

[@Yggdrasil42]

The face at the end was Douglas Adams, the author, who passed away before the movie got made. He worked for decades to try to get a movie off the ground but sadly didn't get to see it.

[@Christobanistan]

Thank god he missed the movie. One of the worst adaptations ever.

[@johnboy2562]

Douglas Adams was in America when he passed away. They had a memorial service for him in Los Angeles and Simon Jones, the original Arthur Dent, was invited to speak there, and when he got his flight ticket, he noticed, by an amazing coincidence, that he was booked on Flight number 42.

[@scapevelocity]

I love that, and I have one just as good. Years ago I was at the Virgin lounge at Heathrow Airport waiting for my flight back to San Francisco. I turned around and saw an elderly gentleman in a tweed suit. I realized it was Desmond Llewelyn, who played Q in all the early James Bond movies. I wondered which flight he was on and realized it must be the Los Angeles flight. The number? VS007.

[@solokom]

"coincidence" sure ;)

[@loungelizardatwar7375]

One of my favorite things in the books is how Adams would use a negative or opposite to make a point. Such as " Arthur's drink tasted almost entirely unlike tea." or "The Vogon construction fleet hung in the air in the same way a brick doesn't!"

[@stuartanderws5705]

The tea not being quite unlike tea had big implications in the end. Which leads to mile high statues, Lentila, shoe's, giant birds, if land on a giant bird you are really glad you know where your towel is.

[@toniheikkila5607]

Reminds me of a Finnish author Markus Kajo: "One can only imagine how one cant even imagine that..." "Voi vain kuvitella, että ei voi edes kuvitella, miten..." Sadly I think that any of his writings or tv programs have not been translated into English.

[@PeteSmoot]

“Fall to the ground and miss."

[@ViviFuchs]

​@@PeteSmoot The secret of flying right here.

[@mr-x7689]

@@PeteSmoot Like how Logan Paul is the only human in Earth's past, present and future, who can un-ironically throw a rock at the ground and miss it completely.

[@DrieStone]

One of the interesting things about Hitchhiker's is that it was originally a radio play, then a book, then a TV series, then a text adventure game (in the 80s), then finally a movie. Each time evolves and changes just a little. Douglas Adams was a bit of a master of many things. He was one of the few writers that wrote for Monty Python (I think he was the only non-Python), he wrote for Doctor Who, and he has another (short) book series called Dirk Gently (there is a TV series that is decent). The man was only 49 when he died. :(

[@j9lorna]

The recent Dirk Gently was phenomenal. An absolute gem to watch. I never saw the older ones.

[@frog212whyd4]

So young

[@chandies]

I believe the 2010 series to be best of the bunch. I couldn't get into the 2016 reboot. I freely admit that the 2010 series is not a complete adaptation of the books, but rather a remix of the universe keeping all the best stuff about Dirk. Considering how Douglas Adams rewrote his stories to fit the differing mediums and any new ideas he's had in the meantime, I think he would have approved of this version as well

[@matthewt1772]

Also Last Chance to See which is a great (if depressing) book about animals in danger of extinction.

[@KthulhuXxx]

I highly recommend the books and the radio series (mostly the original ones, although the later ones are pretty good too). The books are what I read first, but I think the radio series version is actually my favorite of them.

[@4partharmony208]

12:28 The book described the destruction thusly: "There was a terrifying, ghastly silence. There was a terrifying, ghastly noise. There was a terrifying, ghastly silence. The Vogon fleet sailed off into space." Adams had such a gift for conveying so much with so little.

[@lentrax2991]

As the Guide says (under Towels). "Any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still knows where his towel is, is clearly a man to be reckoned with.”

[@velocity219e]

There's a frood who really knows where his towel is.

[@SighDontWantAHandle]

The face at the end is one of the funniest people of the 21st century: The author, Douglas Adams. Rest in peace. Your towel will get you through the afterlife.

[@mcqueen0195]

The way Ford responds to Arthur asking if he’s going to need his towel and says “Only always…” I answer a lot of things this way and with the same voice inflection. 😂

[@daveevans3746]

The audiobook read by Stephen Fry is phenomenal, probably my favorite way to ‘read’ the full book. I love that they cast him as the narrator.

[@BigDamnArtist]

Love Stephen Fry, but find the versions Adams read himself. There's an indescribable magic in hearing the man himself read the entire things in character.

[@MikeTaffet]

What @BigDamnArtist said. The Adam’s versions are superior in every way

[@argoniastation]

Stephen Fry is honestly the best part about the movie. Truth be told, I prefer the mini-series that the BBC aired originally. It explained things better. The book is the best way to experience the 5 book trilogy tho.

[@breakfastatmilliways]

I adore that Stephen fry does so much Douglas stuff. “Last chance to see” with mark carwardine is honestly my favorite thing Douglas ever did and it’s beautiful to me that when they did a follow up they sent Stephen with Mark.

[@Swenglish]

I prefer the Douglas Adams audiobooks.

[@jamestaylor3805]

You have to read EVERY book in the series to fully understand WHO the bowl of petunias is.

[@lukusblack6442]

Poor petunias.

[@chrislawley6801]

Is well worth investing time to read all the books with its complexity, silliness and so many circular references to the answer especially with The Man who swore to only tell the truth hidden away in a paragraph he tries to tell Arthur where to find The Answer

[@lukusblack6442]

@@chrislawley6801 The 'last words' made me smile.

