|
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy By Alex Conde, Finally, after many years of behind the scenes battles, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has finally made it to the big screen. Originally finding form as a radio show for the BBC, the storyline evolved into a series of highly popular books, and even made it to television as a mini-series in 1981.
This movie is best described as British. There is a certain dry humour and wit that characterizes British comedy, and this movie has it in spades. It is a well-paced movie with some solid laughter moments in it, and a few genuinely weird moments as well. The obvious audience for this movie is the fans of the book, but the new viewer can enjoy it's quirkiness as well. The movie requires no previous knowledge on the part of the viewer. It's a simple comedy, don't go there expecting high philosophy, just sit back and enjoy. 
Established fans always have a certain amount of fear when they see a long-admired series make it onto the big screen. In this particular case, the phenomenon was increased by the fact that Douglas Adams, the author of the Hitchhiker's series, died prior to the movie being made, and the studio appointed a scriptwriter to take over for any last-minute changes. Karey Kirkpatrick, who was most notable for her work on Chicken Run in 2000, lived up wonderfully to the responsibilities she was given. Some fans may complain about the changes that have been made in the storyline, such as the loss of Ford's argument with the Vogon Guard. Adams was noted for the evolution of his work over time, so the responsibility cannot solely be placed with Kirkpatrick. Either way, these changes seemed true to the original feel of the movie, and didn't disturb the viewing experience whatsoever. 
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is the new installment in a recent series of British films to reach the Canadian market. These films, such as Love Actually and Shawn of the Dead, are genuinely funny and occasionally heart warming films. They rely upon some fantastic British acting talent, as well as some new faces. Martin Freeman (playing the lead as Arthur Dent) and Bill Nighy (as Slardibartfast) are two faces that you should find very familiar from the movies already mentioned, and they continue to perform admirably. Zooey Deschanel does a wonderful job in the role of Trillium, and adds a bit of a romantic plot that Douglas Adams had never really pursued in the book. Mos Def turns in a solid performance as Ford Prefect, and Sam Rockwell plays Zaphod Beeblebrox, a satirical character who is as applicable now as he was when the book was first written. In my mind, the character most loyal to how I'd imagined him in the book was Marvin the Robot (voice done by Alan Rickman), who managed a better job than I did in my own imagination. And last but not least, let us not forget John Malkovich as Zaphod's rival, Humma Kavula, and a memorable supporting cast. On a scale of 1-10, the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy rates in my books as a 7.5. It was a good comedy that was, at least for me, quite worth the ticket price. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was released on April 29th.
|
