One has to wonder how a movie about the insignificance of human life came out of Walt Disney Studios. Whatever the explanation, they seem to have pulled it off.
“Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” manages to retain the nihilistic qualities of a book that proposed that Earth is simply the product of a factory assembly line. The flick also keeps audiences who are unfamiliar with the source material entertained and satisfied.
The film features surprising appearances by Mos Def as Ford Prefect and a small role for John Malkovich as an alien religious leader. Stephen Fry performs narrating duties and provides a comforting foundation for the viewer.
Less than satisfactory is Zooey Deschanel’s performance as Trillian. It’s unclear how her character fits into the plot except for the sole purpose of tacking on a love story.
Martin Freeman plays Arthur Dent, the clumsy but lovable “ordinary guy” that gets dragged across the galaxy. Sometimes it seems his character is more pathetic than sympathetic, which is not often enjoyable. His “feel sorry for me” presence only subtracts from the amazing visual scenes and intriguing ideas explored in the movie.
The movie's biggest hook is the book’s quirky inventions. The point-of-view gun, the planet factory, the dolphins and mice, the improbability button and “the answer to the question of life, the universe and everything” are enough to keep most anyone entertained.
These interesting and engaging aspects of the film stand in contrast to the love story, which seems to be the product of a formula used by studios across the board to make a film appeal to a general audience.
While some of the book’s scenes are best left to the imagination, no one should be let down by the wild and extravagant visual scenes that permeate the filmed version. The author of the book, Douglas Adams, is also the author of the screenplay, so the viewer can be certain he’s seeing a relatively faithful adaptation of what Adams originally envisioned.
In an era when many studios increasingly rely on computers to make movies visually intriguing, it’s impressive that the filmmakers chose to use puppets to portray alien life. Jim Henson’s Creature Shop created some of its best puppets yet and put them to good use. The effect is a realistic and captivating vision of absurd alien life.