[@destro6971]

For any Hitchhiker fans out there that haven’t read the Discworld books by Terry Pratchett, you deserve to know they’re out there and you’re gonna love them. Fantasy vs sci fi, and the same brilliant humor.

[@bertinamiller9626]

yes adams and pratchett were my go to authors during my young adult years and still are

[@wnightshade]

Two of the best sculptors of English prose that ever lived. I feel incredibly fortunate to have met both of them.

[@nigelhyde279]

There’s 43 books set in the Discworld that’s a big box set. Or more likely the set you’ve ordered represents one of the set of books linked by a set of characters like The Watch or The Witches. @@bryanbrady877

[@MrGBH]

And Discworld even has a couple adaptations that could be worth reacting to. Hogfather is wonderful around Christmas, but Colour of Magic could be done anytime

[@phtevenj]

im actually a fan of the movies and the show "the watch" also discworld themed 😀

[@Incense3]

Fun Facts! The lady in the Pub who was very interested in their conversation played Trillian in the old series. The head warning them not to come to Mag played Arthur Dent in the old series. When the earth is rebooted you see an older lady sitting at a table outside, she is Douglas Adams mother. At least this is what I remember from the DVD commentary. Correct me if I’m wrong please.

[@Sakrysta]

It tickles me that just about every time you ask a question, the movie immediately transitions to the Guide and answers it for you! 😂 It’s like the filmmakers knew… 😂😂😂

[@johnboy2562]

One of the later books in the series explains why the bowl of petunias thought "oh no, not again." It's also the same book that gives you instructions on how to fly; basically you just throw yourself at the ground and miss.😅

[@bryanmacklem2654]

But you can't intentionally miss, you need to be distracted.

[@whocaresreallly5886]

Its more of a knack

[@adameager7114]

And watch out for raucous parties.

[@paulliversage4479]

Just re read for the 42nd time all 5 books in the trilogy...always fantastic

[@JakkFrost1]

It's interesting to note that two of Martin Freeman's big roles, Arthur Dent and Bilbo Baggins, are essentially the same character. A quiet little man happily living his quiet little life in his quiet little home, until one day he's whisked off on an unwanted grand adventure by an old friend of mysterious origin.

[@JHN12x12]

Arguably, that almost describes Dr. John Watson as well 😁

[@staymadlmao]

@@JakkFrost1 I think you meant Bilbo, but yes, absolutely! In fact when watching the movie myself my first thought was "Is Arthur very similar to Bilbo or is my mind just playing tricks on me because its Martin Freeman?" lol

[@JakkFrost1]

@@staymadlmao omg, whoops, I did mean Bilbo! 🤦‍♂️🤣 Edited.

[@ChristopherPayneMUA]

“A towel, [The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy] says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value. You can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapors; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a miniraft down the slow heavy River Moth; wet it for use in hand-to-hand-combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (such a mind-boggingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can't see it, it can't see you); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.” ― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

[@arwelp]

Back in the 80s you could actually buy either a blue or pink bath towel with that printed on it - I think mine lasted over 10 years!

[@3DJapan]

A towel is very important for a hitchhiker. It can be wrapped around you for warmth, used a a sail for a small raft, wrapped around your head as a gas mask. Ford's towel is soaked in nutrients with different flavors that can be sucked on in an emergency.

[@K0ppar]

Fun fact, the boxy looking robot in the queue on Vogsphere is Marvin from the old BBC TV series version of Hitchhikers

[@VegetaLF7]

The BBC version was my introduction to the series as a kid, so when I spotted the tv Marvin in the film I got excited

[@donsample1002]

The original TV Arthur is the automated messenger who welcomed them to Magrathea, and Trillian is the woman in the bar

[@NZBigfoot]

Always prefered the TV Marvin, he was much more in line with what you'd think a Sirius Cybernetics Corporation robot would look like... Movie Marvin's way to advanced looking, I mean i get why they designed him that way and its more relevant to modern audiences, but still looks to competent for a company like the SCC.

[@Simon-lt6fe]

Your plastic pal who's fun to be with!

[@briandalke5946]

Loved the books and loved this movie. While they can drag at times, I'd encourage reading the books since there's a ton of great stuff in there. "In the beginning the universe was created. This made a lot of people angry and has been widely considered as a bad idea."

[@briandalke5946]

"Space is infinite, but the number of inhabited planets is finite. Therefore the total population of the galaxy can be said to be zero and that anyone you meet is just a hallucination of a deranged mind."

[@NZBigfoot]

"We apologise for the inconvenience"

[@bit-tuber8126]

Allow the books.. even the lesser ones.

[@WyldstaarStudios]

Every incarnation of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was written with it's specific form of media in mind, be it radio drama, TV mini-series, novel, text based computer game or feature film. While they all contain common elements, they also all contain element that are exclusive to themselves. They are all fantastic. While sadly Douglas Adams died before the feature film was made, he did write a screenplay which was used as a starting point.

[@andrewjuby6339]

They also at least implicitly all contradict each other and sometimes even themselves. The fact that Adams didn't care and considered them all to be equally canon is, at least to me, the most Hitchhiker's Guide thing ever.

[@GreenCauldron08]

Wait, really? Which one was supposed to be a text-based computer game??

