The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

With the destruction of planet Earth to make way for a new hyper-space bypass, regular guy Arthur Dent (Freeman) finds himself catapulted into increasingly improbable intergalactic adventures with his extra-terrestrial friends Ford Prefect (Mos Def) and Zaphod Beeblebrox (Sam Rockwell). Douglas Adams himself provides the screenplay for this movie adaptation and the dedication "For Adam" reminds of how he tragically never saw his hugely successful book, TV, and Radio drama realised on the big screen, and fans of any of these versions are bound to enjoy this offering.

Garth Jennings, (who directed the video for Blur's Coffee and TV- the one with the milk carton) brings his own flavour to the story. He successfully adapts Adam's superb combination of sci-fi adventure with satirical comedy, creating a feeling of both "zany" action and profound pondering about Life, the Universe and Everything. Cult followers of the original will appreciate references to the TV series: look out for the appearance of the original Marvin robot.

Martin Freeman's central performance stands up well in the inevitable comparison to his predecessor's, and manages to hold the film together as well as successfully reiterating Adams' original joke about stereotypical Englishness, something which (as in the original series) is highlighted by complementary performances of American actors Def, Rockwell and Zooey Deschanel (Trillion). Cameo voice-overs provided by a diverse range of home-grown figures (including Bill Bailey in a hilarious (if brief) appearance as the Whale, and Helen Mirren as Deep Thought) help to retain the film's British flavour.

The film's deviations from the "plot" of the books (and I use the term loosely) may seem sacrilegious to many of those from Adams' cult following, but as with Lord of the Rings, these omissions and digressions tend to spring from necessity in the transition from page to screen. Despite the sandwiching in of the sometimes uneasy Dent/Trillion love interest subplot, new material provided by Adams himself, including a role custom written for Malkovich, makes the film an enjoyable experience for fans and newcomers alike.

Ben Chisnall