The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (film)

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a science-fiction movie based on the book of the same name by Douglas Adams. Shooting was completed in August 2004 and the movie was released on April 28 2005 in the UK, Australia and New Zealand; and on the following day in the USA. It was rolled out to cinemas worldwide during May, June, July, August and September.

Plot

The movie follows the general plot of previous versions of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy though, as with previous incarnations, there have been changes for this version. Most notable are the sections on the planets Viltvodle VI and Vogsphere. Also the love story between Arthur and Trillian is emphasized and more fully developed in this movie than previous renditions.

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Waking to the sound of bulldozers encroaching upon his house, Arthur Dent tries to prevent the destruction of his home by laying in the path of the bulldozers. His attempts are interrupted by his friend Ford Prefect, who convinces Arthur to accompany him to the local public house. Here Ford reveals that he is actually an alien (and not from Guildford) and as a favour is planning to save Arthur from certain death when the Earth is demolished to make way for a hyperspace bypass in the next few minutes. After hitchhiking aboard one of the orbiting Vogon ships, the duo are captured by the Vogons, forced to listen to the Vogon Captain's poetry (the third worst in the universe), and then thrown out an airlock, where (against all probability) they are rescued by the Heart of Gold, a spaceship stolen by Galactic President Zaphod Beeblebrox, and accompanied by Tricia McMillan, now calling herself Trillian (whom Arthur once met at a party) and Marvin the Paranoid Android.

Related Topics:
Arthur Dent - Ford Prefect - Public house - Guildford - Heart of Gold - Zaphod Beeblebrox - Tricia McMillan - Marvin the Paranoid Android

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It is at this point that the plot begins to diverge from previous versions of the story. In this version, Zaphod is already aware of the Quest for the Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything, and desiring the Question for himself he stole the Heart of Gold with the intent of using it to visit the planet Magrathea. It is a Magrathean data archive cube that reveals the story of Deep Thought, but not the identity of the computer built to discover the "Ultimate Question." Also in this version, the Vogons remain in pursuit of Zaphod and the Heart of Gold throughout, at the behest of the Galactic Vice-President who wishes to "rescue" him from his abductor (Zaphod abducted himself when he stole the Heart of Gold).

Related Topics:
The Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything - Magrathea

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The Improbability Drive takes the ship to Viltvodle VI, home of the Jatravartids and Humma Kavula, who was Zaphod's opponent in the election for President of the Galaxy. Kavula has a small red cube that contains the coordinates to Magrathea, and offers it to Zaphod in exchange for a gun (the Point-of-view gun) that can be found near Deep Thought. Kavula requires a "hostage" in order to ensure that Zaphod will complete the quest, and removes Zaphod's second head.

Related Topics:
Jatravartids - Point-of-view gun - Deep Thought

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During their departure from Viltvodle VI, Trillian is captured by the Vogons and brought to their homeworld, Vogsphere. Our heroes go to the Vogon homeworld and try to rescue Trillian. Upon stepping off their ship they briefly encounter subterraneous fauna that attack people who exhibit original thought, which they manage to evade once they reach an urban area. The excessive bureaucracy associated with many governing bodies is parodied when they are confronted by the amount of red tape that they must forge through to rescue Trillian. As Trillian is processed, she learns of the destruction of the Earth, which Arthur had not told her about (after he had been threatened on the subject by Zaphod). She also learns that Zaphod was the one who absent-mindedly autographed the demolition order for Earth (by signing "Love & Kisses, Zaphod"). Arthur, Zaphod, and Ford manage to fill out the appropriate Presidential Prisoner Release forms to have Trillian released just before she is fed to the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal and the crew escapes Vogsphere. Just as the Vogons are about to give pursuit, a klaxon sounds, and they delay the chase as they take an hour off for lunch.

Related Topics:
Bureaucracy - Red tape - Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal

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The Heart of Gold heads for Magrathea, where the company is separated - Zaphod, Trillian, and Ford meet Deep Thought, while Arthur meets Slartibartfast, and learns of Earth's origin. While touring the Magrathean Planet Factory Floor, Arthur is introduced to the Earth Mark II, a backup copy. He is eventually led to his house in England, now restored.

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Meanwhile, beneath Deep Thought, Zaphod, Trillian, and Ford find the Point-of-view gun, the object sought by Humma Kavula. According to the Guide, it was built by Deep Thought for a council of angry housewives who were tired of ending arguments by complaining to husbands that "you just don't get it, do you?" When fired, the Point-of-view gun causes the target to experience the point of view of the wielder. Trillian uses it to make Zaphod understand her conflicting feelings about their relationship.

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Back at Arthur's house, Arthur is reunited with Ford, Zaphod and Trillian, who are busy enjoying a lavish meal provided by the mice. The meal however has been laced with sedative, and consequently Arthur finds his three companions falling fast asleep. It is a trap to enable the mice to restrain Arthur and extract his brain (being the most recent component left from the Earth after its demolition, and thus needed to complete the Earth's computer program). Faced with his demise, Arthur finally expresses his love for Trillian. Before the mice manage the extraction, Arthur breaks free from his restraints, and squishes the mice with a teapot.

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The heroes leave the recreation of Arthur's house, only to be confronted by a large number of Vogons. While Zaphod attempts to operate Arthur's "spaceship" (which is in fact just a caravan), Arthur and Trillian try to retrieve the dropped Point-of-view gun, but are forced to use the caravan as cover from the hail of fire the Vogons direct at them. Marvin goes to catch up with the rest, remarking that Vogons are the worst marksmen in the universe, but he is hit in the back of the head by a Vogon blast and collapses.

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Just as it seems that they are doomed, Marvin reactivates and picks up the nearby Point-of-view gun. He fires, hitting all of the Vogons and they are exposed to his perspective on life; they all instantly become incredibly depressed and collapse.

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As the depressed Vogons are taken away and the final touches are applied to Earth Mark II, Slartibartfast asks Arthur if there is anything that the new Earth could do without and Arthur replies, "Yeah, me." The movie ends with Arthur and his companions leaving the newly "rebooted" Earth and reboarding the Heart of Gold, with the intended destination of Milliways, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe.

Related Topics:
Milliways - The Restaurant at the End of the Universe

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