The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy   

Arthur Dent: Martin Freeman

Ford Prefect: Mos Def

Trillian: Zooey Deschanel

Zaphod Beeblebrox: Sam Rockwell

Marvin: Alan Rickman (voice)

Humma Kavula: John Malkovich

Slartibartfast: Bill Nighy

Directed by Garth Jennings

Screenplay by Douglas Adams 

and Karey Kirkpatrick

Based on the book by

Douglas Adams

The beginning of this movie is promising, as we learn humans are the third most intelligent beings inhabiting Earth and that the dolphins have been trying to warn us about the planet's impending destruction.  The dolphins leave Earth as the film plays their song, "So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish."

We then meet Arthur Dent (Martin Freeman) and Ford Prefect (Mos Def).  Arthur is about to have his home demolished to make way for a bypass.  Ford arrives and tells Arthur not to worry because Ford is from another planet and knows that, not coincidentally, the earth is about to be destroyed for the same reason.  They are able to hitch a ride just before the earth implodes.

The humor here is inspiring, from Arthur's problems with the demolition crew, Ford's handling of the situation by going to a nearby pub in the last 10 minutes of Earth's existence, to the description of the Vogons as bureaucratic blobs who wouldn't save their own mother from a monster bug unless they had the requisite signed forms.

That's about as good as the movie gets, though.  There are a few other moments, such as Marvin's constant depression and the various things they turn into as they move through space (sofas, sock puppets, etc.).  Mos Def does turn in a good performance as Ford, and watching his performance is one of the few bright spots in the film. 

But, this is really just a movie for the cultish fans of the books, and I guess it succeeds there, although I would never know.  Before I knew it, the movie was over and nothing had really been resolved except for the strained, awkward romance between Arthur and Trillian (Zooey Deschanel). 

There were plenty of "in" jokes to keep the fans happy and I suppose that for them, a lot of this mess made sense.  But I came away from it thinking I had made a colossal waste of my time.  Nothing from the movie made me halfway interested in the source material, and shouldn't that be the goal of the filmmakers. 

It was a missed opportunity as they shunned the newcomers instead of embracing them.  You never know what is going on in this movie.  And you leave wondering what all the fuss was about.  I guess we'll never know, and I certainly have no inclination of finding out.