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Abhorrent
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Disturbing
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Acceptable
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Wholesome
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+ + + + +
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Exemplary
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VA
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For viewers of all ages
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V13
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For viewers age 13 and below with parental guidance
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V14
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For viewers 14 and above
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V18
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For mature viewers 18 and above
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NP
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Not for public viewing
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Title:
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HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY |
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Running Time:
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129 mins
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Lead Cast:
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Sam Rockwell, Mos Def Zooey Descanel, John Malckovich, Martin Freeman, Bill Nighy, Anna Chancellor, Alan Rickman
(voice), Stephen Fry, (voice), Helen Mirren (voice)
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Director:
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Garth Jennings
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Producers:
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Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum, Jonathan Glickman, Nick Goldsmith, Jay Roach
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Screenwriter:
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Douglas Adams, Karey Kirkpatrick
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Music:
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Joby Talbot
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Editor:
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Niven Douglas Adams
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Genre:
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Sci-fi/Adventure
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Cinematography:
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Igor Jadue-Lillo
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Distributor:
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Columbia Pictures
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Location:
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England
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Technical Assessment:
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• • ½
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Moral Assessment:
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+ + +
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CINEMA Rating:
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For viewers age 13 and below with parental guidance
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One morning Arthur wakes up to find his home about to be demolished and the earth about to
end. With the help of his friend, Ford (Mos Def), who is actually an alien he saved sometime ago, he escapes death and hitchhikes from one alien ship to another. With
the earth demolished to give way to a super inter-galactic highway, Arthur is now homeless and clueless and relies on the wisdom of Ford to survive the galaxy. He then lands
on the spaceship of Zaphod, (Sam Rockwell), the President of the Galaxy. He meets for the second time Tricia Mcmillan (Deschanel), a girl he fancied and now known as
Trillian, right hand of Zaphod. The team, together with a depressed robot named Marvin, encounters one adventure after another in their search for the planet Magathea.
The search for life's ultimate question for the ultimate answer turns out to be a quest for discovering that in life's complexity, sometimes the only question that matters is the
one with the answer that will make us happy.
Over-all the movie falls flat for a sci-fi adventure. Either the screenplay is too bookish
or the humor is not one that we are familiar with. The writers seem to have been too rigid in following the book that it is confusing to follow every character and every
situation introduced. Two thirds of the movie is a little boring, especially if one is expecting the dynamism of the traditional Hollywood treatment of this genre. The
production design is commendable but nothing new. All other technical elements (cinematography, editing, special effects) are average at most but lack creativity.
A very interesting reflection the movie provides is about how one continues to search for
something… the truth, fame, success and the like. One climbs mountains, dives seas, conquers the impossible but at the end of the day the only thing that matters is
getting an answer to a question that would make one happy and fulfilled. In the movie, the question is if Trillian is the one meant to love and be with Arthur. In real
life, the questions may differ. It maybe about love and relationships or career choices or domestic decisions or one's vocation but the point is the question that we need an
answer to is not one that would give us temporary gain or happiness. The one question whose answer would matter most is the one that will affect our lives…through our
heart and soul…forever.
(Date Reviewed: 23 June 2005)
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