The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Movie Review 2005

Douglas Adams' absurdist sci-fi classic finally makes it to the big screen. When the Earth is demolished, Arthur Dent (Freeman) hitches a ride off the planet with Ford Prefect (Def), a writer for the HGTG, a Fodors-esque guidebook to the universe. Arthur and Ford fall in with Zaphod Beeblebrox (Rockwell), the sublimely dense President of the Galaxy, and his girlfriend, Trillian (Deschanel), in their quest to find the Ultimate Question to life, the universe, and everything. The script's slavish devotion to Adams' text weighs down certain scenes, making them sound more like audiobook recitations, but Jennings does a praiseworthy job of bringing the author's eccentric vision to life. The cast is uniformly strong, particularly Rockwell, who gleefully chews the scenery as two-headed egotist Zaphod.

Distribution

Buena Vista Home Entertainment, 500 S. Buena Vista St., Burbank, CA 91521-1120, Toll-free: 800-723-4763, URL: http://www.bvhe.com

Available on DVD
Running time 110 minutes.
Originally from British, United States.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Comedy Sci-Fi, Sci Fi, Books & Bookstores, Alien Beings--Benign, Alien Beings--Vicious, Aliens Are People, Too, The Meaning of Life, Robots & Androids, Nice Mice, Thumbs Up

Screenplay

Douglas Adams, Karey Kilpatrick

Cast

Martin Freeman, Mos Def, Sam Rockwell, Zooey Deschanel, John Malkovich, Bill Nighy, Warwick Davis, Simon Jones, Anna Chancellor, Albie Woodington, Jason Schwartzman, Dominique Jackson, Jack Stanley

Cinematography

Igor Jadue-Lillo

Director

Garth Jennings

Music

Joby Talbot

Other

Alan Rickman, Thomas Lennon, Helen Mirren, Stephen Fry, Richard Griffiths, Ian McNeice, Niven Howie, Sammy Sheldon, Joel Collins

Producer

Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum, Jay Roach, Jonathan Glickman, Nick Goldsmith, Everyman Pictures, Barber Birnbaum, Buena Vista