The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005) - Movies with Mikey 

You being happy about the cheering crab cured my depression for a minute. That was fantastic. Thank you, you beautiful soul.

Douglas Adams once described the production of this movie as "Cooking a steak by having a succession of people come into the room and breathe on it."

I'm really glad you mentioned the idea of Adams wanting a younger audience to have a streamlined introduction to the material because that is exactly what the movie was to me. I saw it first a year or two after it came out as all the adults were watching it at a New Year's Eve party, I must have been nine. I was utterly enchanted by the film and made my dad start it over again as soon as it ended and then let me watch it again the next day. My dad bought the complete book set off of Amazon for me that day. It was a big set that looked a little like a bible, with thin pages to fit all those books into one volume, kind of hard to read for a nine year old, and I think I would have quit if I didn't have the movie visuals in my head to spur me on. I don't think I would have ever read HHG2G if there hadn't been a mainstream thing to implant itself in my mind so obsessively at a young age--Hitchhiker's is what got me into science fiction.

Yeah, I agree absolutely with your take on Mos Def as Ford Prefect. He brought so much more to it.

I remember 14 year old me going to see this movie, at Disney's El Capitan Theater, on opening day with a towel (I had obsessively read the books years before) and being so sad about how different it was. It wasn't until my mid-20's when I realized how great it truly was. Now I see this and I am reminded all over again how wonderful of a film it is! Thank you for this beautiful reminder.

In the "Introduction: Some unhelpful remarks from the author" of the version I have, Adams laments that "The history of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is now so complicated that every time I tell it I contradict myself, and whenever I do get it right I'm misquoted." He ends by saying of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Original Radio Scripts" that it is "the only example of one Hitchhiker publication accurately and consistently reflecting another. I feel a little uncomfortable with this - which is why the introduction to that book was written after the final and definitive one you are now reading and, of course, flatly contradicts it."

Thank you for that breakdown of why Mos Def is the best part of this movie. A+++ ♥

One of the things that I took away from this film, which mirrors a lot of what Mike said, was that before Douglas Adams died, he had talked at length about how you can't write for every medium in the same way, a statement that I have taken to heart in my enjoyment of any kind of film or television show adapted from books. To put it in terms that can be appreciated by most everyone, I'll cite the third Harry Potter film directed by Alfonso Cuarón, which is typically the least favorite of die-hard Potter fans as it's the least literal translation of the source material. As a cinema geek, however, it remains my favorite film of the series to this day because I feel that it is the best-executed film of the eight. The films that were the most literal translation, specifically those directed by Chris Columbus, are arguably my least favorite as they are films to bound up by the pacing and conventions of novels written for young adults. That said, it is worth noting that all three of these films had screenplays written by Steve Kloves, so you can take that with you, I guess. Anyway, there is a reason that they are called "adapted screenplays", with "adapted" being the operative word here.

Fun fact: Martin Freeman does the reading for one of the earlier recordings of the audiobooks.

Hate to correct but radio series pre-dates the book.

I always preferred Mos as Prefect. He's a great fit, and when I read the books I can't help but imagine him. And yeah, the head thing was better out of sight. I'm sorry, but it's better not to constantly show something that's hard to keep up.

I think you nailed a VERY difficult movie to analyse. There's no doubt a lot of fans were disappointed, but you found interesting and powerful things to focus on and made me appreciate the content which I had previous written off.

I've decided with this movie that it's incredibly good, one of my all-time favorites, but it's nothing like the books, my all-time favorite stories. Just as with Lord of the Rings, you can't compare the movies to the books or you'll end up sad and confused, completely missing out on a masterpiece!

Thank you so much for putting in the excellent "What are cows?" line. Easily the best Zaphod line in the film. As much as I'd like to see your take on Where the Wild Things Are, gonna have to vote for Iron Giant, because nostalgia.

"So long and thanks for all the fish" Is the best musical opening number ever, I ❤️it. 🦈🐡🐠🐟🐬🐋🐳 And Marvin the depressed Android is hilarious 😂 And answer 42 was priceless.! This is a great little gem of a movie.

