Having previously appeared as a radio series, two record albums, novels, a 1981 television series, a computer game, a stage show, a comic book, a 1984 video game and a towel, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is the first movie adaptation of Douglas Adams’ legendary franchise, which originally began as a 1978 BBC radio show before becoming a wildly successful book series.
Douglas Adams co-wrote the screenplay and served as a producer, but he tragically died during pre-production in 2001. The film is dedicated to his memory.
Early one morning, Englishman Arthur Dent (Martin Freeman) discovers his house is about to be demolished for an interstellar hyperspace bypass.
Moments later, he learns his best friend, Ford Prefect (Mos Def), is actually an alien journalist writing for The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
The Earth is promptly destroyed by the bureaucratic alien Vogon race to make way for the bypass, and Ford hitches them both a ride on a passing Vogon spaceship, starting the pair on an absurd journey across the universe – a chaotic, highly bureaucratic place where whales randomly fall out of the sky, and doors have cheery personalities.
Along the way, they team up with the eccentric President of the Galaxy, Zaphod Beeblebrox (Sam Rockwell), Arthur’s unrequited crush Trillian (Zooey Deschanel), and Marvin, a brilliant but chronically depressed and paranoid robot (physically played by Warwick Davis and voiced by Alan Rickman).
Onboard the advanced spaceship Heart of Gold, they embark on a quest to find the ultimate question to the Ultimate Answer of Life, the Universe, and Everything (famously “42”).
Scattered throughout the film are delightfully stylised, flash-animated guides narrated by Stephen Fry that explain cosmic eccentricities like the Babel Fish, the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster, and why towels are the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have.
The film divided fans of the original material. While it was widely praised for its cast performances, excellent soundtrack, and visual imagination, some purists felt the screenplay softened Adams’ sharp, deeply cynical edge into a more conventional Hollywood romantic comedy structure.
It remains a beloved cult film for science fiction enthusiasts and a gateway into Adams’ universe for many.
Narrator/The Guide (voice)
Stephen Fry Arthur Dent
Martin Freeman Ford Prefect
Mos Def (Yasiin Bey) Zaphod Beeblebrox
Sam Rockwell Trillian
Zooey Deschanel Marvin
Warwick Davis Marvin (voice)
Alan Rickman Slartibartfast
Bill Nighy Deep Thought (voice)
Helen Mirren Humma Kavula
John Malkovich Questular Rontok
Anna Chancellor Fook
Dominique Jackson Kwaltz (voice)
Ian McNeice
Jeltz (voice) Richard Griffiths Eddie the Computer (voice)
Thomas Lennon Lunkwill
Jack Stanley Mr Prosser
Steve Pemberton Bulldozer Driver
Mark Longhurst The Whale (voice)
Bill Bailey Pub Customer
Su Elliot Ghostly Image
Simon Jones Reporter
Kelly Macdonald
Director
Garth Jennings
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Douglas Adams co-wrote the screenplay and served as a producer, but he tragically died during pre-production in 2001. The film is dedicated to his memory.
Early one morning, Englishman Arthur Dent (Martin Freeman) discovers his house is about to be demolished for an interstellar hyperspace bypass.
The Earth is promptly destroyed by the bureaucratic alien Vogon race to make way for the bypass, and Ford hitches them both a ride on a passing Vogon spaceship, starting the pair on an absurd journey across the universe – a chaotic, highly bureaucratic place where whales randomly fall out of the sky, and doors have cheery personalities.
Onboard the advanced spaceship Heart of Gold, they embark on a quest to find the ultimate question to the Ultimate Answer of Life, the Universe, and Everything (famously “42”).
