I do vaguely remember hearing about this, but it passed under my radar until a recent visit to the rental store and now I can’t imagine why, it’s a great movie.
OK, so the title sucks. I suspect this is part of why it didn’t do as well as Shaun of the Dead (it’s described as ‘Doctor Who meets Shaun of the Dead’), that and it’s aimed at a much more niche market.
OK, so it’s a bit geeky. It is, largely, set in a pub (much like SotD). The average episode of Doctor Who has a larger effects budget by the looks of it though.
Considering the limitations of the budget (this is a joint BBC and HBO films production) they have to fall back on character and story and for any sci-fi fans out there it’s sure to please.
The plot revolves around the three main leads: Ray (nerd, played by the IT Crowd’s Chris O’Dowd), Toby (nerd, Marc Wootton) and Pete (cynic, Dean Lennox Kelly) who go to the pub (after Ray gets fired from his job at a theme park). They’re happily writing a letter to let Hollywood know how to make films after seeing a bad one before the pub when Ray bumps into Cassie on his way back from the bar.
Cassie (Anna Faris bringing some Hollywood glamour) is a time traveller whose job involves fixing time leaks, is a big fan of Ray’s. When he gets back he tells the guys, who don’t believe him until Pete stumbles onto the time leak in the gents and comes back to a pub full of dead bodies (including his). Several visits to the toilets and near misses with their past and future selves ensue before they discover their one good idea (written on the back of the letter to Hollywood) is the cause of the problems and threatens their lives.
It’s very British in its outlook, geeky and funny, with Faris (who is fairly unknown, despite staring in some big movies, and is a Hollywood star in waiting) bringing some geek love appeal and raising the star power. Needless to say it’s packed with nods to sci-fi films (although Ray insists it is called Science Fiction or SF). DVD is probably a better medium for it (it’s not really cinematic), although the lack of any extras seems criminal considering the fanbase.
If you’re a fan of Hitchhikers then you should definitely take a look. It’s got cult hit written all over it.
Should you be interested, I stumbled across a small interview with some of the cast here.
You can check out the full trailer on YouTube or on the official site, which has some other information about the film and cast.
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