Written by: Douglas Adams (book), Douglas Adams and Karey Kirkpatrick (screenplay)
Directed by: Garth Jennings
Starring: Martin Freeman, Yasiin Bey, Sam Rockwell, Zooey Deschanel, Bill Nighy, John Malkovich, Stephen Fry, Warwick Davis, Kelly Macdonald
Rated: PG
Watch the trailer
Plot
Mere seconds before the Earth is to be demolished by an alien construction crew, Arthur Dent is swept off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher penning a new edition of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."
Verdict
It's quite funny and enjoyable. There aren't many comedic sci-fi properties, and this pulls it off. What I know of the book, it was more philosophical, but with cramming that book into this movie there's no way it wouldn't become more streamlined. This can be quite clever, but that isn't always evident.
It depends.
Review
The script had been floating around for fifteen years before finally being made. At one point Ivan Reitman, Bill Murray, and Dan Aykrod were considering it, but went on to do Ghostbusters.
Martin Freeman does a great job as Arthur Dent. He's faced with his house being demolished for a bypass before his friend Ford Prefect reveals that Earth is about to be destroyed for a hyper space bypass. The humor is tied to subverting and exploiting typical themes in movies, exposing how insignificant Arthur's problem is when faced with the end of the world. It constantly pokes fun at how we assume the world works.
The president of the galaxy is a self absorbed, conceited fool, I have to wonder if it's a jab at the American concept of a president. Of course the original property originated as a 1978 BBC radio program. While the CGI looks great, I kind of wish this had a lower budget. Looking a little rough around the edges would provide a nice mood that calls back to the origins of the property.
It's a wild adventure as Arthur and Ford team up with Zaphod and Trillian. Zaphod isn't seeking the answer to life as so many do, but the question. He has the answer, it's 42. This takes a lot of our basic assumptions and turns them upside down. With the brevity of a movie, these ponderings don't have enough room to breathe. The movie became better as I began to write this review and piece together how the plot subverts typical trappings. The Earth's demolition was a minor issue to the aliens, easily repairable. Upon this new Earth we discover the two creatures responsible for the bulk of the plot.
It was enjoyable while watching, but upon reflection it became even more clever. It's easy to dismiss this as a silly adventure, but it's more than that. How clever it is, just doesn't come across. It's not dissimilar to Galaxy Quest (read my review), in the moment they are both silly space adventures. While Galaxy Quest is satire, Hitchhiker's cleverness requires introspection after the credits begin.
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