robyn millarReview of The Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy
October 28th 2006 06:56
The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy
The Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy(2005)
Directed: Garth Jennings
Screenplay: Douglas Adams and Karey Kirkpatrick (based on the books by
Douglas Adams)
Martin Freeman, Sam Rockwell, Zooey Deschanel, Mos Def, Stephen Fry (voice)
Don’t Panic.
It's first big screen adaptation of Douglas Adams’ classic trilogy of four (there has previously been a TV series and several radio plays), and the writing brief for this particular project must have been excruciating. Not only are the books meandering in the extreme, passages often only linked by references to the eclectic Guide itself, but they have a huge worldwide following, a positive legion of fans ready to jump at the smallest inconsistency. All in all, the producers were lucky to have Adams along (until his death in 2001), his presence acting as a balm for some of the more dedicated fanatics. Fortunately, instead of trying to put everything from the books into the film, the movie instead concentrates on telling its own story while echoing the light-hearted sarcastic tone that made the novels such fun.
The plot follows the adventures of Arthur Dent (Freeman), an otherwise ordinary Englishman who in one day loses his house, his planet and incidentally discovers that his best friend, Ford Prefect (Def) comes from a small planet near Betelgeuse. After hitching a ride on the demolition ship that destroyed Earth the pair encounter two-headed Galaxy President Zaphod Beeblebrox(Rockwell) and Earthling Trillion (Deschanel) on their improbably driven space ship, and are soon in search of the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything – which has the mystifying answer of 42.
While purists will object to the wide divergence from the books, there are more then enough jokes to keep the story bubbling along and the entire cast, including those in minor or voice only roles, are a joy to behold. Smart, fun and hugely imaginative.
7/10.
The Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy(2005)
Directed: Garth Jennings
Screenplay: Douglas Adams and Karey Kirkpatrick (based on the books by
Douglas Adams)
Martin Freeman, Sam Rockwell, Zooey Deschanel, Mos Def, Stephen Fry (voice)
Don’t Panic.
It's first big screen adaptation of Douglas Adams’ classic trilogy of four (there has previously been a TV series and several radio plays), and the writing brief for this particular project must have been excruciating. Not only are the books meandering in the extreme, passages often only linked by references to the eclectic Guide itself, but they have a huge worldwide following, a positive legion of fans ready to jump at the smallest inconsistency. All in all, the producers were lucky to have Adams along (until his death in 2001), his presence acting as a balm for some of the more dedicated fanatics. Fortunately, instead of trying to put everything from the books into the film, the movie instead concentrates on telling its own story while echoing the light-hearted sarcastic tone that made the novels such fun.
The plot follows the adventures of Arthur Dent (Freeman), an otherwise ordinary Englishman who in one day loses his house, his planet and incidentally discovers that his best friend, Ford Prefect (Def) comes from a small planet near Betelgeuse. After hitching a ride on the demolition ship that destroyed Earth the pair encounter two-headed Galaxy President Zaphod Beeblebrox(Rockwell) and Earthling Trillion (Deschanel) on their improbably driven space ship, and are soon in search of the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything – which has the mystifying answer of 42.
While purists will object to the wide divergence from the books, there are more then enough jokes to keep the story bubbling along and the entire cast, including those in minor or voice only roles, are a joy to behold. Smart, fun and hugely imaginative.
7/10.
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