The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - Ray's Review

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (2005)
109 min

Directed by:
Garth Jennings

Based on the book by:
Douglas Adams

Screenplay by:
Douglas Adams
Karey Kirkpatrick

Starring:
Martin Freeman as Arthur Dent
Zooey Deschanel as Trillian
Mos Def as Ford Prefect
Sam Rockwell as Zaphod Beeblebrox
Alan Rickman as Marvin (voice)
John Malkovich as Humma Kavula
Bill Nighy as Slartibartfast


Official Synopsis:

"...Seconds before Earth is destroyed to make way for a new hyperspace express route, mild-mannered Arthur Dent is whisked into space by his best friend (an alien posing as an out-of-work actor). And so the misadventures begin as he and fellow travelers, including the cool but dim-witted President of the Galaxy, the Earth girl Trillian, and Marvin the paranoid android, search for answers to the mystery of Life, the Universe, and Everything."

Ray's Opinion:

Do Panic.

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is not a total failure, but it is these things: Messy, dull, poorly paced and above all, dated. I think this really is a case where the film version should have been made when the radioplay/book/TV series was fresh, because the humour is often based around technology and my, how things have changed since the late 70's. It may have been funny before, but now, after great sci-fi comedy shows like Red Dwarf (which has obvious influences from Hitchhiker's Guide) and films like Galaxy Quest, Hitchhiker's Guide just seems incredibly out of touch with today's style of intergalactic humour

Take for example the scene where the Robot Marvin is told to freeze, he replies back "Freeze? I'm a robot. I'm not a refrigerator. "... oh the hilarity, I can hardly contain myself. But I'm being quite mean I guess, I did snigger a few times quietly to myself, such as when the ship's jolly computer Eddie anounces happily "I am pleased to inform you that two nuclear missiles are now headed this way... if you don't mind, I am going to take action". Zaphod replies "Computer, do something!". The computer answers back "Ok, switching to manual mode... good luck!".
I appreciated some of the more Monty Python'ish bizarro bits like the opening song where dolphins leave planet Earth and sing "Thanks for all the fish". And some of the advice from the Hitchhikers guide itself was pretty funny: "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy also talks about love. It says, Avoid if at all possible." But most the time I sat stony faced, staring at the screen with my finger hovering over the "next chapter" button (and this is coming from someone who adores British comedy and can endlessly quote Blackadder and Red Dwarf).

The lead actor Martin Freeman (from BBC's The Office) is banal as the pajamas wearing hero. The girl doesn't really have that much to do. Sam Rockwell was vaguely amusing as the two-headed "President of the Galaxy" Zaphod Beeblebrox, but his performace felt forced and was embarrassing at times (as it was with many of the actors).

I really don't have much else to say about this film. The sets, planets, creatures etcetera all felt uninspired. The humour was outdated and only occasionally got a rise out of me. Sorry filmmakers, Hitchhiker's Guide gets a big yawn from me. Perhaps fans of the source material appreciate it more?

4/10