[@WyldstaarStudios]

@@GreenCauldron08 Which one of what? I think you may have misunderstood what I wrote.

[@GreenCauldron08]

@@WyldstaarStudios ohhh... yes I did. I thought you were saying each of the five entries in the Hitchhiker series were designed with a different medium in mind. So I was like "Which book was meant to be adapted into a computer game?!" Oops

[@ChrisCebelenski]

The movie touches on a lot of the main themes from the book(s), and it's grown on me over time. Full disclosure: I have a writers credit on the on-line version of the HHGTTG, and I consulted on the early stages of this movie. (the hypertext version of the Guide is still out there I think - go ahead and search for it). My favorite version, beyond the books, is the radio drama version. Douglas thought all this was very grand, indeed, and loved that something was going to be produced. Actually he was a bit Zaphod-esque in that he loved the notoriety. I mean, he was a hoopty frood who always knew where his towel was, right?

[@dedcowbowee]

I liked the TV show as well. I am a yank and there was no radio version. I got to see the show on Public Broadcasting in L. A. I like the movie fine. Happy New Year!

[@darrenl3289]

I always adored the radio script album when they get to the restaurant at the end of the universe. The host/emcee Max Quordlepleen is just spot on.

[@joeb918]

I use Douglas’ own words to describe the movie, it is “almost, but not quite, entirely unlike” the book it’s based upon, which is fine. Every adaptation he made of the story he made changes, and the changes here fit the context of it being a movie, what works in the book doesn’t always work on film and vice versa.

[@CarefulWithThatAx]

The radio series were my primary exposure as well. When I was a kid my dad came home from university one weekend with the first two series on cassette. I listened to it endlessly; and I still have it.

[@colbyboucher6391]

Do you mean H2H2? Because you just clued me in to that being a thing that exists and it's wonderful

[@mikeljenks]

If you read the books you can find out why the bowl of petunias thought “Oh no, Not Again.” The question is answered and it’s great.

[@chrislawley6801]

So many more answers hidden in the books include man who swore to tell only the whole truth tries to yell Arthur where to find The Answer but Arthur as always is oblivious to what he is being told 😊

[@swanchamp5136]

The answer machine guy for magrathea was the original actor of Arthur Dent from the radio show and 6 episode tv show from the 80s. The book is a trilogy in 5 parts and has a lot of very weird parts to it. Plus the radio show was originally designed so scenes could be listened to in any order.

[@therealpbristow]

"the radio show was originally designed so scenes could be listened to in any order"... Eh? Where did you hear that? =:oo The radio show has a very precise structure! Not only is the main story a straight linear narrative, but also the "Book" entries are all carefully placed so that vital information is delivered shortly before you need to know it, but usually in a way that doesn't make it seem like it's going to be relevant at all. Is it possible you've misinterpreted something he once said about "The Ends of the Earth" (the show Douglas was originally planning, but which instead became HHGTTG)? Or the work he did with the Pythons?

[@DocLunarwind]

I’ll just randomly recommend the “Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency”. Also based on a Adams book. It stars Elijah Wood, and it’s real wierd. It never really became know.

[@swanchamp5136]

It's a shame it got cancelled after 2 seasons

[@Andrew-tf8jt]

And it's utter crap

[@DocLunarwind]

@@Andrew-tf8jt ./hug

[@wyterabitt2149]

I quite like the original BBC series they did years before as well, which is even less known.

[@PeteSmoot]

What?!? How did I not know of this?

[@cbobwhite5768]

"You can't be President, with a whole brain." That explains a lot, today.

[@bluris1711]

I don't understand people who go "the book is better" - you can enjoy both for different reasons. It's a delightful movie.

[@phousefilms]

Agreed. I wouldn't know the book existed if I hadn't seen this movie.

[@chrislawley6801]

Obviously with films The Books always have so much more

[@Kits-Seven]

42 was a decision in computer science geeking. 42 in cs roughly translates to asterisk, which is a placeholder in most code that acts as a wild card, it means anything and everything.

[@therealpbristow]

Concidence. Douglas was just trying to find the dullest, least funny number he could use as "The Answer". (He hadn't even started getting into computers at the time (1978), since home computers barely existed yet! It was when he bought his first Mac that he got really into it.)

[@SuStel]

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has been adapted into so many forms, you're allowed to start with any of them you want.

[@themonkeytrainer]

Adams originally listed the work of Paul Neil Milne Johnstone as being "the worst poetry in the universe".. Johnstone was a friend of his from college (and a professional poet), who asked Adams to change the joke after HHGTG started to catch on. Subsequent releases changed the name to Paula Nancy Millstone Jennings.

[@mhlevy]

One important feature of the towel is it protects you from the ravenous bugblatter beast from Traal. If you come upon one of them, you simply take the towel and cover your head and face, so you cannot see it. The ravenous bugblatter beast from Traal is so stupid that if you can't see it, the beast thinks it can't see you!

[@Wyattoons]

Admittedly when I first saw this movie, I didn’t have an appreciation for the sillier side of sci-fi. I was like what is this weird thing? Now it’s one of my all-time favorites (and all-time favorite book as well)!

[@waterandsteel4713]

The woman in the pub you said was intrigued, was actually the actress who played the part of Trisha. In years gone by (I think she was in a play).

