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The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (2 Disc Edition) [2005]

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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

Don't panic! After twenty years stuck in development (a mere blink compared to how long it takes to find the answer to life, the universe, and everything), The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has finally been turned into a movie. Following the radio play, TV series, commemorative towel, and books, this latest installment in the sci-fi-comedy franchise is based on the screenplay and detailed notes by Douglas Adams. For those unfamiliar with the story, everyman Arthur Dent (Martin Freeman) wakes up one morning to discover that his house is set to be demolished to make room for a bypass. Little does he know the entire planet Earth is also set to be destroyed for an interplanetary bypass by the Vogons, a hideous and bureaucratic race of aliens realized in the film by Jim Henson's Creature Shop. Whisked off the planet by his best friend, alien-in-disguise Ford Prefect (Mos Def), Dent embarks on a goofy jaunt across the galaxy accompanied by his trusty Hitchhiker's Guide, which looks like a really fancy PDA. The guide itself provides some of the funniest bits of the movie, little animated shorts that explain the ludicrous life forms and extraterrestrial phenomena our heroes encounter. Along the way Arthur meets the two-headed party animal/president of the galaxy Zaphod Beeblebrox (Sam Rockwell) and develops an unrequited crush on fellow earthling Trillian (Zooey Deschanel). The creatures and sets are inspired and answer to the sci-fi fan's primal need to see lots and lots of cool stuff. Where the story stumbles is in the telling--as books, the Hitchhiker's Guide was foremost about goofy and brilliant ideas that raised questions about our place in the universe while getting a laugh. The movie has enough trouble figuring out how to get the characters from one fantastical location to the next that Adams's funniest concepts often feel left in the dust. While the reverence the filmmakers felt toward Adams's legacy is apparent, one wonders what we could have expected had the creator of this science fiction universe lived to see it with his own eyes. --Ryan Boudinot, Amazon.com

Space Garbage
Review date: 2008-06-21 Rating: 2 out of 10

Boring, incomprehensible and not funny. All the big ideas have had the life sucked out of them by an uninspired Hollywood script. The dialogue is hurried and delivered without passion. How the photon can you get it so wrong?

Reviews

Could be worse but not prefect!
Review date: 2008-03-21 Rating: 6 out of 10

I feel like the filmmakers had a task on their hands. Purists already have a concrete idea of how the film should be and it had to follow a book, radio series and TV series which all had a cult following. Also some of the original cast were either too old or had passed on so couldn't reprise their roles. Given all those hurdles I'm surprised it was as good as it was, though there was still room for improvement.
So on the plus side, I loved the production design... Marvin, Planet Vogspere, Deep thought, the cinematograpy of the earth's destruction, the Vogons, the guide itself... I think the design team managed the rare feat of going back to source and creating a look distinct from the TV series but still iconic enough to stand by itself. Amongst the new cast Stephen Fry was a pitch-perfect substitution for the late Peter Jones, Sam Rockwell was just as outrageous as he had to be as Zaphod and Zooey Dechanel made a decent Trillian. Bill Bailey as the whale also worked great (his standup style is a pefect match for the Whale's existential monologue on the way to his untimely splat on the ground). And the League of Gentlemen as the Vogons were also inspired casting. I thought Bill Nighy made a reasonable Slartibartfast too, though younger than I imagined him.
Where it fell down is that Martin Freeman isn't quite Arthur Dent. Simon Jones made the role his own to the extent that it's difficult to see anyone else in it. Jack Davenport (Norrington from "Pirates of the Carribean") could have been a passable doppleganger but it's ultimately Jones' role. Only he could pinpoint that middle class english whinginess that makes Dent a character rather than a cypher. Mos Def failed to make an impact as Ford (he was better in Be Kind Rewind) and as much as I like Alan Rickman, his Marvin felt like a Marvin having a bad day (perhaps a parking ticket), where Stephen Moore's hit the mark by being terminally depressed to the point that he hadn't had a good minute in his entire dismal existance. With Moore you can feel the pains in all the diodes down the left side. There's a world of difference in acting those 2 things.
Overall not bad though... and if only for the production design worth a look.

Not as Bad as many Adamite Fundamentalists would make you think!
Review date: 2008-01-28 Rating: 6 out of 10

Clearly this film divides both fans & critical opinion; but purists have to acknowledge no studio would make a 180 minute comedy film that adhered to the original radio series script/novel/ mud-wrestling opera's libretto.

The team behing the movie , "Hammer & Tongs", have a great visual imagaination but their casting choices & directing of the actors really is patchy. For example, ..... how does Mos Def sound like he could come from Guildford; or .... why is lazy, egomanaic played in an OTT Jim Carey style ....? the answer :- American bums on seats.

I actually prefer this movie's romantic, optimistic & happy ending than the silly faux existentialism that Adams had previously written which really only a result of Adams painting himself into a corner with his plotting.

"Don't Panic" though; this movie isn't a betrayal of the original merely a sign than Adams had lost his literary powers. If you don't believe me read "The Salmon of Doubt" or "The Long dark Teatime of the Soul" and tell me Adams' juices hadn't run dry.

YAWN
Review date: 2008-01-20 Rating: 2 out of 10

Quite honestly this film is extremely boring, & is certainly not engaging in any shape or form. The acting is flat & uninspired, apart from Zaphod, who's ego is as outrageous as ever. Arthur & Ford ufortunately are a waste of space. The plot develops far too quickly for you to correspond, or care about any of the characters. That said the effects are great. There's even a cameo from the original Marvin. Many of the classic jokes are delivered in such a way as to loose all humour!!!! What the hell was that showtune "So Long & Thanks For All The Fish About" anyway!!! WORST OF ALL it's Hollywoody!!!!

Overall rating: A shocking waste of time & energy.

I like it!
Review date: 2007-10-01 Rating: 8 out of 10

I love the books and i like this movie. Of course it could be better, but what can't? First time i saw it i thought it was okay, I was a bit disappointed I'll admit that(with all my expectations and all). But I gave it a second go and enjoyed it a lot more this time. Recently i saw it again and I found myself thinking it was pretty great. I think the movie catches a lot of the original humor and the special effects are really nice. The fact that the movie gets better for each time I watch it is definitely a big plus and pushes it from three right up to four stars. Though if I could I'd rate this one 3.646789 stars. I don't know how much Douglas Adams was involved with the screenplay(he is credited for it, though some doubt his involvement), but i like to think he'd be pretty satisfied with the results.

Product Details/Specifications

Actor(s):
Martin Freeman|Mos Def|Sam Rockwell

Director(s):

Recording label: Touchstone Home Video
Manufacturer: Touchstone Home Video
EAN: 8717418047450
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 2
Format: PAL, Widescreen,
Release date: 2005-09-05
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 104 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2005-09-05
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: English (Original Language)

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The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (2 Disc Edition) [2005]

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