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I am a great admirer of Douglas Adams' works. Adept at the masterful manipulation of language (who else would name the best drink in the known universe as the Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster), he had a seemingly limitless ability to imagine all things bizarre and unlikely (it should come as no surprise that he conceived the Improbability Drive). Perhaps my affinity for his comedic sensibilities is related to our shared appreciation for that triumphant trilogy of evolutionary British humor: The Goon Show, Beyond the Fringe, and Monty Python's Flying Circus. Adams was remarkable for his understated absurdities, perpetually keeping his audience slightly off-balance. If humor is the art of the unexpected, Adams was the undisputed king.
I readily devoured his five novels in the Hitchhiker's series: The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (1979); The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (1980); Life, the Universe and Everything (1982); So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish (1984); and, Mostly Harmless (1992). And I was saddened by his death on May 11, 2001, when he was struck down by a heart attack at the outrageously early age of forty-nine. So popular were these works that Hitchhiker was expressed in virtually every form of entertainment: a radio play series, a television series, a stage play, even a video game. It was inevitable that Hitchhiker would be re-imagined for the big screen.
Fans of the series appreciate the density and complexity of Adams' universe. In fact, the density is so great that considerable license had to be taken to squeeze Hitchhiker's basic story arc into a film with a runtime of less than two hours (the 1981 television mini-series ran three hours and eighteen minutes). But take heart, Adams was intimately involved with the development of the script (it took nearly two decades for this film to be made); for example, religious leader Humma Kavula (John Malkovich) was an Adams invention created for the screenplay, perhaps to poke a little fun at absurd religious beliefs. Screenwriter Karey Kirkpatrick was brought in late only to make the story more linear.
The fundamental Hitchhiker elements survive. Arthur Dent (Martin Freeman) is upset. His home is about to be demolished for a bypass. And he's pining away for Tricia McMillan (Zooey Deschanel), an adorable girl he met at a party but lost to an odd stranger with an even odder pickup line; claiming to be an alien, he asks, ìWant to see my spaceship?î But Arthur doesn't yet fully appreciate his precarious position. The Earth is about to be vaporized to make way for, ironically enough, a hypergalactic bypass. Fortunately for Arthur, he saved the life of visiting alien Ford Prefect (Mos Def), a traveling writer who works for that most helpful of tomes, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
One good turn deserves another. Ford equips Arthur with an essential towel and before you can say, ìBeam me up, Scotty,î hitches a ride for two on a Vogon destroyer ship just as Earth is reduced to subatomic dust. Alas, the Vogons are not a hospitable lot. After some poetic torture, Arthur and Ford are ejected out the nearest airlock into the vacuum of space.
If, indeed, humor is the art of the unexpected and you are not familiar with the improbable twists and turns of Hitchhiker, I'd be doing you a disservice if I offered much more than this intriguing setup. Suffice it to say that Arthur and Ford join Tricia - now known as Trillian - and her alien friend from the party, Zaphod Beeblebrox (Sam Rockwell). We learn that Zaphod just happens to be the president of the galaxy, having recently defeated Humma Kavula (John Malkovich) in a nasty election.
They are aboard the Heart of Gold, a ship equipped with the galaxy's only Improbability Drive, a propulsion system that adds new meaning to the word coincidence. Onboard is a reluctantly obedient robot, Marvin (Warwick Davis in a costume that weighs very nearly as much as he does, and voiced to utter perfection by Alan Rickman). Marvin suffers from a depression so deep it's a wonder he can function at all. The ship is a marvel of artificial intelligence; even the doors have personalities (although not as expressive as found in the television series). What remains is an adventure in absurdity, a rescue, a quest for the ultimate question to the ultimate answer, and the resolution of the revelation that man was only the third most intelligent species on planet Earth.
The cast is uniformly excellent, although some may have a few problems with the interpretations of Ford (insufficiently ironic) and Zaphod (too buffoonish). I was particularly taken with Zooey Deschanel whose Trillian projects a delightful quirkiness and, ultimately, unexpected vulnerability. Watch her react as she repeatedly shoots Zaphod with the Point-of-View gun; her emotions bubble to the surface as he's forced to voice her deepest feelings, too painful to her to admit. Helen Mirren enjoys brief audibility as Deep Thought, the vast artificial intelligence tasked with eons of contemplation to devise the answer to the ultimate question. Bill Nighy makes a late appearance as Slartibartfast, an overseer of planetary construction. And a special mention must be made of Stephen Fry. As the voice of the Guide (and, consequently, the film's narrator), he lectures concerning all things galactic with the same droll patience as does his Jeeves. Delightfully whimsical.
Fans of the ë80s television series will be amused to find the original Arthur Dent, Simon Jones, playing a rather unctuous hologram high above the planet of Magrathea, ìIt is most gratifying that your enthusiasm for our planet continues unabated. As a token of our appreciation, we hope you will enjoy the two thermonuclear missiles we've just sent to converge with your craft. To ensure ongoing quality of service, your death may be monitored for training purposes. Thank you.î If you have a pair of anaglyph glasses for 3-D viewing, slip them on while that hologram is onscreen. And in the Vogon Prisoner Detention Center, sharp-eyed fans will spot the original Marvin, also from the television series.
