Douglas Adams' 'Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' presents the galactic/intergalactic misadventures of earthling Arthur Dent and Beetleguese native Ford Prefect. This six-episode, three-hour version of the book doesn't do justice to Adams' stories; in fact, the audiocassette format fares much better than the video, allowing the listener to imagine the goings-on. As it stands, the `film' (actually made for TV) reveals a lackluster production that falls short of laughs, no matter where the heroes travel.
The main problem here is the unappealing character portrayals; the actors just can't seem to make their lines and situations come alive. The two-headed Beeblebrox and his android Marvin are fairly annoying, Arthur and Ford simply aren't funny, and the plot and dialogue suffer from redundancies. On the other hand, the graphics that emanate from the hand-held computer book, `The Hitchhiker's Guide', are superb. They are so detailed, it's a shame the viewer doesn't have time to absorb them entirely. Watch for Dave Prowse (A Clockwork Orange/Star Wars trilogy) and Aubrey Morris (A Clockwork Orange/The Elephant Man) in sequences near the end of the epic.
When searching for something as specific as British sci-fi comedy, one would be better off renting episodes of the hilarious, colorful 'Red Dwarf'. The show features appealing, comical characters in far-out situations and innovative (albeit low budget) effects and gadgetry.
The main problem here is the unappealing character portrayals; the actors just can't seem to make their lines and situations come alive. The two-headed Beeblebrox and his android Marvin are fairly annoying, Arthur and Ford simply aren't funny, and the plot and dialogue suffer from redundancies. On the other hand, the graphics that emanate from the hand-held computer book, `The Hitchhiker's Guide', are superb. They are so detailed, it's a shame the viewer doesn't have time to absorb them entirely. Watch for Dave Prowse (A Clockwork Orange/Star Wars trilogy) and Aubrey Morris (A Clockwork Orange/The Elephant Man) in sequences near the end of the epic.
When searching for something as specific as British sci-fi comedy, one would be better off renting episodes of the hilarious, colorful 'Red Dwarf'. The show features appealing, comical characters in far-out situations and innovative (albeit low budget) effects and gadgetry.