The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy
2004
The long-awaited film version of Douglas Adams' THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY, based on his five-book series, is a funny, wacky, highly creative ride through a bizarre universe. Martin Freeman (Tim from THE OFFICE) stars as Arthur Dent, a British everyman suddenly thrust into intergalactic intrigue when the earth is .. Read more
| Starring | Martin Freeman, Sam Rockwell, Mos Def, Zooey Deschanel |
|---|---|
| Director | Garth Jennings |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Audio Descriptive, Comedy, Sci-Fi/Fantasy |
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The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy
The long-awaited film version of Douglas Adams' THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY, based on his five-book series, is a funny, wacky, highly creative ride through a bizarre universe. Martin Freeman (Tim from THE OFFICE) stars as Arthur Dent, a British everyman suddenly thrust into intergalactic intrigue when the earth is destroyed by the Vogons to make room for an interspatial highway. Arthur travels the skyways with good friend Ford Prefect (Mos Def), an alien writer for an electronic encyclopedia called THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY. Things get downright dangerous--and absolutely hysterical--when Arthur and Ford thumb a ride with the president of the universe, two-headed Zaphod Beeblebrox (a wild and crazy Sam Rockwell); earthling Tricia McMillan (Zooey Deschanel), whom Arthur once had a thing for back in England; and a perpetually depressed robot named Marvin (voiced by Alan Rickman, played by Warwick Davis). With much of the galaxy after them, the motley crew makes its way toward a super-computer that just might be able to provide them with the ultimate question; they already know the answer.
| Starring | Martin Freeman, Sam Rockwell, Mos Def, Zooey Deschanel, Bill Nighy, Anna Chancellor, John Malkovich, Warwick Davis, Alan Rickman, Stephen Fry |
|---|---|
| Director | Garth Jennings |
| Studio | TOUCHSTONE HOME VIDEO |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 44 mins Blu-ray: 1 hr 44 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Audio Descriptive, Comedy, Sci-Fi/Fantasy |
| Language | English, English Audio Description |
| Hearing-impaired | English |
| Subtitles | English |
| Released | DVD: 05 Sep 2005 Blu-ray: 19 Mar 2007 Production year: 2004 |
| Format | DVD |
The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy (2004)
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Critics' reviews
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Douglas Adams playful, ever-expanding (radio, books, TV) and unusually smart sci-fi project is something of a... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful member's review
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100 out of 126 people found this review helpful
No Guide - No Idea (2 Stars)
Ultimately disappointing, this movie adaptation of the book is mostly a collection of the most incorrigible parts of the book - that is, without the context that pulls the book back down to the Earth, so to speak. Martin Freeman does ok as Arthur Dent; however most of the other characters and voiceovers are either miscast or annoying. The acting is overcooked, scenes border on madness, and the CGI - the films one saving grace - borders on Disney. Thanks the Hollywood influence for misunderstanding and butchering another classic - this movie is all one liners and sight gags. The effect of these gags over two hours - is like someone blowing a party cracker for a laugh on a Monday morning - none too funny. I found myself bored through most of the film - which I never expected. I would compare this film to a very long episode of Red Dwaft, without much of the humour.
The GOOD news is, that while in the cinema I saw the Star Wars Episode III preview and it looked great. But as we know - with previews -- such as the Hitchhikers Guide Preview and Hype (they are getting really good at hyping movies aren't they) we can always piece together a garment from a messy pile of string. -
Most recent members' review
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Not the greatest film to come from the publishing corporation of Ursa Minor
I listened to the tapes and read the book when I was a child, and I had high hopes for the film, especially since Douglas Adams was involved in writing... How wrong could I be?
1) The characterisations are all wrong. Martin Freeman as Arthur Dent is perfect to start off with, but he loses his inital bewilderment after about 15 minutes, which completely writes off his character for the film and the inevitable 4 sequels. The only actor who gets it right is Mos Def as Ford, but even then there's no proper explanation of why he has his name (I would have forgiven them even changing his name to Ford Focus - it would have made more sense). And how much more wrong could they have got Marvin?
2) The story - I'm sorry, but the new story line is pants.
3) The Guide - they miss out all the best bits - the slight innuendo, and all the important explanations that keep the story moving. For instance, there is a deleted scene of the 'Mostly Harmless' bit, so important for explaining Arthur's irritability throughout the subsequent books/radio shows.
4) British Films! I HATE HATE HATE British films that trot out the cast of British actors. Stephen Fry as the book - great voice, but he's always 'Stephen Fry as...'. All we're missing is Dawn French, and you've got the whole lot!
There are one or two good bits - I chuckled at some gags, and the graphics are pretty good, but it was generally disappointing.
The bottom line - uncheck it from your list, and then ask round your colleagues or friends and borrow the radio series and find out what H2G2 is really about. -
News and features
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The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy a hit
- 05 May 2005
The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy has proved to be an enormous success on both sides of the channel, topping the box office lists in both the UK and the US. The film has managed to knock Nicole Kidman's The Interpreter off top spot, and came in ahead of another new release, xXx2, starring Ice Cube and Samuel L Jackson. The news will delight fans of the sci-fi adventure, an adaptation of the immensely popular 1970s novel by Douglas Adams. The ambitious project was the first film for director... Read more
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