The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)
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60% of critics liked it
(193 reviews) -
65% of users liked it
(208,518 ratings)
Douglas Adams' oft-adapted tale of an normal guy making his way through the universe (it's already been presented as a novel, a radio serial, a television series, and a comic book) finally makes its way to the big screen in this endearingly goofy sci-fi comedy. Arthur Dent (Martin Freeman)… More Douglas Adams' oft-adapted tale of an normal guy making his way through the universe (it's already been presented as a novel, a radio serial, a television series, and a comic book) finally makes its way to the big screen in this endearingly goofy sci-fi comedy. Arthur Dent (Martin Freeman) is a very ordinary man who is having a truly unusual day -- after discovering that one of his best friends, Ford Prefect (Mos Def), is actually an alien, Ford tells him that the planet Earth is going to be destroyed so that otherworldly forces can make room for construction of a hyperspace bypass. Since Arthur accidentally saved Ford's life years ago, Ford does him a favor -- he first gets him a ride on a spaceship passing by, and then presents him with a guidebook that will tell a beginner everything he needs to know as he hitchhikes through outer space. Along the way, Arthur encounters such interstellar notables as sleazy Galaxy president Zaphod Beebelbrox (Sam Rockwell), the girl of his dreams Tricia McMillan (Zooey Deschanel), perpetually glum robot Marvin (voice of Alan Rickman), interplanetary construction magnate Slartibartfast (Bill Nighy), and cult leader Humma Kavula (John Malkovich). The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was the first feature film for Garth Jennings, previously best known for his work in television commercials and music videos; he was recommended to the producers by director Spike Jonze after Jonze had to turn down an offer to head up the project. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Garth Jennings
- Written By
- Douglas Adams, Karey Kirkpatrick
- Genres
- Science Fiction & Fantasy, Comedy
- In Theaters
- Apr 29, 2005 Wide
- Studio
- Buena Vista
Critic Reviews
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Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Adams would be pleased.
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Anthony Lane, New Yorker
The problem is not that the film debases the book but that movies themselves are too capacious a home for such comedy, with its tea-steeped English musings and its love of bitty, tangential gags.
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Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
[It has] visual goofiness and flights of thespian bravura.
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Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com
[The movie] captures the quizzical, quasi-spiritual nature of [Adams'] book and manages to nail a surprising number of his dry little jokes, even some that you think could work only on the page.
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Teresa Wiltz, Washington Post
Although Hitchhiker starts out a total gas, it doesn't have enough fuel to sustain the ride, ultimately amounting to little more than some amusing gags strung together in search of a story.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Martin Freeman
as Arthur Dent
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Mos Def
as Ford Prefect
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Sam Rockwell
as Zaphod Beeblebrox
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Zooey Deschanel
as Tricia McMillan/Trillian
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Warwick Davis
as Marvin
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Alan Rickman
as Marvin the Paranoid Robot
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John Malkovich
as Humma Kavula
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Bill Nighy
as Slartibartfast
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Thomas Lennon
as Eddie the Computer
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Helen Mirren
as Deep Thought
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Stephen Fry
as Narrator
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Simon Jones
as Ghostly Image
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Ian McNeice
as Kwaltz
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Mak Wilson
as Vogon Interpreter [Voice]
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Albie Woodington
as Barman
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Anna Chancellor
as Questular
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Kelly Macdonald
as Reporter
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Martine Dawson
as Vogon Soldier
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Sumner Locke Elliott
as Pub Customer
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Steve Pemberton
as Prosser
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Bill Bailey
as Whale [Voice]
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Tim Perrin
as Vogon Soldier
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Dominique Jackson
as Fook
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Mark Longhurst
as Bulldozer Driver
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Jack Stanley
as Lunkwill
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League of Gentlemen
as Vogons [Voice]
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Jerome Blake
as Vogon Soldier
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Steve Grindle
as Vogon Soldier
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Simon Hibbs
as Vogon Soldier
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Mike Lewis
as Vogon Soldier
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Tucker Stevens
as Vogon Soldier
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Ben Uttley
as Vogon Soldier
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Spencer Wilding
as Vogon Soldier
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Milo Bodrozic
as Vogon Soldier
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Dan Ellis
as Vogon Soldier
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Art Hewitt
as Vogon Soldier
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Rob Horseman
as Vogon Soldier
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Paul Nathaniel
as Vogon Soldier
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Jessie Riley
as Vogon Soldier
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Ashley Stuart
as Vogon Soldier
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Patrick Walker
as Vogon Soldier
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William Wollen
as Vogon Soldier



