Earthman Arthur Dent is having a very bad day. His house is about to be bulldozed, he discovers that his best friend is an alien and to top things off, Planet Earth is about to be demolished to make way for a hyperspace bypass. Arthur's only chance for survival: hitch a ride on a passing spacecraft. For the novice space traveler, the most astonishing adventure in the universe begins when the world ends. Arthur sets out on a journey in which he finds that nothing is as it seems: he learns that a towel is just the most useful thing in the universe, finds the meaning of life, and discovers that everything he needs to know can be found in one book: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

And all the geeks shall rejoice and flock lovingly to this movie, that’s the way they should put it on the posters. I am a geek and a huge fan of all Douglas Adams’ books and from the geek point of view this movie hits the nail on the head. It has the fun loving spirit that was the books from the opening song So Long and Thanks for all the Fish to the manically depressed Marvin the movie is an ever loving romp of fun. That if anything else captures the spirit of the books as they were silly, fun and just zany to no ends, which is also the movie as well. I think someone who hadn’t read the books would just love the movie for its silly fun look at the universe while those who have read the books will appreciate how well they were done and how close to the books they are. The last line of the movie is “For Douglas” and I truly believe that Adams would have been proud of the movie and would have brought his towel to the very first screening. It was also a treat to see the movie given the full nine yards as far as special effects went as for the first time the producers were able to fully show the world that had only existed in Adams mind and our imagination until now.

The casting wasn’t perfect but for the most part all the actors pulled off their characters to a T. Sure I couldn’t get Professor Snape out of my head every time Marvin talked but Alan Rickman has such the melancholy voice that it fit Marvin so perfectly. And Mos Def wasn’t the best choice for Ford Prefect but he pulled it off. But the best performance hands down was Martin Freeman who was so Arthur Dent it was like he had leapt off the pages of he book and right onto the screen itself. He is so believable in his tattered bathrobe and his utterly shell shocked demeanor that you cannot think of a better choice for Arthur Dent. The movie was an absolute riot, it was funny, it was silly and most of all it was highly enjoyable.
4.5 stars out of 5