As you might expect, CGI is used extensively in the film, but the filmmakers cleverly hired Jim Henson's Creature Shop to create the Vogons. Similar in basic structure and movement to the Skeksis found in Dark Crystal, the Vogons have a physical presence that has yet to be matched with bits and bytes. Director Garth Jennings seems to have a genuine affection for the material. Considering the limitations of runtime, and his need to both compress and make more linear, I was more pleased than disappointed. The film amused me repeatedly, and although the movie was not consistent, the fact that I found myself laughing out loud often and smiling most of the rest of the time, was good enough for me.
The Video: How Does The Disc Look?
The film's theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 is presented in anamorphic video. The compression work for this Buena Vista release is surprisingly good. Edge halos are rarely visible. Finely grained detail and small object detail are excellent. Color accuracy based on natural skin tones is quite good indeed, with no smearing or chroma noise. The print is quite clean and exhibits the slightest bit of grain, adding to the illusion of film. Shadow detail is also above average. I didn't notice any macroblocking or mosquito noise. I've come to expect great animation transfers and slightly disappointing live action film transfers from Buena Vista (Miramax in particular), but this is a thoroughly enjoyable transfer.
The Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?
Also unusual for a Buena Vista release, there are two English 5.1 tracks on the disc: Dolby Digital and DTS. The tracks are delightfully enveloping, with surrounds active with discrete directional cues and ambiance. Do enable EX decoding to enhance the experience. Deep bass is present that will require a superior subwoofer to fully appreciate. Sound effects have a pleasing dynamic range and attack time. Dialog remains crystal clear throughout. The score by Joby Talbot is pleasantly conveyed with a dry recording that enhances the illusion of presence. Both tracks are very satisfying, but the DTS once again has an edge with a subtle improvement in timbre.
The alternate languages are in French and Spanish, each presented in Dolby Surround 2.0. Optional subtitles are in French and Spanish; English Closed Captions are also included.
Supplements: What Goodies Are There?
The disc opens with preprogrammed trailers that may be skipped with the next chapter button and saved for later. If you visit the Sneak Peeks feature you'll find all the trailers: Flightplan (2:30); The Chronicles of Narnia (2:33); Dark Water (2:31); Lost (1:45); Chicken Little (0:55); Aliens of the Deep (1:33); a promo for the new Disney/ABC television series Beautiful People (0:31); and, a TV on DVD promo (1:56).
The Making of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a pleasant little featurette (8:55) that's a cut above the normal EPK fare. In addition to the talking head format, we get to see some interesting behind the scenes work. And this is the only opportunity for Warwick Davis to be seen and heard.
Next is a droll little Additional Guide Entry in which we learn about the Babelfish and we're presented with an irrefutably logical argument that God does not exist. It was likely removed from the film for pace in the sequence in which Ford stuffs the fish into Arthur's ear for the first time.
There are three Deleted Scenes: Earth: Mostly Harmless (0:48), ìWe're Going to Winî (0:26), and Impossible Forces (0:59). They are superfluous, a little silly, and eminently expendable. And then there are two Really Deleted Scenes: Do Panic! (1:51), and Arthur Escapes (0:55). These seem like send-ups of the previous feature, intentionally staged for our amusement. The film is funnier.
And speaking of superfluous, the next feature is a Sing Along. Perhaps you'd like to join the dolphins as they croon ìSo Long & Thanks For All The Fishî (2:35). I've never been much for sing alongs, thank you, but I did come to appreciate the cleverness of the lyrics when I saw them in print.
Next we have the two significant supplements on this DVD, two feature-length commentaries. The first is with director Garth Jennings, producer Nick Goldsmith, and actors Martin Freeman and Bill Nighy. This group delights in fooling about, trying to make each other laugh, and in the process, the listener. They were somewhat successful. But mixed into all the levity is a nice collection of stories, anecdotes, and background information about the shoot. I had a good time.
The second commentary is with executive producer Robbie Stamp and Douglas Adams' colleague, Sean Solle. This is an entirely different experience. They are more serious, more informative, and we learn more about the making of the film as we listen to their conversation. I particularly enjoyed learning about Adams' contribution to the film.
The next extra is a game called Marvin's Hangman. Try to deduce the four-letter word. For each guess of an incorrect letter, Marvin loses an appendage; the head is the last to go. Rickman's one-liners pepper the play. It gets old kind of fast.
Finally, since this is a THX-certified DVD, you'll find the THX Optimizer to set up your system for this particular DVD.
The 109-minute film is organized into twenty-four chapters.
Exclusive DVD-ROM Features: What happens when you pop the disc into your PC?
There are no DVD-ROM features on this DVD.
Easter Eggs
You might notice that on the DVDís navigation screens, which resemble the Guideís screens, there is a choice of Improbability Drive. That cute feature selects one of the supplements at random (and at different entry points, so donít be fooled), but will also take you to at least one easter egg. I only had the time to find the directorís animation displayed on a television watched by Deep Thought. There may be more.
Final Thoughts
Made for an estimated $50 million, the film earned a tad over $92 million at the box office worldwide, and with any amount of luck, the title will fare well on DVD. Hitchhiker ends with the Heart of Gold setting a course for the Restaurant at the End of the Universe. I hope they make it (pun intended). A clever film that satisfies despite a necessary cursory treatment of the original material, a fine transfer, a great audio track, and some entertaining supplements, I'm going to recommend this disc to you.
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