The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Year: 2005
Rating: PG
Length: 109 minutes / 1.82 hours
For a book that has had so many adaptations in so many forms of media (radio drama, video game, TV series, etc.), one could argue that The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005) was merely the American adaptation that made it palatable to non-British audiences. While this may be the case, I think it does an excellent job of encapsulating this iconic piece of science fiction comedy with lots of high-profile actors and excellent CGI that enhances the otherworldly universe created by Douglas Adams.
One of the challenges this film faces is all the different cutaway gags and bits required as the “Guide” provides exposition details for all the fantastical elements that are a staple in sci-fi. I love the style they used for the Guide and the bits with the whale were funny. The only problem is that they sometimes break the flow of the narrative—even if they are excellent bits. I can’t see any other seamless way to integrate the Guide cut-aways, so how they did it in the film was probably the best way to do it.
As for the talent, that this ensemble cast includes so many well-known names who have gone on to more famous roles just shows how great this movie is in hindsight. Martin Freeman, Sam Rockwell, Zooey Deschanel, Bill Nighy, and John Malkovich clearly are having fun with their roles, and the voice talents of Alan Rickman, Helen Mirren, and Stephen Fry bring that flat British wit to their characters as well. I can appreciate that not everything was CGI for this movie and the puppetry and other practical effects help keep The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy looking fresh all these decades later.
A great adaptation of a classic sci-fi story, I give The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy 4.0 stars out of 5.
This film appears in the following posts:
Cinema Connections #126. Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything
Cinema Connections #127. Traveling Through Space
