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• MOVIE REVIEW (Sci-Fi) •

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Mos Def, Zooey Deschanel, Martin Freeman The Official Site DVD at Amazon.com

Released: 9/15/2005

If you have read the book or seen the BBC series of the same name, you are familiar with the story here and this movie does not stray far from the path worn by those two, although it does try to weave the disconnected elements of the book into a more linear story line to make the film more palpable to the general movie-going public.

The story itself is basically a love story wrapped in sci-fi packaging, with some lessons about appreciating the planet thrown in for good measure and observations on the absurdity of life. Starting with the parallel of Arthur Dent's home being destroyed to make way for a freeway bypass, and the earth being destroyed to make way for an interstallar bypass, the characters then embark on a quest for love and the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything. Oh, and also the question that begets that answer.

Although obviously with more flashy and convincing special effects than the BBC series of over 20 years ago, the film still stays true to the essence of the book, focussing on characters rather than explosions and space battles. Computer generated images are used to good effect though, especially in projecting the awe of the planet-building factory floor, the immensity of the Vogon constructor fleet, and the absurdity of Zaphod Beeblebrox's second head.

Also featuring appearances by John Malkovich and Alan Rickman as the voice of Marvin the paranoid android, all in all the film is well worth the effort, although the characteristically dry british humour and Adams' odd perspective could be lost on some.

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