The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
(C- or 2/4 stars)
My good friend, Kevin, loves the Hitchhiker series & was able to understand every little nuance and joke to full capacity. That being said, I don't think he particularly loved this adaptation either. 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' is a sci-fi Disney comedy, directed by Garth Jennings & based on a novel by the late Douglas Adams (who also worked on the screenplay). Adams wrote the book that this movie is based on, and others such as, The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide, The Salmon of Doubt (alluded to in this film), & The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul (also alluded to in this film). The undertaking of this film comes well after a series of other Hitchhiker productions (70's miniseries, a BBC miniseries, various novels, plays, comic books, a website, a video game, a radio show, etc.). The popularity is undeniable; but as a relevant newcomer to 'Hitchhiker', this film doesn't win me over. I'm not running out to Waldenbooks to pick up the novels.
For me, my allegiance to this film was shoddy because I was entertained, then confused, then entertained, then confused for most of the film, & before I knew it, the credits were rolling. I acknowledge the many witty moments, and I really like how the film looks. But overall, the characters don't come to life on screen. This prevents me from connecting to the story & even caring about understanding its' brand of humor (within the context of the books).
Arthur Dent (Martin Freeman) is saved by his alien friend, Ford (Mos Def), when Earth is being demolished so that an intergalactic freeway can be built. All Ford has to do is stick his thumb up to the sky and they are magically transported to a space ship run by alien-like creatures called Vogons. I enjoy these characters because they are funny to look at and hear, and they are products of Jim Henson designs. I can't abide digital creatures on screen anymore. Arthur & Ford are hitchhikers on the ship, and not entirely welcome, so they beam themselves to another ship, the Heart of Gold, commandeered by current president, Zaphod (Sam Rockwell). Zaphod runs the galaxy with two heads, literally; I enjoyed that. Also on board is Trillian (Zooey Deschanel). Conveniently enough, Arthur is in love with her because they almost dated on Earth. Trillian can't remember this. But their love story is trivial & unimportant here. We also meet my favorite character, Marvin. He is a robot voiced by the great Alan Rickman. Rickman's monotone, sulking voice lends greatly to this character.
The plot drive calls for Arthur trying to adapt to life in space, find out the meaning of life, retrieve Earth (if at all possible), win back his girl, & find some decent tea to drink. So there it is; there's not much else to add. Everything that is said & done in this movie doesn't seem very important. I like many moments of this film, but recognize a lack of general purpose to making it other than exalting Douglas Adams's work. We meet colorful characters & see some pretty neat things. We laugh, ponder, laugh, drift off into space (literally & figuratively), etc. This is what I felt & can't help but think that most people who haven't read this book feel similarly.
All the actors have good chemistry on screen, but then again, it isn't the most challenging work to deal with, either. Freeman, Rockwell, & Def are particularly engaging. However, I can recall Mos Def being interviewed about this film on 'Regis & Kelly'. He couldn't have looked more disinterested in talking about it and quickly changed the subject; but I digress. The film is cute, but lacks an automatic. If I got the jokes on my own, there wouldn't have been a problem. I feel like, if I had seen this film for the first time at say age 7, I probably would have loved it & watched it in the same fashion as I can now watch a movie like Spaceballs. 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' is light-hearted, goofy, painless, & unexceptional.
For me, my allegiance to this film was shoddy because I was entertained, then confused, then entertained, then confused for most of the film, & before I knew it, the credits were rolling. I acknowledge the many witty moments, and I really like how the film looks. But overall, the characters don't come to life on screen. This prevents me from connecting to the story & even caring about understanding its' brand of humor (within the context of the books).
Arthur Dent (Martin Freeman) is saved by his alien friend, Ford (Mos Def), when Earth is being demolished so that an intergalactic freeway can be built. All Ford has to do is stick his thumb up to the sky and they are magically transported to a space ship run by alien-like creatures called Vogons. I enjoy these characters because they are funny to look at and hear, and they are products of Jim Henson designs. I can't abide digital creatures on screen anymore. Arthur & Ford are hitchhikers on the ship, and not entirely welcome, so they beam themselves to another ship, the Heart of Gold, commandeered by current president, Zaphod (Sam Rockwell). Zaphod runs the galaxy with two heads, literally; I enjoyed that. Also on board is Trillian (Zooey Deschanel). Conveniently enough, Arthur is in love with her because they almost dated on Earth. Trillian can't remember this. But their love story is trivial & unimportant here. We also meet my favorite character, Marvin. He is a robot voiced by the great Alan Rickman. Rickman's monotone, sulking voice lends greatly to this character.
The plot drive calls for Arthur trying to adapt to life in space, find out the meaning of life, retrieve Earth (if at all possible), win back his girl, & find some decent tea to drink. So there it is; there's not much else to add. Everything that is said & done in this movie doesn't seem very important. I like many moments of this film, but recognize a lack of general purpose to making it other than exalting Douglas Adams's work. We meet colorful characters & see some pretty neat things. We laugh, ponder, laugh, drift off into space (literally & figuratively), etc. This is what I felt & can't help but think that most people who haven't read this book feel similarly.
All the actors have good chemistry on screen, but then again, it isn't the most challenging work to deal with, either. Freeman, Rockwell, & Def are particularly engaging. However, I can recall Mos Def being interviewed about this film on 'Regis & Kelly'. He couldn't have looked more disinterested in talking about it and quickly changed the subject; but I digress. The film is cute, but lacks an automatic. If I got the jokes on my own, there wouldn't have been a problem. I feel like, if I had seen this film for the first time at say age 7, I probably would have loved it & watched it in the same fashion as I can now watch a movie like Spaceballs. 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' is light-hearted, goofy, painless, & unexceptional.