[@bradenervold6993]

It's so hard to get Sci-fi and comedy right, but Douglas Adams makes it look easy. I love all of his books. You can also watch the TV version of this that I watched in the 80's. Also. if you like Jim Henson then you will Love FARSCAPE. He did all of the creatures on that show. They are great, and real charactors. Happy New Year. Keep watching all of the good space shit.

[@Sakrysta]

Seconding the Farscape recommendation! When you have a new reaction slot in your schedule, it would be an excellent choice!

[@3monthbender]

"Looked a little zany and weird . . ." What a magnificent understatement.

[@funnylilgalreacts]

So true 😂😂

[@pixel406]

There is nothing more important to a Galactic hitchhiker than a towel. you must always know where your towel is.. If a strag (strag: non-hitch hiker) discovers that a hitchhiker has his towel with him, he will automatically assume that he is also in possession of a toothbrush, face flannel, soap, tin of biscuits, flask, compass, map, ball of string, gnat spray, wet weather gear, space suit etc., etc. Furthermore, the strag will then happily lend the hitch hiker any of these or a dozen other items that the hitch hiker might accidentally have "lost." What the strag will think is that any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still knows where his towel is, is clearly a man to be reckoned with!

[@thomask8345]

“There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened.” (Douglas Adams)

[@paulmartin2348]

My buddy loaned me the 5 book trilogy of The Hitchhiker's Guide and I loved it so I was a little worried about the movie. I saw this in the theater with one of my younger brothers and it was so funny as he kept cracking up out loud in the theater. I was happy to see you react to this as I was pretty sure you would have a blast. 😁

[@dcplunkett]

The whole "getting hit when having a thought" bit -- slapstick humor.

[@therealpbristow]

Literally! =:o}

[@thebl4ckd0g]

As a kid of the 80's, I watched the mini-series on BBC with my dad - and I was so excited when that opening title happened in the movie (my dad took me to see the movie in the theater). My dad was also a huge fan of the book. Jim Henson's creature shop did the vogon costumes and more for this movie. :)

[@MarkMonforti]

It would be fun for you to watch the TV series

[@matthewpengelly761]

The face at the end was Douglas Adams. Interestingly, the Magrathean Answering Machine was played by Simon Jones, the original Arthur Dent and the inspiration behind the character! Douglas called him and said "I wrote a character on you, i hope you'll be willing to play him". Genius!!

[@DavidWright1138]

So is a towel the most useful thing a traveler can carry? It is true that technical, high-functioning towels can be put to work in almost any situation on Earth. On a backcountry camping trip, it’s essential to keep dry and can mean the difference if you are in danger of hypothermia. You also can use it as your pillow, a sleeping bag liner, an entrance mat to keep your tent clean, an extra filter to keep larger debris from your water bottle, a camp kitchen cleaner, and even a device from moving firewood back to camp, sans-splinters. On the water or at the beach, the towel really gets to work. Lay on it, dry off with it, change into your wetsuit, even clip it to your umbrella to block the sun. Grab that beer with your towel and it’s a koozie. Swab the deck if you must. If your towel is the right color, you can signal surrender, or notify the port you’re approaching that your boat is free of disease (try yellow). When traveling internationally, your towel becomes an airplane blanket, or reusable bubble wrap for that bottle of wine in your bag. It’s a mask on the dusty streets of Delhi, a mosquito swatter, a sarong, scarf, or head wrap, or a curtain or a bedsheet in that questionable hostel you chose. In a pickle? If your towel is nice, it makes a handsome barter. In day-to-day life, the towel has infinite uses. Dry off your dog, clean up spills, open a jar, keep it in your car to wipe the windshield, wrap ice in it to reduce swelling, hang it on the wall as art, sew the sides together to make a grocery bag, the list goes on.

[@flawedgenius]

And you can use it to show how far you have travelled in hyperspace

[@geek1027]

Love the commentary. Nice to hear somebody liked the movie as much as I did. There are five books in the series, and I enjoyed them all. By the way, the ultimate ?, that is told later in the series, is in the movie.

[@Frank-Voight-Kampff]

Thank you. I need this today. Plus: I still love the glasses. They really suit you. 💚

[@calhoun1968]

Douglas Adams was also a code writer way back in the early days of the "modern" computer...; "42" is, or was the code for an "Asterisk", which stood in for, or meant, "Whatever you wanted it to". Therein lies his joke.

[@flawedgenius]

That's just a fan theory and isn't true. This is what Douglas Adams said: "The answer to this is very simple. It was a joke. It had to be a number, an ordinary, smallish number, and I chose that one. Binary representations, base thirteen, Tibetan monks are all complete nonsense. I sat at my desk, stared into the garden and thought '42 will do'. I typed it out. End of story."

[@jayhart5942]

I read the 5 books of the Hitchhiker Trilogy (yeah, that's what Douglas Adams called his series) starting when I was a teenager, picking up each as it got published. It introduced me to British satirical humor in more depth than the Monty Python Troupe presented. Terry Pratchet did similar satire to the fantasy genre. I deeply miss those two authors.

[@EwanDavidson-xs5fg]

I know Douglas didn't write the 6th Book in the Trilogy but it is based on notes he left. It is funnyish.

