| I totally understand wanting a good adaptation but I don't really understand the rage at a bad adaptation. Generally I feel disappointment not an urge to break things! |
Dirk Gently comes to the BBC...
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Page 2
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Scimarad 9,964 posts
Seen 15 hours ago
Registered 18 years ago -
MetalDog 24,076 posts
Seen 3 years ago
Registered 20 years agoFor me it usually depends what comes of things. Take 'The Neverending Story' for instance - I really liked the book, but the film was utter gash by comparison. You mention it to anyone and all they usually remember is the gash flick.
Irritating. -
glaeken 12,070 posts
Seen 7 months ago
Registered 17 years agoIt's so long since I actually read the book (over 20 years) I don't think I will spot how this deviates if it does at all. I think from what I read in one of the papers at the weekend it sounds like its not going to be a very close adaptation anyway. It almost sounded like it was mainly just going to use the character but in a specially written story. Anyway I will watch it and give it a chance. -
speedofthepuma 13,428 posts
Seen 1 year ago
Registered 16 years agoIf you love something, then to see it desecrated is galling.
Oh, and I used to like MD. -
ModishNouns 4,986 posts
Seen 4 weeks ago
Registered 12 years agoThe most worrying thing is that Mangan's tone (always difficult to judge online) seems to suggest that they are steeling themselves against a backlash from die hard fans ("you'll hate it").
The problem here is that they are dealing with something that only has a cult following - no one else will have heard of it - and they are releasing it onto what is still a fairly niche channel, BBC4. So, the only people who will be watching it are expected to hate it.
What's that all about then? -
glaeken 12,070 posts
Seen 7 months ago
Registered 17 years agoWell I have read it and am not part of its cult following. I remember enjoying it but not liking it anywhere near as much as Hitchhikers. I would imagine plenty of people will give it a chance just due to the link with Douglas Adams though I must admit I am not sure how much they are making of the fact its a Douglas Adams character. -
Scimarad 9,964 posts
Seen 15 hours ago
Registered 18 years agoActually, it occurs to me that I was a tad fucked off about the ending to the recent(ish) film version of The Mist...
/is a hypocrite -
mal 29,326 posts
Seen 3 years ago
Registered 20 years agoModishNouns wrote:
I suspect that's Mangan's tone and not necessarily anything to do with the production team.
The most worrying thing is that Mangan's tone (always difficult to judge online) seems to suggest that they are steeling themselves against a backlash from die hard fans ("you'll hate it"). -
Tricky 5,088 posts
Seen 3 days ago
Registered 20 years agoWell I thought it turned out pretty damn well to be honest. It wasn't quite pitch perfect (some of Mangan's shouty bits seemed a bit off) but I think the rewriting of the core of the first book's story actually went very well with an appropriate touch of the absurd with the time machine.
I'd definitely be interested to see if it gets a series. -
mal 29,326 posts
Seen 3 years ago
Registered 20 years agoJust seen the first half of it here. Seems pretty good - Mangan may not be 100% Adams' Gently, but the script feels like it has a bit of Adams (it's too long since I read the books, so I can't remember how close it runs).
However I notice the credits state that it was written and created by Howard Overmann. Now, I'm pretty sure a man named Doug had something to do with Dirk Gently last time I checked. -
Ged42 7,985 posts
Seen 2 years ago
Registered 14 years agoWell it had 'Based on Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams' during the opening credits. I'm sure I remember reading that Adams was working on an adaptation of Dirk Gently before he died, but whether any of that got into this version, I don't know
I thought it was alright, but I haven't read the books in a while so I couldn't remember how much it differed. Though I did spot background references to the Electric Monk and the horse. -
ModishNouns 4,986 posts
Seen 4 weeks ago
Registered 12 years agoYes I quite enjoyed it in the end. They've obviously tried to put enough distance between it and the books for it to stand on its own which I think it did.
Mangan was very good. Not Dirk, but a very good NotDirk.