I completely agree. I never understood the backlash to the film among fans of the book. But the film was also, admittedly, my introduction to the series. I was also a teenager when I first watched it. I suppose I was at an age where I was old enough to read the book, but I hadn't really heard of it before. I saw the movie and I loved it, and I still do now. Maybe for some people to enjoy a movie like this you need to go in without any preconceived notions of what it's going to be as compared to its source materials. I thought that the comparison of this movie to Monty Python was pretty spot on. It's pretty reminiscent to me of The Holy Grail (but in space and with a bigger budget. and yes, there's kind of a shoehorned love story in this one, but hey, it wasn't terrible). And guess what, I bought the book shortly after watching the movie, so the movie made me a fan of the book.

"Who cares, I'd rather be happy" God damn is that not the most powerful line I've heard in some time

"We apologize for the inconvenience."

It's very difficult to not compare when the lines are burned into my mind as spoken by the original radio cast. Still, you've convinced me to give it another try.

Years later, and this is still a comfort-watch. Both the movie, and your take on it. Thank you, so much. I needed exactly this video today.

This movie was my introduction to the HHG2TG trilogy, and even though I later read the books and changed my perceptions of most other characters Mos Def is still the definitive Ford Prefect to me.

I love that quote. Lists and rankings are the enemies of art. There is no perfect pasta sauce...only perfect pasta sauces.

Iron Giant. That's not even a contest. Iron. Giant.

according to henry ford himself..." you can have it in any color you want, as long as its black"

"This movie makes me happy as shit!" YES.

Alan Rickman couldn’t be more perfect for Marvin The Paranoid Android

As a huge fan of the book since as long as I can remember, I always hoped history would remember this movie fondly. Yeah, it's definitely not perfect, in fact I remember being pretty indignant in the theater when I first saw it, but even back then I couldn't deny the charm. And every few years I pop it on in my boredom and yeah, I'm always wildly entertained. It surprises me every time, but yes, I kind of love it. Also totally agree that Mos Def's performance is the best Ford Prefect so far. Who saw it coming? Not me! But I can't deny that he brought a wonderful life, weirdness, and depth to a character who is, let's face it, basically just a plot device in the original book. Wish I could like this video twice.

Okay, you know what made me subscribe? The MOMENT that made me want to subscribe to you, just now: You said you both appreciate having access to the tools you get when more people are subscribed, and also you love the sense of childlike joy whenever you get to see your numbers go up. Let me just say... that is one of the purest, most beautifully honest expressions of hope and ambition I have ever heard. You're not after power or influence, just *the feeling of relevance* and I totally dig that, and dig you FOR that. Good on you man.

This movie holds a special place in my heart. I saw it as a teenager with my class, and I didn't know anything about it, so probably wouldn't go see it otherwise. But I loved the specific humour and how different it was, as well as the actors, it lead me to read the books and discover the genius of Douglas Adams. I am actually grateful I saw the movie first, without any expectations and comparisons. It might have affected how I viewed the characters, but nevertheless, thanks to the movie, I was able to fall in love with the books, for which I will always be grateful :).

I was one of those a younger people who don't read good when I watched this movie. I loved this movie and its how I got into sci-fi as a kid, and I still love it now.

I haven't seen the other version. I cannot imagine a world without this amazing movie. I think it's spectacular and don't even want to see the other. Don't need it. This is one of the greatest movies of all time in my opinion.

So Douglas Adams essentially wrote fanfic of his own story. Cool.

I still remember sitting in a theater and the teaser trailer started, and the Earth came on the screen, and I was like, is this The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and then Earth blew up, and I screamed, in the theater with excitement, because it was.

I think the biggest success of this movie is in its ability to get people interested in the source material. I went through the entire series on Audible after loving this movie.

(6:30) ... kindly remind you, in 1936, the car only came in *one* color ... *Blaaack.* That's the kind of justice that gets handed out in an Adams-verse. So, delightful I got goosebumps all the way up my arms. Never had ' upper arm goosebumps' before. Cool. 😎 Thanks!

