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By Chris Snellgrove | Published
These days, it seems like filmmakers and audiences alike are obsessed with crossovers, whether it’s Deadpool and Wolverine teaming up to save the multiverse or Superman teaming up with the likes of Mr. Terrific and Guy Gardner to save the world. But would you believe that a film that was released almost 20 years ago is now the definitive genre team-up, bringing together stars from Marvel, Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings? Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is now available to stream on Hulu and might be the most entertaining way to delve into the literary world of sci-fi legend Douglas Adams.
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (based on Adams’ book of the same name) is about a man who receives a warning from a friendly alien that the Earth is about to be demolished by other aliens. This takes them both to the stars, where they quickly become caught up in a galactic president’s mad quest to answer life’s ultimate question. The answer could be enough to save the galaxy. Assuming, of course, that our heroes manage to survive that long.
The film serves as a (relatively) faithful adaptation of the iconic Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxyand features an incredible cast, including Lord of the Rings legend Martin Freeman as our hapless human main character. He’s joined by some Harry Potter stars, including Warwick Davis as a robot who happens to be voiced by Alan Rickman. Meanwhile, memorable Marvel villain Sam Rockwell plays the President of the Galaxy, and the cast includes other big names like Zooey Deschanel, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich and Stephen Fry.
Despite this star-studded cast, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy it earned only a modest box office of $104.5 million against a budget of $45-50 million. Originally, there were vague plans to create a sequel, effectively creating a film franchise out of Douglas Adams’ seminal sci-fi series. Unfortunately, Freeman later confirmed that the film’s poor box office was not enough to justify a big-budget sequel.
As for the critics, they were a bit divided Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 60 percent critical rating, with critics generally complaining that the film could be funnier and may not be as accessible to those who have not read the book. Meanwhile, audiences liked the film a little more and it currently has a 65 percent Popcornmeter rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
In other words, this is a movie that’s barely “fresh” among critics and didn’t captivate audiences enough to warrant a sequel. So why do I recommend you stream? Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy? On the one hand, the film feels fresher than ever. In an era of endless Marvel abandonment and audience superhero fatigue, it’s amazing to see a big-budget genre feature doing its thing.
Plus, director Garth Jennings did indeed get what he paid for when it came to this killer cast. Freeman brings the down-to-earth charm, while Rockwell delivers a great performance and even bigger laughs. Mos Def is all softness and grace, while Fry embodies understated charm and Deschanel…well, she’s all wide-eyed galactic girl-next-door charisma.
Finally, the film has a lot of heart and often feels like an extended movie. doctor who episode in its presentation of the completely fantastic as the absolutely mundane. There is something zen in much of the advice Ford Prefect offers Arthur Dent in the face of otherwise unimaginable calamities. By the end, you’ll feel a little like Dent himself: ready to take on the entire galaxy (all while offering several cutting remarks, of course).
In short, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy It’s full of high-stakes plots and big-name actors, and the result is a bigger and better team than most of what we’ve seen from Marvel or DC. Will you find this sci-fi classic as entertaining as we do, or will turning off the TV be your own response to life, the universe, and everything? You won’t know, of course, until you stream the best adaptation of Douglas’s sweeping Adams story on Hulu.
