Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy a Fun Space Romp

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy has been a radio play, a book, and now a movie. I have been a fan since I first read the book in middle school. Therefore, when I went to see the movie I was both hopeful and horrified. Would they do the book justice? Would it be so changed as to unrecognizable? Would it just plain suck?

Happily, the answer to the last question is a strict NO. While changed, the movie is still recognizable as Douglas Adams’ famous comedic work. The movie, like the book, contains a nice mix of comedic circumstances and a very british sense of the absurd. The opening song, “So Long! And thanks for all the fish!”, sets the mood perfectly. Sung my dolphins escaping the impending doom of the earth, the catchy tune is hilarious. Like much of the film this song takes what would be a terrible event and takes a perspective that makes it seem, well, funny.

And there are a lot of terrible events to cover. The demolition of the main character Arthur’s house shifts to the end of the world. The end of the world leads to how people act when threatened with extinction (they behave rather silly). Even bad poetry is examined.

Unfortunately, the movie runs out of these gags pretty fast. After the initial rush, the middle of the film feels a bit slow and meandering. This happens for a couple of reasons. Putting plot in between a bunch of gags can be daunting. Instead, the film puts the fun on the back burner to make room for plot exposition. This lull doesn’t seem to be on purpose; the jokes just fall flat. In particular, the behavior of the bumbling, “President of the Galaxy,” Zaphod Beetlebrox comes off as more irritating than funny. He just doesn’t fit with the style of the rest of the film. Saving Zaphod’s presence from being a total loss is Marvin, the terminally depressed robot who enters the film at the same time.

In the end, the film pulls itself back together. The humor of who is the REAL dominant species of planet earth gets revealed. The goofy Vorgons come back for a last hurrah. And Martin saves the day while feeling miserable about it. By starting strong and ending strong, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy succeeds as a fun space romp. At the very least, the film will encourage people who haven’t read the books to do so and remind those who have to read them again.

2.5 stars (out of 4).