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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

I listened to the radio shows. Read the books. Watched the BBC TV series. And laughed every time. Author Douglas Adams created a quirky comedy that never failed to amaze and delight. Until now.

Our story begins with the destruction of Earth. Arthur Dent (Martin Freeman) is rescued in the nick of time by his friend Ford Prefect (Mos Def), who it turns out is an alien. The pair end up tooling around the galaxy with Ford’s half-brother Zaphod (Sam Rockwell) and the only other surviving earthling, Tricia McMillan aka Trillian (Zooey Deschanel), who are on the run in a stolen spaceship.

I’ll never understand why the filmmakers cut some of the funniest lines. The scenes are there, but the humor is almost completely left out. I guess they were trying to make time for the addition of a boring romantic subplot between Arthur and Trillian and a side trip to the home of Zaphod’s political enemy.

Extras include commentary by producers and cast members, three deleted scenes, a pair of “really deleted scenes” – outtakes probably shot just for the DVD release, a dumb game, a sing-along for the opening number “So Long and Thanks for All the Fish”, and a “Making of” documentary.

Maybe if you’re unfamiliar with the original material, you’ll enjoy the movie. I can’t say. But if you’re a “Hitchhiker’s” fan, you’re better off re-reading the books or listening to the radio series on CD. You’ll certainly get more laughs.

Written by: Auriette Lindsey

Reviewers Rating: 1
Reader's Rating: 3.00
Reader's Votes: 2

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