"In the beginning the universe was created. This made a lot of people angry and has widely been considered as a bad move."
"In the beginning the universe was created. This made a lot of people angry and has widely been considered as a bad move."
STARRING
Martin Freeman
Mos Def
Sam Rockwell
Directed by Garth Jennings, rated PG
Space aliens. Tea. Tulips. A towel. God. Dolphins.
What do these things have in common? They’re all part of the universe that makes up The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Created by Douglas Adams, the story has been told in the form of a radio drama, a book and a miniseries. Now it’s a movie. The book is famous for its random, dry style of humor, and has a loyal cult following. How does the movie compare?
Well in some ways, but not in others.
The story follows Arthur Dent, a man who wakes up one morning only to find his house is about to be demolished. Unfortunately, before he can fix the problem, Earth ends up being demolished instead to make way for an interstellar bypass. Luckily, he’s plucked off the planet by his best friend, Ford Prefect, who just so happens to be an alien. From there, he begins a journey across the galaxy with a group of crazy, unique characters in order to find the Meaning of Life and a cup of tea – what else?
I have to give the filmmakers credit for even trying to adapt the book into a movie. Considering how a great deal of the humor in the novel comes from Adams’ writing style, it was no doubt extremely hard to find a way to keep the spirit of the book intact. Adams himself worked on the early drafts of the script, which helped. Unfortunately, he died before the project came to fruition, and I’m not sure that the material was handled the way he would have wanted it.
While I was watching this movie, I kept feeling like something was missing. The main problem with the film is that it tends to feel extremely disjointed – it’s more like a collection of skits than a single, smooth story. By the end the filmmakers seem to have found their footing, and the second half is much better than the first. Unfortunately, there are too little things that detract from the spirit of the film.
The acting ranges from disappointing to good. Mos Def was probably not the right choice for Ford; he just doesn’t handle the dialogue in the way I would imagine Prefect would. Zooey Deschanel plays Arthur’s love interest, Trillian, but they have no chemistry on screen at all. Martin Freeman does a decent job in the leading part, though, and Sam Rockwell as great as a two-headed Galactic President. However, Alan Rickman steals the show as the voice of Marvin, a robot desperately in need of Prozac. I felt more sympathy for Marvin than I did for any of the other characters – that’s how well Rickman conveys emotion with his voice.
Fans of the book might be a little upset at how the movie changes the story. Firstly, there’s a subplot involving John Malkovich as a priest for a bizarre religion that isn’t really wrapped up. It’s not necessarily a bad storyline, but it’s like the filmmakers forgot they had put it in there, and so it feels more like pointless filler than actual substance. Also, the ending differs from the book, but thankfully it’s a pretty satisfying thing of finishing things off.
One thing that does faithfully transfer over from the book to the movie is Adams’ satire of various issues. For people who like to analyze their movies, there are several subtle themes infused throughout the movie, that range from a commentary on mankind’s search for meaning to a criticism of religion. There is something behind the seemingly random and empty jokes.
Unfortunately, overall, the movie just doesn’t flow well enough to fully capture the true spirit of the book. Some scenes are pulled off perfectly (the scene with the whale, for instance). Other scenes feel like they were edited together in a rush, as if the filmmakers looked at each other and said, “It’s too hard to make this flow together visually. Let’s just mix it all in and hope it works out.” The movie isn’t terrible, but it isn’t a masterpiece. It’s just mediocre. Yet, when you take the complex wittiness of the source material into consideration, I suppose in many ways that’s to be expected. Some books just can’t be made into movies. I have a strong suspicion that the people who will enjoy this the most will be the people who haven’t read the book – it’s only when you’ve read the book that you realize something’s missing from the movie. Overall, I give it a 6/10.
The Bottom Line: A so-so adaptation of a beloved book. Some things work, others don’t.
Should I see it? If you’re in the mood for some decent Monty-Pythonish jokes, sure. Just don’t expect a cinematic masterpiece. Fans of the book might be disappointed, but those who aren’t familiar with it might find plenty to enjoy.