Review: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (**)

THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY
A film review by Steve Rhodes

Copyright 2005 Steve Rhodes



RATING (0 TO ****): **



THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY, a strange concoction brewed of part
GALAXY QUEST and part STAR WARS, is based on Douglas Adams's novel of the
same name, cult followers of which packed our screening. They certainly
liked it, but I sure didn't. With wacky and imaginative sci-fi humor that
is really out there, the movie is one that you can't help admire, even if
you, like me, end up slumped in your seat, just staring at it.



Set at a time when earth is about to be destroyed by a doofus president of
the universe, who ran on a "vote for stupid" campaign slogan, the movie
starts with our planet being destroyed "to make way for a hyperspace
expressway." GALAXY QUEST stars Sam Rockwell and Alan Rickman play the
president, Zaphod Beeblebrox, and his robot, Marvin the Paranoid Android.
Actually Rickman just supplies the voice, and someone else is inside the
robot suit, not that you'll care. Martin Freeman and Zooey Deschanel play
earth's last two living humans, Arthur Dent and Tricia McMillan. Mos Def
(the detective in THE WOODSMAN) plays Ford Prefect, the guide to the galaxy
for the earthling Arthur.



The chief villains in the story are a set of creatures who resemble Jabba
the Hutt and who are obsessed with bureaucratic red tape and punish people
by reading their exceedingly bad poetry. There are also lots of imaginative
and silly gadgets, including an "improbability drive." What is really
improbable is that a movie this lavishly made, which clearly had a lot of
creative energy put into it, ends up appealing only to its pre-sold fans. I
couldn't have cared less. I found it almost sad that so much work had been
spent on such a dud.



THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY runs too long at 1:50. It is rated PG
for "thematic elements, action and mild language" and would be acceptable
for kids around 6 and up.



My son Jeffrey, age 16, gave it **1/2. He said that the movie was more like
a sci-fi sketch and that it lacked something, although it was kind of cute.
His friend Dustin, also 16, gave it **, saying that he expected it to be
funnier but that it was funny only now and then.



The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, April 29, 2005.
In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the AMC theaters, the Century
theaters and the Camera Cinemas.



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