The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Widescreen Edition)
by Garth Jennings
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DVD details
Actor: Anna Chancellor, Bill Bailey (IV), Mos Def, Warwick Davis, Zooey DeschanelDirector: Garth Jennings
Primary Contributor: Warwick Davis
Primary Contributor: Mos Def
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled)
Format: DTS Surround Sound, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 109 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-09-13
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Touchstone
DVD Reviews of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Widescreen Edition)
DVD Review: A bad literary adaptation
Summary: 1 Stars
If you're going to try and make a movie out of a book that is a classic of its genre, but nearly unfilmable, then you have to be able to bring some kind of independent transformative vision to the project; to re-imagine the book for the screen in a compelling and non-obvious way. I'm not the biggest fan of the Lord of the Rings film series, but I will concede that Peter Jackson's interpretation is competant in that it accords a proper sense of craft and weight to the story as it is presented.
This film, unfortunately, isn't quite at that level. It relies on the source material, without any added dimension or spin, and collapses under the weight of not knowing how to present it. Perhaps I am asking too much - after all, there aren't many people out there who are funnier in a sublime sense than Adams, and that might be what you would need in order to do this adequately. But I would think that just a simple sense of restraint would have worked wonders here: to wit, the director throws everything he can at the screen, and because he fails to contextualize the humor and offer a distinct take on the book, it all ends up looking like a garbled mess. The experience of this film is similar to sitting in a theater with someone who is constantly barking with laughter at stuff that is supposed to be subtle, and elbowing you forcefully in the ribs to let you know how much he is getting it. Aside from the brief expository animated interludes, almost nowhere does Adams sense of humor really break free of the images to become its absurdly inventive self. The characters are funny, even hilarious - Zaphod, Marvin, etc. but the world's and situations they are randomly plopped into (which were the weaker parts of the book in all honesty) tend to play as dull and forced instead of whimsical and wacky. I don't know what went wrong here exactly, but this is a foul-up, and its too bad because it means we probably won't get another Adams adaptation for a long while.
DVD Review: Excellent and highly improbable flick!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an excellent adaptation of a wonderfull set of stories (observations) by Mr. Adams. I've read all the books and have the original BBC miniseries, and all I can say is that they are ALL great! This version deviates from the original quite a bit, but it retains the obsurdaties, silliness and most of the storyline.
Don't let the single star critics scare you off. They're purists and probably hate the remake of the Pink Panther as well!
DVD Review: "She is skinny. She is pretty. And she is lying."
Summary: 4 Stars
Arthur Dent (Martin Freeman) loses his house due to a bypass that when through his property as bypasses are supposed to do. The plans were on record. Looks like the planet earth is also is in the way of a galactic bypass. Due to this situation and Arthur's association with an alien, Ford Prefect (Mos Def) finds himself a hitchhiker of the galaxy and in need of a guidebook. Mean while the plot thickens as we all search together for the meaning of everything.
Zooey Deschanel as Trillian, a girl with wanderlust, is another advantage to this version of the story. She plays the hinge point to the story very well. Moreover, Trillian is a good shot with the Intent gun.
This movie is a lot of fun and pretty much follows the story by Douglas Adams, who just happened to also write the screenplay. A few technology and technical adjustments were made due to this being a new era and a different medium. One example is changing the digital watch for an up-to-date cell phone. The story had to have a beginning, middle and end.
I only viewed the Blu-ray version of this production. This version has a couple of voice over commentaries that give value in reviewing the film knowing the intent of the production.
Target Earth
DVD Review: Burn the master!
Summary: 1 Stars
This production is the worst thing to happen to film since "Pluto Nash" and "The Making of the Dukes of Hazard"... ok, it's third worst... ok, it's not that bad. Look, put it this way - see the original BBC miniseries production and your head will explode if you watch this remake. I love HHGTTG so much that I hate this one even more b/c it is such a disappointment. 1* (since -5* is not possible)DVD Review: Get me out of this world!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a really fun movie, and I enjoyed it. :)
Too bad that author died so I doubt there will be any more movies released for other books.
Description of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Widescreen Edition)
Arthur dent is having a really bad day! when he learns that a friend is actually an alien with knowledge of earths impending destruction he is transported off the planet. And if thats not enough throw in being wanted by the police & a chronically depressed robot & youve got the greatest adventure off earth. Studio: Buena Vista Home Video Release Date: 08/10/2007 Starring: Martin Freeman Zooey Deschanel Run time: 109 minutes Rating: PgDon't panic! After twenty years stuck in development (a mere blink compared to how long it takes to find the answer to life, the universe, and everything), The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has finally been turned into a movie. Following the radio play, TV series, commemorative towel, and books, this latest installment in the sci-fi-comedy franchise is based on the screenplay and detailed notes by Douglas Adams.
 Hitching a ride. |
For those unfamiliar with the story, everyman Arthur Dent (Martin Freeman) wakes up one morning to discover that his house is set to be demolished to make room for a bypass. Little does he know the entire planet Earth is also set to be destroyed for an interplanetary bypass by the Vogons, a hideous and bureaucratic race of aliens realized in the film by Jim Henson's Creature Shop. Whisked off the planet by his best friend, alien-in-disguise Ford Prefect (Mos Def), Dent embarks on a goofy jaunt across the galaxy accompanied by his trusty Hitchhiker's Guide, which looks like a really fancy PDA.
The guide itself provides some of the funniest bits of the movie, little animated shorts that explain the ludicrous life forms and extraterrestrial phenomena our heroes encounter. Along the way Arthur meets the two-headed party animal/president of the galaxy Zaphod Beeblebrox (Sam Rockwell) and develops an unrequited crush on fellow earthling Trillian (Zooey Deschanel). The creatures and sets are inspired and answer to the sci-fi fan's primal need to see lots and lots of cool stuff. In particular, there's John Malkovich's creepy, CGI-enhanced Humma Kavula. He's a guru leading a religion that worships the gigantic nose that allegedly sneezed the universe into existence (naturally all their prayers end not with "Amen" but with "Bless you.") The aliens the team encounters are inspired creations, eminently worthy of action figure-ification, and the sets belie an attention to detail worthy of freeze-framing. Fans of the other Hitchhiker manifestations, namely the British TV series, will be amused by a number of in-jokes sprinkled throughout the movie.
 Concept art: The Heart of Gold pod on the planet Vogsphere |
Where the story stumbles is in the telling--as books, the Hitchhiker's Guide was foremost about goofy and brilliant ideas that raised questions about our place in the universe while getting a laugh. The cast seems at times bewildered, at least when Sam Rockwell isn't picking pieces of scenery out of his teeth, perhaps a natural reaction to an adaptation of a book with no traditional plot. The movie has enough trouble figuring out how to get the characters from one fantastical location to the next that Adams's funniest concepts often feel left in the dust. While the reverence the filmmakers felt toward Adams's legacy is apparent, one wonders what we could have expected had the creator of this science fiction universe lived to see it with his own eyes. -- Ryan Boudinot
A Guide to the Guide
 The Soundtrack |  The Radio Play (CD) |  The TV Series |
 The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide (Deluxe Edition) |  The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide (Paperback) |  The Filming of the Douglas Adams Classic (book) |
Interviews with The Cast and Director
 Watch our interviews with the cast and director of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and find out what they think of other DVDs and books: high bandwidth low bandwidth |
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