A review by lukewhenderson
The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
5.0
I loved this movie as a kid but had yet to actually read the books. I'm glad I finally got around to it and got see the genius of Douglas Adams' humor. Seriously, if you're considering a career in comedy, I think this is essential reading. The main style consists of leading the reader to what appears to be a big dramatic moment which is then completely undercut with a joke. Each books ends in this manner and the writing makes you forget that this stylistic point is coming. The ending of the series left me divided on whether I liked it or not, but I should have seen it coming based simply on Adams' style.
The other humor device I particularly loved was how Adams took normal human behavior and had a character not from Earth completely misinterpret the function of said behavior. This mostly happens with Ford and his interactions with Arthur which makes their conversations amazing.
The final bit I really enjoyed was the pseudo-absurdist take on the question of the meaning of life. There's never really a clear answer and I believe there's even a point where the narrator explains that if you did find the answer you would be dissappinted regardless. The pursuit of the question of life, the universe and everything always ends in a joke, highlighting this idea of the answers being disappointing. Arthur finds meaning throughout the series in the routines and relationships he develops, but is always caught somewhere between being a misanthrope and hopeful.
10/10 would reccomend.
The other humor device I particularly loved was how Adams took normal human behavior and had a character not from Earth completely misinterpret the function of said behavior. This mostly happens with Ford and his interactions with Arthur which makes their conversations amazing.
The final bit I really enjoyed was the pseudo-absurdist take on the question of the meaning of life. There's never really a clear answer and I believe there's even a point where the narrator explains that if you did find the answer you would be dissappinted regardless. The pursuit of the question of life, the universe and everything always ends in a joke, highlighting this idea of the answers being disappointing. Arthur finds meaning throughout the series in the routines and relationships he develops, but is always caught somewhere between being a misanthrope and hopeful.
10/10 would reccomend.