The Sci-Fi Epic Adventure On Streaming Needs A Sequel
In the modern landscape of cinema, it seems that every beloved sci-fi and science-fantasy film is getting its own spectacular adaptation to film. Denis Villeneuve’s Dune and Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon outings have proven to audiences that classic science fiction stories don’t need to be constrained to a single movie. One excellent sci-fi film from 2005, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, adapts the first film in the beloved novel series of the same name, and desperately demands a follow-up.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy On Hulu
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is available to stream on Hulu today, for those of you who have not yet had the chance to catch the hilarious deep-space adventure.
The film, which is based on the 1979 novel, which is based on the 1978 radio comedy broadcast, was masterminded by author and comedic genius Douglas Adams.
Though Adams tragically passed away in 2001, he co-wrote the screenplay with the assistance of Chicken Run screenwriter Karey Kirkpatrick.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Cast
The novel series spans six side-splitting intergalactic volumes, with the final book completed by Irish author Eoin Colfer after Adams’ untimely passing.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy film stars an all-star leading cast of A-listers, including Martin Freeman, Sam Rockwell, Warwick Davis, Zooey Deschanel, and rapper Yasiin Bey, credited under his now-defunct moniker Mos Def.
The film also includes impeccable voice-acting from Stephen Fry, Thomas Lennon, Helen Mirren, and the late, great Alan Rickman.
The Crazy Story
The film centers on a middle-aged British man named Arthur Dent, whose modest home is in the destruction path for a planned highway expansion.
After attempting to protest and delay the contractors from demolishing his house, Arthur is persuaded by his oddly named friend, Ford Prefect, to give up and go to a local pub.
Over drinks, Ford explains that he is actually an alien being, sent to the planet Earth to pen an entry into the ever-expanding guide book, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
The Earth Is Destroyed
Unfortunately, much like Arthur’s home, the planet Earth is in the demolition path for an intergalactic bypass, and Ford convinces him to escape from the planet by hitchhiking on a passing alien spaceship.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy completely subverts all expectations by actually destroying the Earth and all its inhabitants within the first 15 minutes of the movie. This is in stark contrast to a number of world-ending threats presented in other films.
Once off-planet, Arthur and Ford encounter a myriad of wacky characters, including the galaxy president, a clinically depressed robot, and a poetry-loving race of repugnant bureaucrats called the Vogons.
A Faithful Adaptation
Though the film received mixed reviews from critics, many fans have lauded The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy for its faithful adaptation of the first book in the series.
Unfortunately, no follow up films were made depicting the continually mind-bending adventures which Arthur and Ford embark upon in the following five volumes.
Stream The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Though it’s been nearly 20 years since the original film premiered, many fans would still surely love to revisit the ever-expanding galaxy with a sequel or reboot.
If you haven’t yet had the chance to uncover the answer to life, the universe, and everything, you can find out today by streaming The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy on Hulu.