[@Argom42]

"A towel is just about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can carry. Partly because it has great practical value. You can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapours; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a miniraft down the slow heavy River Moth; wet it for use in hand-to-hand combat; wrap it around your head to ward off noxious fumes or avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (a mind-bogglingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can't see it, it can't see you - daft as a brush, but very very ravenous); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course you can dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough." -The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

[@MrHws5mp]

When I was at school in the early '80s, we were totally obsessed with Hitchhiker's.This movie kinda works on it's own merits, but it absolutely _guts_ the original story and characters, especially in their book form (the books are by far the best version). For all it's miniscule budget and ropey effects, the BBC TV serial from the early 1980s was truer to the spirit of the books. Half of the one-liners you heard here are about one quarter of the original dialogue, which is priceless and as endlessly quotable as Firefly. I strongly advise you to read that book of your dad's. Then the next one. And then the next one. etc... (It's a trilogy in five parts). Just for you, the full Vogon poem (from memory, for my sins...): Oh freddled gruntbuggy Thy micturations are to me As gabbleblotchits on a lurgid bee Groop, I implore thee My footling turlingdrones And hooptiously drangle me With crinkly bindlewurdles Else, I shall rend thee In the gobblewarts With my blurglecruncheon See, if I dont...

[@LithiumProductions]

it's been awhile since i've watched my favorite movie...so it's amazing to find such a beautiful person reacting to it. Seriously, you're adorable!

[@klemminguk]

I super recommend listening to the original radio series if you can find it. The books are good, but the beauty of the original delivery really has to be heard. The greatest thing is that Zaphod was said to have two heads and three arms purely for just two throwaway gags in the radio episodes, and they had to deal with that headache every time they tried to do a live-action version. Prosthetic limbs, radio controlled fake heads, it always cost a ton, and was *always* a mess. Adams said it was the most expensive joke he ever wrote.

[@stuartanderws5705]

Adams spent most of his money for the radio show on sound effects in the BBC Symphony Workshop. There are live performances of the HGTTG done by the TV cast. well worth going to if you a fan.

[@SmolYui]

@@stuartanderws5705 those shows only ran for a couple years and have since been cancelled for quite a while now sadly, although i think its better to say it was done by the radio cast, as its the same.

[@adaddinsane]

Nobody hears the *original* radio series any more. They changed the mouse voices and probably other things. Personally I was there and heard the original broadcast [smug mode fully engaged].

[@therealpbristow]

@@stuartanderws5705 I think you're referring to the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. And no, that's not where the money went, since at that time the Workshop was a "below the line cost". Later on the BBC introduced am "internal market" system where all internal services had to be costed and budgetted for, as a precursor to allowing producers to use more outside companies for work if the cost could be justified (e.g. "the Workshop says it's 3 days' work for 200 quid, by my mate's son's just bought himself a synthesizer and says he'll do it for a tenner!").

[@therealpbristow]

@@adaddinsane I have the BBC cassettes that were issued a long time after the show first aired. The only differences from the original broadcasts, as far as I can tell, are the cuts in ep 3 to remove that bit of Pink Floyd that they could never get the rights to, and the "completion" of the very last episode (which famously was first broadcast in a not-quite-finished edit, after the tapes were rushed across London in a taxi just barely in time). It's that original "unfinished" edit I miss the most, because I'd had it on off-air cassette for years (with unwelcome FM radio interference throughout!), and found it much more dramatic than the "polished" version.

[@aaronhusk]

Towels have many uses. A hitchhiker’s most important tool.

[@chasestreet8082]

I discovered Douglas Adams and the series of Hitchhiker books by playing the Infocom text game Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy when I was like 10 years old or so. I got stuck in the game so I went to my nearest bookstore and spent my allowance on the book. It was one of the best decisions I probably have ever made. The book is a masterpiece, and the rest of the series is great as well. It does not translate perfectly into a movie, though they did a good job with this. Honestly, the old BBC show from like 1981 did a better job in my opinion, as did the radio drama. Still... This movie was a lot of fun. I just wish they'd made Restaurant at the End of the Universe. Anyway, it was great to see you get around to this, Angela! I hope you find time to read the books because they are amazing. ETA: As others will most likely tell you... A towel is one of the most handy things you can have as a hitchhiker of the galaxy. It has an endless number of uses, and can save your life. This is evidenced by Arthur Dent wearing his towel on his head in the books to save himself from the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal. The idea being that, the Beast is dumb enough to think that if you can't see it... It can't see you. Arthur put the towel on his head, rendering both himself and the Beast blind. Then he luckily escaped. ---- Just one example of how your towel can save your life! 🤣

[@Kwstr42]

this is my origin story too C64 game for xmas and my uncle told me to try the books for answers, so i borrowed them from the school library

[@chasestreet8082]

@@Kwstr42 Yep, I played it on my Commodore 64 as well. Some of my favorite games were Infocom text adventures. I do wonder how many people first experienced Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy from that game. I like to think a bunch, lol.

[@Arthezius]

Tandy Color Computer 2 with the good old cassette tape hard drive for me. I was 9 or 10 at the time and this was one of the games I had. I had seen the book and tried to read it a year before, but it was too much for my ADD rattled kid brain at the time. Once I played the game though, I revisited it and that's my history with it.

[@michaelconnor1542]

For a fantastic sci-fi show to watch, I highly recommend Farscape. If you are a big fan of Jim Henson you will be happy to know, Farscape is a Jim Henson production. In fact it would be a great reactio .

