Movie: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)

Crossposted from Worst Ninja Ever.

Okay, so "later" turned out to be "the next day." But here it is, whether you like it or not: a Ninja's "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" review. Be forewarned, it's full of nostalgia and references to the original 1981 television series, so if you haven't seen that, you may be a bit confuzzled.

I went into "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" (HGttG) with high hopes and some trepidation, based on my experiences with the television series, books and the pre-release trailers. The film itself is a mostly faithful large-scale reproduction of the original television series, even down to the characters' dialogue, which only added to my enjoyment of the film. Great special effects shots and an almost humble cinematography style, feeling as though one was treading on hallowed media ground, rounded off the film experience nicely. From the prologue musical number by the dolphins of the world to the familiar "Hitchhiker's" theme music to the completion of the Earth (Mk. II), I knew I was in for quite the experience.

Certain differences between the television series and the film were excusable--indeed, they were even expected, based on the different media and audiences involved. A television series could afford to draw things out, while a film could not. A film can put some scales into proper perspective, like the sheer magnitude of the Vogon constructor fleet, while a television series hasn't the budget to do. The difference in scale didn't bother me at all, and in fact, I would have been disappointed if all I got out of the movie was a duplicate of the television series I loved so much.

The changes in the storyline bothered me a bit, since they didn't appear in the book. The entire capture of Trillian and her subsequent rescue on Vogsphere, while action-packed and fodder for a number of sight gags and bureaucracy humour, seemed unnecessary and a little contrived to further develop the budding romance between Arthur and Trillian. I didn't mind the film's focus on that relationship, as Trillian was a ditzy, all too cheerful and somewhat undeveloped character in the television series, not to mention the actress who portrayed her in the film--Zooey Deschanel--is rather cute. I merely felt that the relationship could have been developed without straying that far from the source material. Easy to say when I'm so far removed from the creative process, I know, but that's how I feel.

This leads me to the casting of the film. No problems here, save one, and it's a biggie. Zaphod Beeblebrox, played by Sam Rockwell, was so far removed from my image of the character--influenced, no doubt, by the television version's understated conceit and arrogance--that I found him to be obnoxious, random and dislikable. The film version wasn't hip or cool, nor did he fit what I would consider to be a "hoopy frood." Heck, his look didn't even appear able to win "Worst Dressed Sentient Being in the Universe" seven years running.

I really enjoyed the byplay between Martin Freeman's Arthur Dent and Mos Def's Ford Prefect. While different from their television counterparts, they really played up Ford's alien-ness and Arthur's reluctant acceptance of the strange goings-on around him. Those two characters form, in my opinion, the core of the "Hitchhiker's" story, and working the radio, television and film versions around that interaction was and is the best possible thing their respective creator could have done to bring the books to life. Simon Jones, television's Arthur Dent, had a cameo in the film as the recorded message of the planet Magrathea.

Marvin the Paranoid Android was another greatly enjoyable change. Cut from wholly dirrerent cloth than his television counterpart, the film's Marvin is a short, sleek robot just as suited to the minimalistic sleekness of the film's Heart of Gold spacecraft as the television's Marvin is to his own Heart of Gold. Played by the inimitable Warwick Davis, best known for his roles as the Leprechaun in all six movies of that franchise and Wicket the Ewok in "Return of the Jedi"--and, more recently, as Professor Flitwick in the "Harry Potter" films--Marvin provided much of the comedy relief in the film. Voice work by Alan Rickman, known lately as Severus Snape from the "Harry Potter" films, truly made the film Marvin a great casting choice all around.

Despite his creation by Douglas Adams specifically for the film, John Malkovich's Humma Kavula played a too-brief foil to Zaphod Beeblebrox. His multiple spider legs and calm and collected demeanor were a perfect foil to the out of control, manic Zaphod. Not only did he not get a lot of screen time, his little subplot that brought the Heart of Gold to Magrathea was never resolved at all. I would have liked to see more of his character.

The other notable casting choices were Stephen Fry as the voice of the Guide, and Bill Nighy's portrayal of Slartibartfast. Fry was a perfect choice and greatly resembled the television series' Peter Jones. Nighy played a younger, if no less awkward Slartibartfast than Richard Vernon. Both are wonderful in their respective roles, and seem obvious nods to their television counterparts. Also, be on the lookout for cameos by Dame Helen Mirren as the voice of the supercomputer, Deep Thought, and an uncredited Jason Schwartzman as Zaphod's personal braincare specialist, Gag Halfrunt.

All in all, the film version of "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" was enjoyable, but due to the somewhat expositionary material provided by the Guide itself, I felt that it would have been better served as a brand new television series, and an English one, at that. The film version lacked the subtlety of some of the film's humour, with more of that subtlety lost due to the film's primarily North American target audience. It should be seen if one is at all a fan of the series of books, as it is a worthwhile adaptation, but if one is a purist, one should be prepared to be let down a few times. Even if one is not a fan, one should see it for its wacky humour, a decent romance between the hapless protagonist and the girl he thought lost forever, and the beautifully funny lines from Marvin the Paranoid Android.