Watching this again for the third time, after rewatching the movie for the who knows how many times. Hits the nail on the head. I prefer the books as the entirety of the story, but the movie existing makes me very happy. I also agree that Most Def had the best performance overall. I was already sold on his acting thanks to 13 Blocks, but his turn in this made it clear he could undoubtedly have a long career as a character actor. Everyone brought their A game, but Most truly became Ford (in my opinion) and if I had the money and influence I would greenlight a series covering all the books with this cast, even if I lost all the money I put in. Between the story and concepts Adams put into the world, and the performances provided by actors who clearly connected with it, it would only be a positive for the world. Finally, Mikey, I appreciate so much what you and your crew do in the medium of video essays. All of it. You don't shy away from criticism, but your goal is to find the good in things people may take for granted. Your love of the medium is clear, and it is a beacon amongst so much hate covered in intellectual critique. I wish I could give this another like. I know I will watch it again. Keep up the good work.

I absolutely love this film. They couldn't have put together a more perfect cast if they tried. Even the voice actors, from Stephen Frys narration to Bill Baileys cameo as the falling whale, to the League of Gentlemen voicing ALL of the Vogons, to Alan Fucking Rickman as Marvin.....It's all just too perfect! For me, this film is one of those incredibly rare 'Ghostbusters' types of movie. A one-off, 'lightning-in-a-bottle', where everything somehow just fell into place to create something special. It was the right cast, at the right time, and they created magic. It's such a shame that it didn't do well on release. Apparently there were plans to do a sequel, and possibly even the whole 5 book 'trilogy', but as this film didn't do great at the box office, they never followed through on those plans. I'm sad that I live in a world where we *could* have had 5 movies in this universe with *that* cast, but only ever got one! Still, if Ghostbusters 2 has taught us anything, is that it's almost impossible to recreate that kind of magic again, so maybe it's for the best that they didn't try. I'm just happy we got what we got. Hitchhikers is one of my favourite films of all time!

I loved this movie when it first came out. I definitely remember picking up a copy of the DVD in my second year of college and going as Arthur Dent for Halloween that year (it's now my go-to "I haven't planned to have a Halloween costume at all" costume because it's so easy) I had never even heard of Douglas Adams by that point in my life. After seeing the movie, I picked up a copy of the book, and eventually the rest of the series. It's one of my all-time favourites. I just kind of identify so strongly with the "lost, confused, and just trying to find a little bit of comfort and contentment" attitude that Arthur has throughout most of the series. I also really love the absurdist humour of the series, and the way Adams writes to emphasize that absurdity. I love the story behind how he got the idea to start writing it in the first place. IIRC, he was travelling through Innsbruck and tried to ask someone for directions. Well, the first person he asked was deaf and mute. Uncommon, but not exactly unheard of. So he asked another person. Also deaf-mute. And then the next. And so on like that. That's where it got into surreal territory for him. Turns out, there was a convention for deaf-mute people happening in the city at that time. But that's where the idea for being lost in a completely alien situation hit him. I mean, I'm not sure how good his German was, but you could probably at least muddle through a conversation of sorts to get basic directions as an English speaker in Austria, but to encounter so many people that you have no practical way to communicate with at all, in an otherwise normal-seeming situation. He wanted to capture that feeling in his writing. I love the asides from the Guide that explain things and put them into context. In other works, stopping the narrative to do an exposition dump on things would be a bit frustrating. Especially if the aside continues providing extraneous details that are completely irrelevant (I'm looking at you, Stephen King). But, in addition to being hilarious and interesting, the Guide sections never felt forced or out of place, in either the books or the movie (I'm afraid I've never bothered to track down the radio or tv versions, but that does seem like a thing to do at some point). And Stephen Fry was perfect as the voice of the guide. As you said, this entire cast was fantastic. Sidenote: I've always felt like a little bit of a hipster when it comes to Zooey Deschanel, because I had such a crush on her from this movie and practically nobody had heard of her until New Girl (well, maybe some of my friends at least recognized her after 500 Days of Summer). The fact that she was in certain things got me to watch them, like the Tin Man Sci-Fi miniseries - which is gloriously hokey in all of the ways that appeal to me. Also, The Happening, which was less enjoyable. I mean, I thought that between her and Wahlberg, they wouldn't have signed on to something that was awful. Maybe Shyamalan had gotten his stuff finally sorted out again. Yeah, no. But, hey, I remember sitting there in the theatre laughing my ass off with two of my best friends. We still quote random lines from the movie during stuff like DnD. Anyway, this was a long ramble, but I just wanted to say, thank you, Mikey, for talking about this movie. I feel like it's basically forgotten by most people anymore, if they ever knew it at all, which is a real tragedy.

