Let us begin with the adaptation. Garth Jennings has crafted one of the finest literary adaptations I have ever seen -- he has gone out of his way to keep the fans of the book as happy as possible. From the opening number, with an ocean full of dolphins singing their song of liberation, to the closing shot of Douglas Adams' head flying at the screen -- it is obvious that Jennings shares a deep love for the novel and wanted to make it pour off screen the best he could. After watching the film, I totally agreed with the casting of the picture. Each actor turns the character into something special, and I especially loved the Marvin the Robot design -- it was just how I imagined him while reading the novel. The special effects were phenomenal, but there were also the appropriate amount of cheesy, B-movie effects, as when the ship and everyone inside is transformed into yarn -- that is total deadpan. The pace of the film seems very similar to something you would expect from the Monty Python gang, and I suppose that is appropriate considering that the majority of people associated with this film are British. The film also benefits from the master. Douglas Adams wrote this draft of the screenplay, so he was able to dictate what he wanted on screen and what he did not want. I wonder what it was like for the actors to walk around, delivering lines that they knew were some of Adams' last written words on this planet?

Back to the performances. Sam Rockwell is absolutely perfect as Zaphod -- one of the most eccentric characters in the novel. He brings this kind of hillbilly swagger to the role -- he seems like a blend of Elvis, Hank Williams Jr, and a 1970's stoner. His dialect is most of the humor, especially when he is confronted with his old rival, John Malkovich. As Ford Perfect, Mos Def had a very difficult job -- convincing fans that he has what it takes for the character. All fears are set aside after the first sequence of events, when he and Arthur are in the local pub drinking as much better and eating as many salted peanuts as possible before the end of the world. Martin Freeman also comes out of nowhere as Arthur -- I could probably think of twenty different actors who would have been perfect for the role, but Freeman probably turned out just as well as any of them could. He seems like he belongs on one of those zany British TV shows, like "The Office". And, Marvin, sweet Marvin. He was my favorite character in the book, and so the same can be said for the film version. Warwick Davis embodies Marvin with all of the 'slumps' and 'draggish posture' you would expect from a manic depressive, and Alan Rickman is the perfect voice for Marvin -- it is amazingly ideal for the character. Every time Marvin would say something -- no matter what -- the audience would erupt into a minute long span of total laughter.

Before finishing this review, I want people to really understand how great this film was -- I enjoyed it more than the last two entries into the "Star Wars" franchise; I enjoyed it more than "Blade Runner", more than "Aliens", more than "The Adventures of Pluto Nash" -- okay, maybe that last one didn't help. For me, this was one of those films that cements itself in the lexicon of American cinema. Will the film do extraordinarily well and warrant sequels? I hope so. I cannot say for certain. Whether there are sequels or not, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" made the book come alive -- it made Douglas Adams' vision take shape, and it entertained the hell out of everyone in the theatre. I can honestly say that I saw zero faces of disappointment when the film was over. If anything, most people wanted to run home and download the dolphin song. This was the perfect fan film. And, when you are tackling material this sacred, the fans are the people you need to have in mind the entire time. Without them, your box office is non-existent, and the press is so bad
that you are lucky to make it two weeks in the top ten. Fans will love this film. The fans who do not love this film are really not fans -- they've merely read the book, and probably didn't understand a damned thing.