By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Back in the early aughts, the sci-fi landscape was still dominated by the bombastic Star Wars prequels. But in 2005, we got something completely different: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, an ambitious cinematic adaptation of the Douglas Adams book of the same name. It’s got style, humor, and charisma to spare. If you missed it, now is your chance to correct that mistake.
What is The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy about? An alien befriends a mostly harmless man and discovers Earth is scheduled for destruction by villainous forces. He can only worry about that for so long, though, because he is suddenly thrust into an adventure filled with everything from deadly alien hunters to a quirky galactic president who won’t stop until he discovers the meaning of life, the universe, and everything.
Why Hitchhiker’s Guide Is Being Forgotten
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy was a very modest critical hit and a very modest commercial success, but it hasn’t had much of a lasting impact on the sci-fi fandom. That’s a shame, though, because the movie does an admirable job of adapting the classic book to the big screen. And in addition to its very clever writing, the film’s budget (about $50 million) helped director Garth Jennings (best known for directing the animated hits Sing and Sing 2) do justice to the sleek world of this off-kilter comedy.
A World Class Cast Of Oddballs
It helps that The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy has a cast of major talents, including Lord of the Rings and MCU star Martin Freeman as the everyman thrust into the misadventure of a lifetime. His alien buddy is played by Mos Def, and the Galactic President is played by Freeman’s fellow Marvel star Sam Rockwell. That president has his own rival in the form of a character played by John Malkovich and his own sidekick: a plucky Earth girl played by New Girl Zooey Deschanel.
Interestingly, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy has even more talent thanks to its voice cast. Star Wars/Harry Potter icon Warwick Davis plays a paranoid robot, which is hilariously voiced by Alan Rickman. Meanwhile, Helen Mirren plays the voice of a futuristic computer. At the same time, the entire film is narrated by Stephen Fry, whose dry line deliveries help to bring all of the movie’s very British humor together.
An Ideal Movie For Casual Viewers And Fans Alike
This adds up to a movie that casual fans can pick up and enjoy; much like Arthur Dent, you have to grab a towel and enjoy the chaos in front of you. Meanwhile, fans of the books will enjoy all of the care that clearly went into adapting Douglas Adams’ famous book. Sure, there are some changes from the text (including Rockwell playing the president like George W. Bush in space), but the movie as a whole feels like a true love letter to one of sci-fi’s greatest works of literature.
Will you find The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy a hilarious romp, or is this one movie you’d rather see scheduled for destruction? You won’t know until you stream it on Hulu. Afterward, you may be more than entertained: you may just know the answer to life’s biggest question.
THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE REVIEW SCORE