As a lifelong fan of the books (except Mostly Harmless, that was a downer) and the TV adaption; your analysis has tempered my jaded view of the film. Thankyou :)

This was perfect. Thanks to parents who not only encouraged reading but had an actual library (like a room with floor to ceiling shelves full of every genre of literary goodness you can imagine), Douglas Adams was one of the first authors I considered myself a fan of. I devoured his stories, not just HHGTTG. I named my first cat Zaphod, I giggle whenever I hear or someone say 42, and adapted a Vogon-esque gamertag and online name. Suffice it to say, I dig the guy. All that brings me to the point about how much I loved this movie. It's not a particularly good movie by critics' standards but it is fantastic. It brought Adams to people who have never read HHGTTG and introduced a new audience to the incredible universe he created with his stories. More importantly, this movie made me laugh and conjured memories of tucking into a corner of a couch in a drafty old farmhouse tearing into page after page of Douglas Adams' gift to me. Also, Where the Wild Things Are.

Young structural filmologists get deeply excited about the underlying theme to Hitchhiker’s adaptations and stay up late at night convinced that they are very close to something of profound importance, and end up becoming old structural filmologist before their time, getting very angry with the young ones.

This is my favourite movie of all time, has been since I saw it when I was young. So long and thanks for all the fish from this movie will play at my funeral

HHGG is probably the most important piece of pop culture in my life and I have to say that you 100% nailed it in this piece. It was always an evolving work. Every iteration was different and each was great and had its weaknesses. The most important part is the concept and the joy, which the movie had in spades. Great piece Mikey.

Dude, I can't explain what this channel has done to reinvigorate my love for amazing, original, and many times overlooked, movies. Thank you for the work you do. Also your editing is some of the best on the platform.

This MWM is so good. I just rewatched because RU-vid put it on the top of the suggested video list (or whatever they call that sidebar). I'm so glad they did. Love what you did with the little crab.

I mean honestly, I'm pilling on a single vote that is the mountain of Iron Giant, I guess.

Iron Giant. I think this is one of the show's best episodes to date, manages to stay compelling throughout and make a great, cohesive point, but still makes time for the jokes. Nice one, Mikey.

Going through your archive and this review made me very happy. So many people hate on this film without acknowledging the excellent moments it has. That scene on the beach with the crabs and slapping spade things always makes me smile to this day.

Slartibartfast’s speech about the nature of the universe, both in the book and movie, are probably the most influence any piece of media has had on my development as a person.

The animation for the "hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy" in the title scene is SO good and SO NSYNC with the music I watch it probably once a day

11:32 is probably one of the weirdest paintings I have ever seen. That's definitely supposed to be Ben Franklin, Teddy Rosevelt, and Ronald Reagan, and I *think* Roy Rogers is there, too... but that's all I can identify (other than Twain, of course). Is that Norman Rockwell on the right, or just the guy Norman Rockwell always painted into his stuff?

It's really weird how Mos Def would've been the last person I would have thought of in this role, but now, he's the only person I can only imagine in my head when I re-read the books.

I love all the Hitchhiker's adaptations individually, and this one is no exception. Every time someone says "to business" I still reflexively cheers "To Business!" It's such a dumb joke but it still cracks me up :)

Iron Giant, mos def.