[@danmcdonald3723]

Loved watching your reactions. You never know whether someone is going to take to Adams' brand of humor or not, but I'm glad you did. I think you'll really enjoy the books. Douglas was such a wonderful writer.

[@ThePlaySpace-CurtainCall]

Read the book. It's only 50,000 words (super short-minimum to be called a novel) and you can read it in a day. It's also one of the best books ever written.

[@promontorium]

37:30 The movie doesn't state it outright but the shovel creatures slapping them every time they think is why Vogons evolved to become bureaucrats. They stopped thinking for themselves.

[@alto1MO]

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy movie has aged very well. I loved it when it came out and still love it now. It's too bad we never got to see any more movies after this. Would've loved to see them try to adapt the even weirder parts of the story that happen after the first book.

[@davewarrender2056]

Can't stand the ruddy movie. Loved the TV series , and the original books , need to see if I can find the original radio broadcasts though. Plus Stephen Fry doing an audiobook version!. Oh hell yeah , ii want to listen to that. Probably while drinking a pan galactic gargle blaster or two😂

[@paulwilliams73]

"Who's face at the end?" none other than Douglas Adams himself

[@Architraz_PHX]

The movie is different than the books on plenty of story beats... and that is entirely okay. Every iteration of the story brings something new and worthwhile. H2G2 and follow up books are my favortie pieces of literature, and I try to read them five books in the trilogy every summer. Hoping you follow up with that book, it's a very quick read and even more packed with dry british humor.

[@peteryang5056]

Hitchhiker’s Guide was the series that taught me that what matters for an adaptation is that it captures at least some core aspect of the *spirit* of the original. Fidelity to the letter of the source material is nice and all, but far less important than the soul of it. You can have a great adaptation that largely follows the original, like LOTR, or one that almost entirely abandons the original text, like a certain recent Netflix animated series, and they can both be brilliant works on their own, so long as they manifest the essence of what made the original work great.

[@daveking9393]

Oh boy! I'm looking forward to this first time to your channel. I love this book. Love the movie! Can't wait to see how you like it and how you decided to edit.

[@matthewlamb6262]

An interesting theory I’d read about why “42” is the answer to the meaning of life, the universe, and everything… Douglas Adams was interesting in programming. In the ASCII (representing letters/characters by 2-digit numbers) “42” is the code for an asterisk (*). In early coding, “*” is a wildcard - something which can represent various values, or “anything.” So when the meaning of life = 42, 42 = *, and * = anything. So the meaning of life is anything you want it to be :-)

[@matthewjenkins8506]

This is what Douglas Adams once said, back in 1993: "The answer to this is very simple. It was a joke. It had to be a number, an ordinary, smallish number, and I chose that one. Binary representations, base thirteen, Tibetan monks are all complete nonsense. I sat at my desk, stared into the garden and thought '42 will do' I typed it out. End of story."

[@IloveElsaofArendelle]

I love your explanation

[@wnightshade]

I met him at a release event for Mostly Harmless and at the q&a I asked him why 42. He said he felt it was the funniest of the two-digit numbers. This has always been my canon answer.

[@whatwhatinthewhat4400]

@@matthewjenkins8506 and it just happened to be 42 which represents an astrix used as a wild card that can mean anything So the meaning of life can be anything you want it to be? Just seems like a bit to much of a coincidence to not be intentional

[@matthewjenkins8506]

@@whatwhatinthewhat4400 Well, fans came up with a lot of different theories and several "coincidences", but the man himself rejected them all, insisting that he just wanted a funny answer to the question.

[@TheFeltbegone]

The face at the end was Douglas Adams. The woman in the bar was the original Trillian from the TV series and the man giving the friendly message at Magrathia was the original Author

[@Andreas0886]

'What do you get when you multiply six by nine?'

[@Bill-v6f]

I always thought there was something fundamentally wrong with the universe

[@YukonWilleh]

42 is the * on the ascii table the asterix means whatever you want it to be.

[@colerains]

The hitchhikers guide series is legitimately my favorite book series. It's so funny and smart and sassy. The movie is great, but if you loved it I definitely recommend checking out the series.

[@Hemdian]

Apparently, Douglas Adams was a bit of a geek. 42 is the ASCII code number (in decimal) for the asterisk ... which is commonly used in computers to represent 'anything' or 'everything'. Thus life, the universe, and everything = 42. As others have said, the Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy started as a radio series THEN was a book series. It was also remastered/reedited on vinyl/CD, then performed as a stage play and a TV series before this movie adaptation. This movie loosely follows the first part of the radio series. (If you ever check out the other versions, the radio and book series also deviate from each other after the beginning.) In the movie, the ghostly figure that appears when they reach Magrathea (the one who tells them the planet is closed and then launches missiles at them) is played by Simon Jones ... who played Arthur Dent in both the radio and TV versions of the story. When everyone is queuing up, there is another robot in the line ... this prop was used for Marvin in the TV series.

[@therealpbristow]

As I've commented to someone else, the ASCII code thing is pure coincidence. Douglas didn't even have his first computer when he wrote the original series, though he got *VERY* into computers after buying his first Apple Mac. Douglas commented in interviews how people would keep sending him "discoveries" of the number 42 being "significant" in some way, and either congratulating him for being so clever or themselves for "figuring it out", and they would make him groan, because they were all just coincidences! He would have got just as many letters if he'd picked any other number, they would just have been about different things. 42 was just the most boring number he could think of when he wrote the line.

