'Hitchiker's' makes for a long and fun trip
May 1Die-hard fans around the world would recognize it on sight. It is the top-selling book in the galaxy, surpassing even the Galactic Encyclopedia, mainly because it has the words "DON'T PANIC" reassuringly embossed on its cover. But don't mistake "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" for a simple book. The story, written by Douglas Adams, first appeared as a BBC radio series in 1978. Its immediate surge in popularity paved the way for it to be reworked as a book, a BBC television series, and a subsequent franchise of novels that took its heroes to the end of the universe and beyond, quite literally. When Adams died in 2001, he was working on tweaking the ever-evolving "Hitchhiker's" mythos into something suitable for the big screen. The subsequent movie version of the '70s sci-fi classic premiered Friday amid the great expectations of salivating fans everywhere. The movie follows the story of Arthur Dent (Martin Freeman), a mundane everyman who is only extraordinary in that he lacks any distinguishing qualities. When the Earth is destroyed to make way for an interstellar bypass, Arthur is dragged halfway across the galaxy by hitchhiking alien Ford Prefect (Mos Def), and is thrown into an adventure with a depressed robot, a super-genius computer and the real architects of the universe faster than he can say, "Thanks for all the fish." The result is a Monty Python-esque romp through the galaxy as Arthur and company search for the meaning of life, the universe and everything else. Though they find the answer relatively easily, the search for the question proves much more difficult, and provides a backdrop for their jaunts to distant planets and a few run-ins with the evil galactic equivalent of middle management. Among all the two-headed aliens and interstellar space travel of "The Hitchhiker's Guide," the guide itself is perhaps the most difficult aspect to bring to life on the big screen. Arthur and Ford consult it on numerous occasions as they encounter unknown dangers, and it would have been easy for the production team to let it become the dominant focus of the story. But instead, the Guide is kept mostly in the background, and is only brought forward to explain jokes that would otherwise have flown over heads of much of the audience. The result is a much more coherent story, which abandons the constant flip-flops of the 1981 BBC television version for less spastic visuals. Though it would be far too easy for the characters of "Hitchhiker's" to become a backdrop for Adams' gags, the strong cast keeps the story afloat. Freeman is satisfyingly spineless as Arthur, and Mos Def portrays a surprisingly human Ford, who is just strange enough to keep straight man Arthur jumping. It is their co-stars, however, that really steal the show. Alan Rickman, recently of "Harry Potter" fame, provides the voice of Marvin the Paranoid Android, a robot whose severe depression would have shrinks raking in the dough for years, and Sam Rockwell ("Matchstick Men") portrays Zaphod Beeblebrox, the two-headed but brainless president of the galaxy. One of the biggest problems with updating "Hitchhiker's" for 2005 is that most of the jokes are no longer relevant. The constant highway bypasses, the original political commentary, and even Ford Prefect's name date the story to the late 1970s when the original radio series and book versions were first created. But Adams, who is credited for the screenplay along with co-writer Karey Kirkpatrick, addressed the issue himself by updating the humor for the 21st century. The character of Zaphod Beeblebrox was clearly reworked for the movie, and Rockwell's mannerisms obviously mimic those of current U.S. president George W. Bush, twangy Texan drawl and all. Rockwell's performance brings necessary satire of current events to the decades-old story. Without it, "The Hitchhiker's Guide" becomes little more than a travel guide through a series of humorous sketches. But the updated writing and the new jokes - among them, the leader of a cult-like religious movement who longs for Armageddon - make the story relevant to the modern day. The result is a science fiction romp worthy of the franchise name. Though the movie includes additions that might make long-time fans cringe, such as an added emphasis on a love story between Freeman's Arthur and a fellow Earth refugee played by Zooey Deschanel, it still captures the spirit of the original "Hitchhiker's Guide." Douglas Adams may have hitchhiked off this planet years ago, but the final addition to his legacy is sure to leave the rest of us in stitches.