This is still on my "movies that I will watch any time to feel happier" list. Small tear in one eye when that majestic reimagining of the theme music comes on.

Your admiration of this movie makes me so happy. Dominic Noble's video frustrated me to no end. He couldn't accept that Douglas Adams was the one who made the changes.

Where the Wild Things Are. But only if the episode *after* that is Iron Giant.

i feel like you took all the ideas out of this video right out of my brain, I agree with it full heartedly and its so cool to see someone put it into words

IRON GIANT IRON GIANT IRON GIANT. Mikey. Mikey this is very important. iron giant Mikey.

Honestly have to say that Adam's novels were precisely the impetus that began my reading of books as a teenager. They are an amazing _gateway drug_ for the youth into reading books. IMHO.

The Hitch Hikers guide to the Galaxy is my favorite book series. Ive read it twice and listened to it once. I LOVED the movie, mostly out of bias, and because the themes are still there. The characters are pretty much how I pictured them.

I'm very grateful for your ability to encourage me to rewatch films I maybe didn't think much of on first viewing, to give them a second chance. Thank you for that.

Convinced to rewatch with a more open mind. I'm one of those who digs the TV show best and was disappointed. But you've got some points I'd like to review. Good job!

Never seen, read, or heard another adaptation of hitchhiker. So, no comparisons. But this is one of my favorite movies of all time.

Wow! You killed it Mikey, amazing video. Adding this movie to my increasingly-long "movies i need to watch now because i watched the movies with mikey about it" list

I'm late to the party here, but thank you for giving me a video I can just send to people about this movie instead of having to pull my soap box out for 10 minutes to try and defend it!

I'm kind of glad I saw this movie before I ever heard of the books. I love the movie and it didn't suffer reading the books later, and seeing the show much later.

Your description of why Adams wrote the movie is literally my experience of the movie, one weekend my dad wanted to take me to the cinema and his brother was a big fan of the books, card carrying member of z-z-9-plural-z-alpha but Dad knew very little about the film and I knew nothing The creativity and skill of telling this world's story came at me so thick and fast i didn't shut up about it for a year, bought every audiobook, trawled the wiki, everything! Its still one of my favourite films to watch and 'Id' rather be happy than right' is the only time this radical christian and Douglas antitheist Adams have ever agreed so profoundly - when I saw this movie age 10 it became my 5th freaking gospel Thanks for giving it the praise it's been lacking for so long while perfectionists have been dunking on it you are a gift and a joy

My dad raised me on the bbc version and he bought a computer in like, 86 just to get the game.

oh my. this video is so good I feel like I just rewatched it, one of my most favorite movies of all times, with my best friend of something. daaamn. I am so happy I have discovered this channel thru MovieWins.

Slartibartfast didn't create Earth though. He specialized in fjords. The one of which he won an award for way in Norway

'Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black.' -Henry Ford

I LOVE THIS MOVIE and I most certainly never would have heard or cared about the series if I hadn't seen this when it first came out in theaters back when I was 15, so I think it accomplished the task that Adam's wanted it do. ❤❤❤❤❤

IRON. MOTHER. FUCKING. GIANT.

I just can never stop loving the film for introducing me to the comedic genius that is Douglas Adams!

Choosing your favorite is just like asking which of your children is your favorite

HHGTTG was a radio played that got adapted into a book, then a second season of the radio play was a sequel to the book and then that radio play got adapted into another book and it's a whole think seriously.

I can't believe you used Careless Whisper in the video, knowing full well I'd be watching it exactly today. You monster.

I'm really happy to see all the love for Mos Def as Ford Prefect. I guess it's naive of me, but I didn't realize that a lot of the issue people had with him in that role was because he's black. I hate to break it to those folks, but black people exist in the UK. Surprise!

Damn Mickey! You did it again. I'm going backwards through your oeuvre and you keep helping me reassess and find appreciation for some great works of art. Thank you~!

