The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)
Directed by Garth Jennings
Writing by Douglas Adams / Karey Kirkpatrick
Starring: Mos Def, Zooey Deschanel, Martin Freeman,
Sam Rockwell
Special to The Chief
"Don't Panic": Wise words for someone about to see their favorite book portrayed on the big screen with the words Disney attached to it.
That said, there are few movies that have ever been able to escape the dreaded "the book was way better" comment (thank you 'Lord of the Rings')
For those unfamiliar, Douglas Adams wrote, among other things, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - a much-loved book whose movie version has been in movie land limbo for over twenty years with everyone from Bill Murray to Jim Carrey slated to star.
However, now four years after the unfortunate demise of the creator we have the finished product. And what can I tell you. The plot revolves around sillyness in space after the destruction of Earth. Well, of course nitpicking fans will point out needless changes to the original but the Guide's narration and the animated sequences are quite splendid indeed.
Of course, this isn't the first incarnation of this franchise and it surely won't be the last. In fact this is the ninth version of the Guide, one through eight being a radio series, a record album, a novel, a television series, a computer game, a stage show, a comic book and of course, a towel.
In the end the best fitting cliché for this film would be "great family fun". At the least it's nice to know a whole new generation will be turned on to the brilliant nonsense of Douglas Adams.