[@DanielS2001]

BTW, if you like the Jim Henson Creature Shop, I recommend you check out the TV series Farscape. It's from the Henson Company and the Creature Shop created a lot of the aliens and creatures in the show as a means of showing Hollywood what they could do. Seriously, Farscape is awesome. It's hard to put into words how amazing and how ahead of it's time it was. It's four seasons and a mini-series of pure sci-fi awesomeness and drama.

[@chickbowdrie4750]

Can I just say that all of your reactions are just so pure and refreshing! I love how you take to heart the story and pay attention to details that others miss. One of the few beautiful reactors I'm subscribed to!

[@brianrussell463]

7:47 "We meet at a fancy dress party." instantly reminded me of Wash and Zoe, “Out there is seems like it's all fancy parties. I like our party better. The dress code's easier and I know all the steps." From Shindig. Also if you haven’t seen it watch "Being John Malkovich” such a weird but wonderful movie.

[@matt00793]

I love hitchhikers guide and watching your reaction have me life. You have the best laugh I've ever heard. I love how you just fully embrace the randomness most people are completely thrown by it and won't give the movie a chance

[@feralart]

I think you would enjoy Farscape if you haven't already seen it. Sci-fi made working with the Jim Henson Workshop.

[@annipsy2185]

Oh my goodness, this was amazing to watch with you. Im new to this channel btw. I loved that you loved the cast and you loved Marvin and all the cheesy jokes. So sweet, thank you for the amazing reaction video ❤❤❤

[@tonyscupham-bilton7523]

I remember this when it was first broadcast as a 6-part BBC radio in 1978 (I still have the cassette recording I made). Then it became a book. Then it became a 6-part BBC television series. Then there were several radio and book sequels. Lots of actors (and the original Marvin from the tv series) appear as cameos.

[@treadstone1138]

The face at the end of the movie was the author Douglas Adams. It was an homage to him as he had passed. Funnily enough, on the factory floor in the background they're actually is a planet that is in the shape of his head. Lol

[@LabRat355]

YOU'VE never seen this!!! cant wait to see this unfold Anglia! HAPPY NEW YEAR and Happy 46th Anniversary to your parents !!

[@nathanjacobus3577]

The key point is not that the Vogon Soldiers lack the ability to unlock the gate of Arthur's small fence when Ford locks it. It's simply that they lack the authorization to bypass said gate.. But I'm sure there's a form for that somewhere! 😂

[@rmyikzelf5604]

The radio play aired in 1978 of 1979 if I am not mistaken.

[@peregreena9046]

The books are not "the original media" of the Hitchhiker's Guide. The original format was a BBC radio play. Much of it Douglas Adams wrote right as they were recording the episodes. After the radio play ran it's course, Adams was asked to make it into a book. He didn't just make a novelisation of the rqadio play. He converted it into a novel that could stand on it's own. That took more time than anticipated. So after several passed over deadlines, his publisher told him to finish the page he was currently writing, then sent a courier to take the manuscript off his hands. That's marked the end of the first book. For that reason "The Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy" and "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe" are technically one novel, divided into two voluumes. As sequels followed, it was eventually called "a trilogy in four books" (though a fourth/fifth installment eventually came to pass)

[@txheadshots]

He's a hip frood who really knows where his towel is

[@adaddinsane]

[pedant mode engaged] He's a real hoopy frood who really knows where his towel is.

[@roystoyscomics1361]

Betelgeuse is a red supergiant star and is usually seen as the tenth brightest star in Earth's sky. 😮 The significance of the towel. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy recommends having a towel on your person at all times as it serves a myriad of purposes for the intergalactic traveler. "Any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the Galaxy, rough it, slum it up, struggle against terrible odds, win through and still knows where his towel is, is clearly a man to be reckoned with.". - Douglas Adams A towel can be used to keep warm, it can be used as a pillow, it can be used as a sling or a bag, it can be used both offensively and defensively to protect your person. Lol 😆

[@JDdiGriz]

About the towels... In the first Hitchhiker's book Douglas Adams wrote an entire chapter explaining the importance of taking a towel with you while you are Hitchhiking your way through the universe. It was one of the more popular and quotable chapters in the book. After the book came out, you could easily spot the Hitchhiker's Guide fans because we were the ones with the towels. After the Radio Show became a big hit, the fans demanded merchandise. We got T-shirts, we got Zaphod's recycled lighters (they were a bigger deal in the radio show) and we got an official Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy beach towel. This beach towel had the entire chapter on why towels are so important printed on them. These towels were only made for a few years, and are considered the pinnacle for Hitchhikers Guide memorabilia collectors. The Towel is a big part of the HGttG lore, mainly because it's a funny & memorable joke. After all these years I still laughed whenever Ford would use his towel. In fact, at the movie premiere, the fans of the book, we all brought our towels with us. People who hadn't read the book asked us if they were going to somehow get wet watching the movie. We just told them that towels are more important than they thought and they should always carry one just in case. Once the movie started, we would cheer everytime towels were mentioned or used onscreen. And not all of us were high, we were just being silly & whimsical, which is what Douglas Adams inspired in us. Oh, BTW, that face at the end was Douglas Adams, but you probably know that by now.