I love this movie, all of it. The special effects are amazing the actors are amazing the movie is hilarious

I totally agree about all HHG2G material being linked. This movie was my intro. I've since seen the tv series, and listened to the fantastic audio book series. All are different in their own unique way, and all of them are well worth making time for over and over.

This movie and the 2004 Series of Unfortunate Events movie are movies I enjoy as much as their original materials despite their deviations from it. They're just so fun and, well, make me happy.

Ive been trying to write a play version of this, since its my favorite thing ever, but now this has put way more pressure on me to live up to the greatness of the books and all iterations. God dang

I cannot believe I watched this a day late, and there are STILL only 4000 views... It's insane. One of my favorite shows on RU-vid. Also, love everything Hitchhiker, and I really remember enjoying this movie a lot when it first came out. Finally, I gotta vote Iron Giant. I mean, is there any contest?

2:42 The theme is The Eagle's "Journey Of The Sorcerer", which was used for almost all adaptations of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy that use audio as a key part of storytelling.

ah, the way you telegraphed the bit about the color of the car is comedy gold

I'm surprised there's so little mention of how perfect Alan Rickman is as Marvin. His line delivery is perfect. For some reason, the way he says "Now I've got a headache..." always stuck with me. It's a fun movie that does a great job of presenting the IP to a new audience, especially capturing the overall style. It doesn't have the complexity of the book, but that's because it's not a book. It does a pretty good job changing out the more text-based elements for things that work better in a visual medium. Flawed? Certainly, but a delightful distillation of the source.

Back in the 80's, Ivan Reitman wanted to make a sci-fi comedy, and somebody told him about how popular Hitch-hiker's was. Reitman arranged to meet Douglas Adams about the movie rights, however, he didn't bother to actually read the book, listen to a single episode of the radio show, watch a single episode of the TV mini-series, or even listen to the audio book before the meeting. As you can imagine, the meeting did not go well. On the plus side, Reitman made Ghostbusters instead.

IRON GIANT OMG YES PLEASE

I adore this movie. So disappointed that no sequels have materialised

this jewel is the only movie, that i've bought on dvd. also, it's the only adaptation of a book i'm cool with (after waiting for it for about 15 years to happen). and it's fresh today as it was 12 years ago, after watching it literally thousands of times. and i'm going to watch it again, right now. just for the crab no the Vog planet. thanx, Mikey

I played the game back in 1984 on my apple 2e. It was my introduction to the hitchhiker world.

Dude, you earned yourself a subscriber. I got so tired of hearing people diss the movie. I'm a huge Douglass Adams fan. I've read every book several times, and the movie is by far my favorite version. It's amazing fun from opening to ending credits. The thought swatter scene makes my sides hurt from laughing. Even though I've seen it a thousand times. Mos Def is a severely underrated actor also. That guy puts in 100% effort into everything he does.

I was just watching this shouting, YES! THAT! ALL OF THAT! this is why I enjoy this film. It makes me happy.

IRON GIANT. IRON. MOTHERFUCKING. GIANT.

The fifth rewatch and you taught my friend, life partner, and attempt at marriage to not judge media based on how exact like the source material it is. Thank you, again, Mikey Face

I'm a creature who vampirically feeds on "watch time," wanting more. A chunk of "content" is more filling, but it's no filet.

I love this movie. It's nice to see someone else look at it in a positive light. The book is my all-time favorite, a book I first picked up when I was a very awkward kid just starting high school. It is one of the first books that truly shaped me and the person I would eventually become. I re-read it every 3 or 4 years. To this day Hitchhiker's Guide informs so much of my sense of humor and in some ways my view on life. It's hard to imagine a movie version that could live up to that, but I really felt like this movie hit all the important beats. And I would be remiss if I didn't mention that when I re-read the books after seeing this movie, I always imagine the dialog in the voices of these actors now. I can count on one hand the amount of times that has happened to me where I enjoy a performance so much it rejiggers the way I internally view the character going forward, so that is high praise from me (the other instances being Mark Hamill's Joker, Kevin Conroy's Batman, Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin).

i absolutely have to know your thoughts on The Iron Giant