The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (DVD)

My initial anticipation to see The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy before my first screening was based primarily on how excited Douglas Adams fans were at the thought of a brand new feature film based on his classic works. I also have to admit that the idea is quite intriguing, especially when the first trailer you see has Earth exploding followed by the words "Don't Panic." After that I thought, "Okay, I'll bite." Unfortunately this massive tale of universal exploration is missing a certain something that would make it entirely appealing, yet the DVD does have some redeeming qualities and commentaries that may turn some that initially disliked the film into devout Adams followers.

Just to give a quick synopsis for those unfamiliar types. Hitchhiker's Guide primarily centers on the life of Earth-man Arthur Dent, played by Martin Freeman ("The Office" the British version, not the crappy US knockoff). We meet Arthur on what can only be described as a bad day; his home is about to be demolished, he has just found out his best friend (Mos Def) is an alien and finally, Earth is about to be destroyed. However, this final predicament can be avoided and all the other problems won't matter at all as his friend, Ford Prefect, knows his way around the galaxy and it all starts with a simple thumb gesture. Suddenly the two are whisked away moments before Earth is destroyed, but well on their way to quite an adventure.

Also starring in Hitchhiker's Guide is Zooey Deschanel, John Malkovich and a personal favorite Sam Rockwell as Galaxy President, Zaphod Beeblebrox. Freeman and Mos Def are afforded very little in the way of dialogue to really shine, but one thing this film does is prove that Sam Rockwell is a talent as he plays his part of Beeblebrox with a unique style that no other actor could have managed. With hints of Elvis and Bill Clinton in his character he is the comedic center to this otherwise meandering film.

As for the DVD itself there are a limited number of extras considering how much there most likely will be on some sort of a two-disc follow-up somewhere in the future. Aside from the two audio commentaries there are a small amount of deleted scenes, a short making-of feature, an extra "Guide Entry," a stupid sing-a-long (what are we 5?) to the opening title sequence song "So Long & Thanks For All The Fish" and finally a mind-numbing game called Marvin's Hangman, which takes far too long and is so disinteresting it is hard to imagine anyone could enjoy it.

You are probably remembering how I said the special features may help with any negative opinions on the film, and based on my description of the features above that is probably seeming unlikely, but let me quickly tell you about the audio commentaries which I glossed over above.

This disc comes with two commentaries; the first is with director Garth Jennings, producer Nick Goldsmith, Martin Freeman and Bill Nighy. The second is made up of executive producer Robbie Stamp and Douglas Adams colleague Sean Solle. Between these two commentaries you get a mix of making of info and endless amounts of Douglas Adams praise, which for some will be annoying, but for others may be enlightening as you will learn what fans of this material consider so great... Needless to say, you should at least give it a chance.

On that note, I cannot in anyway wholly recommend this movie for a buy, but I think sci-fi fans should definitely consider it a rental just to see if it fits your palette. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is by no means the monumental effort Douglas Adams fans were hoping for, but I do think it offers up enough entertainment to satisfy one night of movies and popcorn.