[@gawainethefirst]

6:15 No, Beetlejuice the ghost…Here’s yer sign…

[@CarefulWithThatAx]

Fun Fact: the original Marvin from the 80's BBC series is in the queue on the Vogon planet. And the Magrathean answering machine is the original Arthur Dent. EDIT: The face at the end is Douglas Adams. Another fun fact, every version (Radio, Book, TV, Movie in release order) all differ slightly in plot. This is deliberate, as all versions were written by Adams.

[@r4pids]

Anyone else wrote "Don't Panic" behind their Kindle? Also FOURTY TWO!

[@xplicitwoolf]

At the time this book was written, the hotels in Britain did not supply towels. Travellers were required to supply their own. That was the inside joke of the towel in the book.

[@DopeSauceBenevolence]

The main difference that I’ve always wondered about is why Zephod’s heads in the show are vertical - but in the books they’re side-by-side. But the way that Douglas treated movies and TV and radio is that they are different universes (like how Marvel approaches it), so it’s fine if things are different.

[@ViviFuchs]

If you would like to get more from this universe, I would highly recommend checking out the BBC mini-series which covers the first two or three books. The movie only covers the first one. Alternatively, if you're a reader, you could totally pick up the series omnibus. There's a lot more wacky and weird stuff that happens after the movie ends. Oh yeah, there's also a ridiculous amount of jokes and silly anecdotes, which the movie misses, in the novel.

[@flawedgenius]

The TV show is top tier

[@robertofulton]

Fact for the day. The robot seen in the queue in the vogon building is the original Marvin from the bbc hitchhikers guide to the galaxy tv show from the 80s

[@JEFFwasHERE...]

Hoorayyy 🎉🎉 you got the instant sub just for reacting to this movie. I watched the movie first and its cool to read it second

[@twylanaythias]

In the books (and the BBC miniseries) the Ultimate Question is revealed to be "What do you get when you multiply six times nine?" My old gaming group and I came to the conclusion that 6 times 9 *DOES* equal 42 because the universe operates in Base13. Of course nothing makes sense when you try to explain things in Base10 (decimal), Base8 (octal), Base16 (hexadecimal), Base2 (binary) or any other Base. A towel is the most useful thing ever conceived - you can wrap it about yourself for warmth; ward off noxious fumes; wet it for use as a melee weapon; put it over your head to avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal; you can even use it to dry yourself off. The face at the end - as well as the 'recorded message' from Magrathea - was Douglas Adams, the author of the original BBC radio program and the books, and co-author of the screenplay for this movie. Sadly, he passed away before the movie was finished.

[@bit-tuber8126]

Adams vehemently denied the following was planned, so take them as delightful coincidences, [1] in binary what humans call 42 is 101010. Note the beautiful altercations between 1s and 0s. [2] in the ASCII code computers use internally to show words on monitors, printing, and even keyboards, 42 matches the * asterisk, which when used in file name matching, matches everything. In windows command prompts DIR *.* will show it nicely.

[@AlanCanon2222]

"Who's face is that?" That's Douglas Adams (1952-2001). He's also seen as one of the planets in the Magrathea "factory floor".

[@arandomnamegoeshere]

Adams created a different variation for every time the story was told - usually in a different medium. He claimed every single variation was cannon. His sense of humor knew no bounds. A bit of trivia - Adams wrote and designed the game Starship Titanic. His face was digitally mapped as a 3D model for the project. That data was used to create the temple nose and one of the planets on the Magrathea factory floor. And, of course, the final image in the flick is Adams' blurred stare.

[@katenunyabizness9221]

In the queue there is a robot that is actually the original Marvin from the tv series. Simon Jones, who played Arthur in the radio plays and the tv series was the Magrathea answering system in the movie.

[@sithlordkaeyl21]

I was so happy when I saw your thumbnail, and that you were finally reacting to this movie, because I really love it and I figured that it’d be right up your alley. As usual, Alan Rickman does a great job as Marvin, and like you said, it’s so full of so many amazing actors that did an awesome job, as well.

[@Deathbird_Mitch]

16:25 "BabbleFish" was the original name of the language learning program now just called "Babble".

[@phousefilms]

I thought it was Babel.

[@RvBDopp]

I was FULLY engrossed in another video. A long one, too. I IMMEDIATELY paused it and came here when I saw it in my recommended list on the right. I haven't even started the video yet and just wanted to express my excitement that I'm about to watch you react to this movie. My background with this movie is, I never read the book and watched it in the theaters. I came out thinking "wtf did I just watch?" I then got the movie for Birthday or something from my mom. I showed it to my gf at the time (wife of 17 years now) and told her that it was odd. I liked it a lot when I watched it with her. I watched it again the next day and fell in love. This is one of my top 10 favorite movies to watch for sure. Ok, time to watch the video. :)

[@D0nut42]

10:55 According to the guide, a towel is the single most useful item for a galactic hitchhiker because it is so versatile and it indicates to anyone who might pick you up that you come prepared and probably have your own toothbrush.

[@reysgotplans5005]

First time watching your videos! Loved this and so glad you enjoyed it! More classics like this would be great 😊

[@darylkik777]

Second movie with you. "42" was worth my wait of a few million years. I can die a happy man now. Keep up the good shows and humor.

[@Budski73]

Douglas Adams died before the filming was complete. That's why it says For Douglas & the face at the end was Douglas also.