The rest of the casting was oddly spot on. They nailed his secretary, for instance (figuratively speaking). -
Goban 10,121 posts
Seen 2 weeks ago
Registered 16 years agoNever got round to reading the books, never appealed for some reason. Enjoyed last nights little escapade. -
LockeTribal 4,740 posts
Seen 15 hours ago
Registered 14 years agoHope they do more. Quite enjoyed it last night. -
This is exactly the kind of thing that could do with a 12 part series, where you get to properly know the characters etc -
Scimarad 9,964 posts
Seen 15 hours ago
Registered 18 years agoGoban wrote:
Never got round to reading the books, never appealed for some reason. Enjoyed last nights little escapade.
Same here. Absolutely have no idea how faithful (or otherwise) it was but it was entertaining, which is the main thing.
Personally I think it would have been slightly more entertaining it it was somewhat ambiguous whether he was just making everything up or not. -
gang_of_bitches 5,707 posts
Seen 2 years ago
Registered 16 years agoTricky wrote:
Well I thought it turned out pretty damn well to be honest. It wasn't quite pitch perfect (some of Mangan's shouty bits seemed a bit off) but I think the rewriting of the core of the first book's story actually went very well with an appropriate touch of the absurd with the time machine.
I'd definitely be interested to see if it gets a series.
Agree entirely. It was an enjoyable watch which evoked the spirit of the original (though like many I haven't read it since it came out) and felt right. Though as tricky said, the shouting didn't quite work for me. -
mal 29,326 posts
Seen 3 years ago
Registered 20 years agoDitto. I'll have to go back and read the books now, but that was better than I was expecting.
More, please! -
Dirtbox 92,595 posts
Seen 14 hours ago
Registered 19 years ago -
jonsaan 27,052 posts
Seen 9 months ago
Registered 15 years agoLoved the books but like glaeken said it was so long ago that I won't be bothered by who plays him and how it's portrayed. Should be good. -
agparrot 11,901 posts
Seen 7 years ago
Registered 19 years agoI remember a fair chunk of the first book, and there was an awful lot of material that didn't make it into the Television Programme. I think if it was in any way popular, it would have fanboys ranting about how they'd ripped the heart out of the story, and blah blah blah. I certainly feel that the episode did a pretty good job of encapsulating the nature of the story - that, it being to do with the fundamental interconnectedness of all things, that you didn't really get the denouement until right near the end.
I just missed the long list of things that there were to be interconnected, I suppose. A lot of which we watched Dirk erase from the whiteboard at the very beginning of the episode. No Electric Monk!? (insert imaginary fanboy rant here). -
Fab4 8,924 posts
Seen 1 year ago
Registered 15 years agoBack on tonight on BBC4...this time for a series .gif)
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SirScratchalot 7,921 posts
Seen 1 year ago
Registered 16 years agoI would like to salute you britons, I'm ready to forgive the empire for the simple fact that it gave us the BBC.
/Enjoys... -
S.J.Rogers 3,593 posts
Seen 5 years ago
Registered 16 years agoCant wait... And its about bloody time too...!!! -
Even as a huge fan of the books I really enjoyed the "pilot", so am happy this has been picked up -
S.J.Rogers 3,593 posts
Seen 5 years ago
Registered 16 years agoWell that was good and well written, really enjoyed it..!
Really pleased and i think he makes a really good Dirk, nothing like the books make him look but still a good Dirk.
Well done BBC. \o/ -
X201 22,150 posts
Seen 3 hours ago
Registered 16 years agoNo more Dirk.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18247740
Arsebiscuits.
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boo 13,901 posts
Seen 13 hours ago
Registered 18 years agoGood. -
President_Weasel 12,355 posts
Seen 2 weeks ago
Registered 17 years agoI didn't even know the series had been on until now.
Fucking BBC, they bury the half decent stuff on BBC17 and then fill up BBFC 1 and 2 with Twats on Ice or similar toss.
Although give them their due, at least they sometimes make the decent stuff in the first place, which makes them better than the other channels. -
@President_Weasel
You can get the whole series including the pilot on DVD if you want. I would recommend it.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dirk-Gently-DVD-Stephen-Mangan/dp/B007BBN1R0/
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