The Vogons force Arthur and Ford to watch the BBC miniseries version.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
*
directed by Garth Jennings
screenplay by Douglas Adams ("Monty Python's Flying Circus") and Karey Kirkpatrick (The Little Vampire)
based on the book by Douglas Adams

produced by Guy Barber (The Pacifier) and Roger Birnbaum (The Pacifier) and Jonathan Glickman (The Pacifier) and Nick Goldsmith and Jay Roach (Meet the Fockers)

starring Martin Freeman (Love Actually), Mos Def (Showtime), Zooey Deschanel (Abandon), Sam Rockwell (Charlie's Angels), John Malkovich (Johnny English), Bill Nighy (Love Actually), Warwick Davis (Leprechaun)

voices:  Alan Rickman (Help I'm a Fish), Helen Mirren (Pride), Stephen Fry (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets [video game])

lowdown: 
A brilliant sci-fi comedy gets the big-budget Disney treatment.

low expectation:  *
        The last time one of my favorite books was made into a movie, I was so disappointed that I had to immediately reread the book to erase my the cinematic residue from my memory.  That adaptation was of Kurt Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions.  Man, that movie was awful!
       Now I am both excited and fearful about the long-awaited adaptation of the first in Douglas Adams' popular "trilogy".  Aside from the inevitability that such a movie can never please such a fanboy as myself, there are a number of pros and cons that balance my expectations so level as to keep me curious. 
     As it comes down to the wire, I dread the added love story and the overdoing of slapstick wackiness and the overacting of Sam Rockwell.  I worry about the inconsistent pacing and the inexperienced director and the Hollywood influence.  I recall that my first impression of the publicity photos from The Fifth Element made me think of HGTTG and that then the film was shit.  On the other hand, I look forward to the entertaining philosophy and the biting satire and the Martin Freeman facial expressions.
       Anyway, the movie does have one of the most appropriately ingenious trailers ever:
       Internet exclusive trailer  (Quicktime is best!)

pro:  thank God that Jay Roach did not end up directing
pro:  The Vogons, Marvin and other creatures are from Henson's shop instead of CGI

follow-up:   
         Celebrity critic Roger Ebert has a point about The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: The adaptation of Douglas Adams’ book is almost absolutely an inclusive experience. So, then, why does he even bother to review the film? This is not the first time that he has admitted incapability, having pleaded ignorance regarding the Scooby Doo movie as well. Ebert is not obligated by his newspaper to review every new release. He has acknowledged that fact. This means that he is either familiar with the majority of subject matter in movies or that these specific conversions fail as independent works.
         So what does succeed as an independent work? A literal adaptation fails for me because of artistic redundancy. When The Da Vinci Code comes out, because so many people have read the book, an exact reproduction will be expected. Afterwards, Dan Brown’s novel may disappear from popular interest since the lazier medium will prevail, as it is more accommodating. I am not a well-read person that can compare literature to cinema often, but I should hope that I could read a book after seeing the film and enjoy it on a different level than character and plot concerns. I read Catch-22 and About a Boy after seeing their respective adaptations and both entertained separately. The latter book and its movie had the same story and focused on completely different topics. Mostly, I read authors who are not easily adaptable because they are idea driven (Vonnegut is not easily cinematic) or use language creatively (there is no perfect film version of Lolita).
        Sitting watching Hitchhiker’s Guide, I figured it confusing for the audience around me. This does not mean that the movie is incapable of entertaining non-fans –I know a bunch unfamiliar who enjoyed it immensely –it means that I have little faith in suburban families with short attention spans. There weren’t so many inside jokes as there were witty throwaways easily missed by those looking for the slapstick and action. Parts of the movie are wildly appreciable to ignorant moviegoers: Sam Rockwell’s Zaphod is as mad as Michael Keaton’s Beatlejuice; the visuals are respectably fitting, not overly ambitious nor languidly dismissible; the satiric points are appropriately intact and the added love story is not really as contrived as fans have argued. Still, the direction is a bit too quick-paced, the characters aren’t given enough individual concentration and specifically John Malkovich’s movie-only character is climactically deficient.
        I feel sorry that Roger Ebert is not intrigued enough to become familiar with Adams’ writing. I don’t think that he appreciates British humor (his reviews of Monty Python films are incurious) anymore than he enjoys action paperbacks (he admits ignorance of Clive Cussler’s work but dumbly enjoyed Sahara regardless). I do think that the movie as released is at best an introduction or an accessory to Adams. I don’t think that it really adds much to Douglas Adams’ oeuvre, but really there is no reason to read his final, obviously unfinished book Mostly Harmless, either. For those who love Adams and his writing, though, purchasing that posthumously published finale for The Hitchhiker’s Guide was de rigueur. For those looking for the silly, action equivalent suitable to the average human being, Luc Besson’s The Fifth Element is more precisely appropriate.

website:
Hitchhikers.movies.com

synopsis/press release:  
       Don't Panic . . . Stick out your thumb to join the most ordinary man in the world on an extraordinary adventure across the universe in the hilarious comedy, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." Earthman Arthur Dent is having a very bad day. His house is about to be bulldozed, he discovers that his best friend is an alien and to top things off, Planet Earth is about to be demolished to make way for a hyperspace bypass. Arthur's only chance for survival: hitch a ride on a passing spacecraft. For the novice space traveler, the greatest adventure in the universe begins when the world ends. Arthur sets out on a journey in which he finds that nothing is as it seems: he learns that a towel is just the most useful thing in the universe, finds the meaning of life, and discovers that everything he needs to know can be found in one book: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. -- © Touchstone Pictures

Expectation Key


there's no possible way I will ever see this

I might eventually see this but I'm not really expecting much

anticipating the release of this one but I'm sure to be left unsatisfied

such high expectation of this film only leaves room for disappointment